A collection of diaries and recollections of immigrant travel and early settlement in the Lane County area of the Willamette Valley was prepared for reproduction by the Lane County Historical Society in the 1960’s and 1970’s. The original publication contained entries from May 8, 1853 to October, 1853 and was published in 1959 and reprinted in 1973. It was reproduced through the cooperation of Mr. R. V. Owen of Portland, Oregon whose typed copy was used. That portion of the diary beginning March 21, 1853 to May, 1853 came to the attention of the Society in May 1978. The By-Laws were copied by permission of Mrs. W. L . Wheeler of Trent, Oregon from her typed copy.

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CONTENTS:

Title page
Introduction

Photographs of Andrew McClure
McClure and Bond family information

This diary contains entries describing the travel of a wagon train from Knox Country, Indiana to Oregon in 1853 that consisted of 23 related members of McClure, Bond and Bruce families. Besides descriptive passages relating to terrain, weather, and experiences, McClure’s writing gives insight into the personalities and feelings of these family members. It also contains entries regarding their decision to follow Elijah Elliott over a shortcut westward into the Willamette Valley, their disorientation, and the description of his experiences as a scout searching for the route through the Cascades.