A Traveler’s Diary from 1835

In 1835, a traveler set off from his New England home, eager to explore the newly-open lands of the West - today’s Midwest. This is his never-before-published journal. Traveling by horseback, steamboat, canal boat, and rail, he navigated muddy roads and a freshly-completed network of waterways and railroads, recording what he saw - some towns recently afflicted with cholera; others bursting with opportunity.

The diary begins as he steps off the Erie Canal at Buffalo, New York. Over the next month, he made his way through Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, (West) Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and finally back to New York.

Now nearly two centuries old, this diary recounts his adventuresome journey in the traveler’s own words, with maps, photos and annotations added to his entries.

A fascinating first-hand account of the pre-Civil War years, and a rare glimpse of America in 1835!