The Gila Trail. The Texas Argonauts and the California Gold Rush

Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1960 Book. Very fine. Hardcover. 1st Edition. First edition. Edited and Annotated by Richard H. Dillon. 224 pp. Illustrations, maps; bibliographical notes, index. A very fine copy with spine-faded pictorial dust jacket. Colorful reminiscences of the Trail and of the Mother Lode mining camps, 1849-1850, published here for the first time. "Along with Powell and Duval, this ranks as one of the most important (and rare) firsthand accounts describing the Southern Route. Duval and Harris were on the same trip. Harris left Panola County, Texas, on March 25, 1849, and headed for El Paso. From there, he went through Corralitos and Janos in Mexico before picking up the Southern Trail near Guadalupe Pass. He finally joined the Gila Trail at the Pima Villages. Around July 19, his party arrived at Warner's Ranch in San Diego County. After a short visit in Los Angeles with Benito Wilson, they proceeded up the Central Valley and on September 29, terminated their journey. Harris recorded his experiences in the Southern Mines around Agua Fria, Yorktown, and Sullivan's Creek. His account covers hunting bears, claim jumping, fights, lynch law, Mexicans, and gambling. As well, his recollections of James D. Savage and the Mariposa Indian War, Judge David S. Terry, and John Joel Glanton offer important information" (Kurutz). [Kurutz: 313]. .