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Drawings

Wilkins 18: Fort Laramie

Image

Original wash drawing of Fort Laramie, Wyoming (actually Fort John; see note below). Sketched by Wilkins on his 151-day journey from Missouri to California on the Overland Trail (also known as the Oregon Trail). Wilkins stayed here for a few days to stock up on supplies and rest before another long leg of their journey. Wilkins writes in his diary: "Arrived this morn by 8 o'clock at Fort Laramie where we shall stay a day or two to fix up, get our tires cut and other repairings. This is a great resting place for emigrants. Most of them by this time have seen enough of the elephant to know what they really want, and what they can dispense with. Wagons, especially heavy wagons, can be bought here for an old song. A great many parties abandoning their wagons at this point and take to mule packing on account of the rumours of no grass and bad rocky roads, their object being to get thro' at some price and as quickly as possible."

Date Created:
June 24, 1849
Creator:
Wilkins, James F., d. 1888

Publication Information

Creator Wilkins, James F., d. 1888
Date Created June 24, 1849

Physical Description

Format Image
Dimensions 26 x 21 cm

Collection Information

Source Collection James F. Wilkins Overland Trail drawings, 1849
Call Number PH 374B.18 (5)

Copyright Information

Copyright Status NO COPYRIGHT - UNITED STATES
Rights Holder Wisconsin Historical Society
Unique ID
W014A4Y
Legacy ID
WHi 3935

Image

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Drawings
Wilkins 20: Laramie Peak

Wilkins 20: Laramie Peak

June 29, 1849

Laramie Peak in Wyoming; Sketched by Wilkins on his 151-day journey from Missouri to California on the Overland Trail (also known as the Oregon Trail).

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Drawings
Wilkins 19: Fording Laramie Creek

Wilkins 19: Fording Laramie Creek

May 27, 1849

The wagon train crossing Laramie Creek in Wyoming.

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Drawings
Wilkins 08: Crossing a Creek

Wilkins 08: Crossing a Creek

May 1849

Wilkins' wagon procession crossing a creek in Missouri; Sketched by Wilkins on his 151-day journey from Missouri to California on the Overland Trail (also known as the Oregon Trail).

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Drawings
Wilkins 34: Trail Towards South Pass

Wilkins 34: Trail Towards South Pass

July 13, 1849

The trail at Rocky Ridge, showing wagon train, that Wilkins was taking to get to the South Pass in Wyoming; sketched by Wilkins on his 151-day journey from Missouri to California on the Overland Tr...

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Drawings
Wilkins 07: Undulating Prairies in Missouri

Wilkins 07: Undulating Prairies in Missouri

May 1849

The vast prairies in Missouri; an oxen-pulled wagon is visible. Sketched by Wilkins on his 151-day journey from Missouri to California on the Overland Trail (also known as the Oregon Trail).

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Drawings
Wilkins 06: Prairie Farm in Missouri

Wilkins 06: Prairie Farm in Missouri

May 1849

A farm in Missouri with one wagon visible. Sketched by Wilkins on his 151-day journey from Missouri to California on the Overland Trail (also known as the Oregon Trail).

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