Pattie's Personal Narrative, 1824-1830; Willard's Inland Trade with New Mexico, 1825, and Downfall of the Fredonian Republic; and Malte-Brun's Account of Mexico
"For three generations the Patties had been frontiersmen. Restlessly they moved onward as the border advanced, always hovering upon the outskirts of civilization, seeking to better their condition by taking up fresh lands in untilled places, and remorselessly fighting the aborigines who disputed their invasion. They longed unceasingly for new adventures in the mysterious West…the Patties belonged to that class of Americans who conquered the wilderness, and yearly pushed the frontier westward." Sylvester Pattie and his son James joined Pratte's caravan to the Southwest and the New Mexican frontier. They obtained permission from the New Mexican government to trap upon the Gila River, a trip which lasted nearly five months filled with hardship and suffering. While his father stayed at the copper mines of Santa Rita, James spent another eight months trapping and hunting buffalo ranging from the Gila across the continental divide, turning north to the Big Horn and Yellowstone and eventually crossing to Santa Fe. He continued his travels to Sonora, Chihuahua and other provinces of northern Mexico, returning by way of El Paso before reaching the mines where he spent the winter and spring. He and his father lost everything they worked for in both the mines and fur-trading and eventually ended up imprisoned at San Diego where his father died. Once released James continued his adventures ultimately arriving in Cincinnati, penniless and broken in health and spirit. His narrative details all of his misadventures and misfortunes in the Southwest.
Reuben Gold Thwaites, LL.D.
(1905), 2007, CD-ROM, Graphic Images, Searchable, Adobe v6, PC or Mac, 380 pp.
ISBN: 9780788444203
101-CD4420
