Book Notices

South Pass, 1868: James Chisholm's Journal of the Wyoming Gold Rush.

Edited by LOL A M HOMSHER (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1996. xi + 244 pp. Paper, $12.00.)

The Chicago Tribune first reported the discovery of gold in Utah in 1867 (Actually, the southwest corner of present Wyoming was then part of Dakota Territory.) As news flashes datelined Salt Lake City continued over the next six months, the Tribune wanted an eyewitness of its own on the scene in case the strike on the Sweetwater proved to be another Comstock It did not But Chisholm's journal is a genuine treasure of historical observations and a positive delight to read.

The Arams of Idaho: Pioneers of Camas Prairie and Joseph Plains.

By KRISTI M YOUNGDAHL. (Moscow: University of Idaho Press, 1995 xi + 208 pp Paper, $19.95.)

The setting of this three-generational pioneer story is Idaho County at the base of the panhandle, a remote, barely accessible area. Among the first of the region's daring settlers were Sarah andJohn Aram who came to the Camas Prairie in 1864 with their young family Based largely on family records and oral interviews, The Arams of Idaho tells the story of the determined people who once populated this region, the tasks that consumed their daily lives, the dangers they faced, and the heartbreak they overcame It is an excellent example of family history moving beyond that genre's narrow bounds to become excellent local history.

Covered Wagon Women: Diaries & Letters from the Western Trails, 1840-1849.

Edited and compiled by KENNETH L HOLMES (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1996 280 pp Paper, $12.00.)

Covered Wagon Women: Diaries & Letters from the Western Trails, 1851.

Edited and compiled by KENNETH L HOLMES . (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1996. 291 pp. Paper, $13.00.)

These are reprinted from volumes 1 and 3 respectively of an eleven-volume series originally published byArthur H. Clarke. Each contains a significant diary entry from a Utah woman The thirty pages devoted to Patty Bartlett Sessions include an introduction, 1847 diary, epilogue, and bibliography. The legendary midwife delivered five babies between Omaha and Salt Lake City. Seventy pages are devoted in the 1851 volume to Jean Rio Baker, a Scottish woman, and her voyage from England and wagonjourney across the plains to Salt Lake City.

All of the women, regardless of destination, offer insights into wagon train travel and give the reader a sense of immediacy only found in first-person accounts.