1897 HANDWRITTEN MANUSCRIPT TRAVEL JOURNAL DETAILING A CROSS COUNTRY TRAIN TRIP FROM BUFFALO NY TO CALIFORNIA

Katz Fine Manuscripts Verified independent store

→

On offer is a handwritten manuscript 1897 diary whose unidentified author has overwritten the printed dates using the book for an extended trip in May 1897. The book is a maroon le ather, 3-1/2" x 5" flip book style with gilt edges. The diary begins with the handwritten date May 5th 1897. The writer, a young man as evidenced by entries of shaving one morning and comments wherein he notes that he is unmarried and without children., details a cross-country trip by train from Buffalo NY to California and back again. The first entry reads: "Left Bfo 6 pm on ORC Special Shenandoah No [looks like 55 or 5]. Have ME Murphy for partner. Had supper between Dunkirk and Erie. Badges passed to all on board after we left Erie. A very nice party on train. Exchanging cards. Presented everyone on train with bouquets. Changed engines at Dunkirk. Erie & Cleveland. Retired 11:50 pm." Other interesting snippets: "Saw graves of 4 where stage was held up…killed three and then was killed; went bathing, 3 of us inc one from Australia and from New Zealand; A total of 24 leaves providing 48 pages of entries with each page nearly completely filled. A very detailed account the author tells of card games, descriptions of other passengers, sightseeing notes, dinner observations, and much more. There is also a fair bit of 'California comparisons' in that the wirter spends a fair bit of time observing and commenting on the differences one sees in California and especially regarding the 'gals'. One entry where the author attends a fancy ball at a hotel he comments that it "was quite a jam with dresses the likes of which one has never seen." A very interesting travel journal from the perspective of a western New York man. The odd stain on the pages but otherwise, overall VG.; Manuscript; 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall; HANDWRITTEN, MANUSCRIPT, DOCUMENT, LETTER, AUTOGRAPH, KEEPSAKE, WRITER, HAND WRITTEN, DOCUMENTS, SIGNED, LETTERS, MANUSCRIPTS, HISTORICAL, HOLOGRAPH, WRITERS, AUTOGRAPHS, PERSONAL, MEMOIR, MEMORIAL, PERSONAL HISTORY, AMERICANA, ARCHIVE, NEW YORK, DIARY, DIARIES,TRAVEL, BUFFALO, WESTERN NEW YORK, TRAIN, RAILROAD, ANTIQUITÉ, CONTRAT, VÉLIN, MANUSCRIT, PAPIER ANTIKE, BRIEF, PERGAMENT, DOKUMENT, Show more