[or-roots] List member has published his book

[Layne G SAWYER]

Dear OR-Rooters;

I received a message from long time list member Albert (Skip) Belanger
about his recently published book.  I know we have had a number of
lively exchanges begun in part by Albert's postings as he worked on this
manuscript.  I wanted the rest of the list to know about it's
availability.


At long last……my manuscript is in print!  I’ve called the book, On
the Oregon Trail in 1851 - Canaries, Buffalo-Chips, and Elephants.  The
title recalls the delightful distractions, the distasteful drudgery, and
the dangerous disasters experienced by those brave souls who made that
2,000 mile trek across the continent.  Although I’ve had to cut the
size almost in half to suit the publisher, it’s still 456 pages long
and includes a twenty-eight page, double column, comprehensive Index, an
extensive bibliography, as well as a list of the 122 original Trail
documents I’ve collected related to 1851, including their
repositories. (I’m preparing an unabridged edition on a CD for those
interested.)

During my research, I amassed a huge stash of material related to the
saga, and this is the first publication to get some of it into print. 
What I did for this book was to select out interesting excerpts from the
122 Trail journals and recollections I’ve collected which were written
by  1851 emigrants. I arranged them geographically so as to take the
reader along as a member of a wagon train. I tied them together with an
“editor’s narrative” so readers are kept informed about where they
are along the Trail. Included is an old U.S. map printed in 1851 that
actually shows the Oregon Trail marked out. And I was fortunate to make
contact with a fellow who has taken photos of inscriptions carved in
rock formations along the Trail by the actual emigrants of 1851….still
visible today! These images also are contained in the book, along with
several drawings and old photos.  

 Copies can be ordered at the publisher’s web page: 

 www.pdbookstore.com/comfiles/pages/AlbertEdwardBelanger.shtml
<http://www.pdbookstore.com/comfiles/pages/AlbertEdwardBelanger.shtml>
 


Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving.

Regards,

Layne Sawyer
List Mom
Oregon State Archives