William Lewis Manly

author

William Lewis Manly

1820–1903

A firsthand chronicler of the California Gold Rush, he is best remembered for the harrowing journey that helped give Death Valley its name. His writing turns pioneer history into a vivid survival story told by someone who lived it.

1 Audiobook

Death Valley in '49 Important chapter of California pioneer history. The autobiography of a pioneer, detailing his life from a humble home in the Green Mountains to the gold mines of California; and particularly reciting the sufferings of the band of men, women and children who gave "Death Valley" its name

Death Valley in '49 Important chapter of California pioneer history. The autobiography of a pioneer, detailing his life from a humble home in the Green Mountains to the gold mines of California; and particularly reciting the sufferings of the band of men, women and children who gave "Death Valley" its name

by William Lewis Manly

About the author

Born in Vermont in 1820, William Lewis Manly grew up in the Midwest after his family moved west in his childhood. Over the course of his life he was a hunter, wagon-train guide, gold seeker, farmer, and writer, and his experiences gave him a close view of the restless movement of 19th-century America.

He is most closely associated with the California Gold Rush and with the emigrant party later known as the Death Valley '49ers. Manly became known for helping lead a desperate rescue effort after members of the group were stranded in the desert, and his later account helped preserve one of the best-known survival stories of the overland trail.

In later life, he wrote the autobiography that became best known as Death Valley in '49, a memoir valued for its direct, lived-in picture of western travel and hardship. He died in California in 1903, leaving behind a narrative that still stands as an important firsthand record of pioneer life.