Buttrick's voyages, 1812-1819; Evans's Pedestrious tour, 1818

This volume brings together the vivid journals of two early 19th‑century American travelers as they venture into the unsettled Midwest and the far‑west frontier. Tilly Buttrick, Jr., a restless seaman turned overland wanderer, records his river journeys from Buffalo through the Allegheny and Ohio, his arrests on the Niagara frontier, and a grueling foot trek northward along the Natchez trail. His straightforward narrative paints the hardships of pioneer life—fever, scarce food, and uneasy encounters with Indians—while offering plain‑spoken observations of the evolving towns and wild landscapes.

The companion account is Estwick Evans’s 1818 pedestrian tour, a four‑thousand‑mile walk through the western states and territories during a harsh winter and spring. Interwoven with his travel notes are brief reflections on religion, morality, politics and sentiment, giving listeners a window into the mind of an early American observer. Together, the two narratives provide a complementary picture of a nation on the cusp of expansion, balancing personal endurance with the broader currents of post‑war development.