William L. Manly
Encyclopedia
William Lewis Manly was an American
pioneer of the mid-nineteenth century. He was first a fur
hunter, a guide
of Westward bound caravan
s, a seeker of gold
, then a farmer
and writer
in his later years. He wrote an autobiography, first published with the title From Vermont to California, then a second edition with the title Death Valley in '49, that tells of the Pioneer conquest of America's Far West
, in particular the 1848 California Gold Rush
. The 10th chapter of the second version is remarkable in that it tells of the crossing in December 1849, in dire circumstances of thirst and near-starvation, of the Timbisha
Valley, today known as Death Valley, located in Inyo County, California
. Manly was one of several guides hired to lead a party of pioneers from Utah to the California gold fields; these pioneers are believed to be the first group of European-Americans to see Death Valley.
with his family. Later, as a pioneer, he went to Michigan
, before it was a state; he then went fur trapping in Wisconsin
as well as in Ohio and Dakota
Territory. As an expert hunter and with knowledge of Native Americans
, he navigated the Colorado River
.
, as a member of a group of emigrant pioneers traveling overland from Salt Lake City, Utah
to the California gold rush
. These pioneers were lost, having followed an inaccurate map for the previous three weeks, their supplies of food were almost exhausted, and the oxen needed to pull their wagons were dying of starvation. Manly, with his associate John Rogers, trekked 250 miles on foot across the Mojave Desert to Rancho San Francisco near Los Angeles, California
, to scout an evacuation route for the families trapped in Death Valley, and procure food and horses if a settlement could be located. A brief recounting of this story can be read in the article on John Haney Rogers
; for the full account, see Chapter 10 of Manly's autobiography "Death Valley in '49", which is available for free download from the Gutenberg Project.
and bought 250 acres (1 km²) south of San Jose
, paying 16 dollar
s an acre, 4,000 dollars in all. He planted a farm
.
In 1862, at the age of 42 years, Manly married Mary Jane Woods of Lodi, California
.
.
. Fish and Isham were members of another group of emigrants who called themselves the Jayhawkers, who had been traveling alongside the Bennett–Arcane Party from Salt Lake, Utah. The Jayhawkers had left the Bennetts sometime in the second or third week of December 1849 and walked out of Death Valley, after butchering the last of their oxen for jerky, along a path north of Telescope Peak, perhaps through the pass north of Tucki Mountain that today caries State Route 190 from Olancha to Stovepipe Wells.
Manly's book, with many others on the same subject, is highly recommended reading because through its stories and anecdotes we can get a precise idea of life in the old fashioned Far West
age. The book contains a detailed eyewitness account of his crossing of the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the Nevada desert in 1849 to reach the California gold rush.
Manly and Roger's trek through the Mojave Desert, to find help and rescue for the remaining members of the Bennett and Arcane families, is one of the most incredible acts of courage and endurance you will ever read about. These two men walked 500 miles round trip, through completely unknown desert terrain, with no maps or even any clear idea of the distance they would have to travel to get to "civilization". For this hike they had only the clothes on their backs, rawhide moccasins on their feet, barely 30 pounds of dried ox meat carried in improvised knapsacks, Manly's rifle, double-barreled shotgun, a couple of all-purpose knives, and two canteens jury-rigged from gunpowder cans and holding about a quart of water apiece. For money to purchase rescue supplies, horses, and equipment - assuming they ever found any place to buy something - they had about $30 in coin.
from Death Valley during the 1849 California Gold Rush. For this reason, three points of interest in Death Valley bear his name: the Manly Beacon near Zabriskie Point
, the Manly Peak, situated at South between Panamint Valley and the Death Valley, and Lake Manly
, the ancient dried lake in Death Valley.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pioneer of the mid-nineteenth century. He was first a fur
Fur
Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...
hunter, a guide
Guide
A guide is a person who leads anyone through unknown or unmapped country. This includes a guide of the real world , as well as a person who leads someone to more abstract places .-Guide - meanings related to travel and recreational pursuits:There are many variants of...
of Westward bound caravan
Caravan (travellers)
A caravan is a group of people traveling together, often on a trade expedition. Caravans were used mainly in desert areas and throughout the Silk Road, where traveling in groups aided in defence against bandits as well as helped to improve economies of scale in trade.In historical times, caravans...
s, a seeker of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, then a farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
in his later years. He wrote an autobiography, first published with the title From Vermont to California, then a second edition with the title Death Valley in '49, that tells of the Pioneer conquest of America's Far West
Far West
Far West most frequently refers to the American Old West.Far West may also refer to:* "Far West", a common colloquial term for a distinct area of the far Western United States* Far West, Missouri...
, in particular the 1848 California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
. The 10th chapter of the second version is remarkable in that it tells of the crossing in December 1849, in dire circumstances of thirst and near-starvation, of the Timbisha
Timbisha
The Timbisha are a Native American tribe federally recognized as the Death Valley Timbisha Shoshone Band of California. They are known as the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe and are located in south central California, near the Nevada border.-History:The Timbisha have lived in the Death Valley region of...
Valley, today known as Death Valley, located in Inyo County, California
Inyo County, California
-National protected areas:* Death Valley National Park * Inyo National Forest * Manzanar National Historic Site-Major highways:* U.S. Route 6* U.S. Route 395* State Route 127* State Route 136* State Route 168* State Route 178...
. Manly was one of several guides hired to lead a party of pioneers from Utah to the California gold fields; these pioneers are believed to be the first group of European-Americans to see Death Valley.
First years
In 1829, at the age of nine, Manly left for OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
with his family. Later, as a pioneer, he went to Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, before it was a state; he then went fur trapping in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
as well as in Ohio and Dakota
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...
Territory. As an expert hunter and with knowledge of Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, he navigated the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
.
California gold rush
In December 1848, at age 29, Manly traversed California's Death Valley, today the centerpiece of Death Valley National ParkDeath Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park is a national park in the U.S. states of California and Nevada located east of the Sierra Nevada in the arid Great Basin of the United States. The park protects the northwest corner of the Mojave Desert and contains a diverse desert environment of salt-flats, sand dunes,...
, as a member of a group of emigrant pioneers traveling overland from Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
to the California gold rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
. These pioneers were lost, having followed an inaccurate map for the previous three weeks, their supplies of food were almost exhausted, and the oxen needed to pull their wagons were dying of starvation. Manly, with his associate John Rogers, trekked 250 miles on foot across the Mojave Desert to Rancho San Francisco near Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, to scout an evacuation route for the families trapped in Death Valley, and procure food and horses if a settlement could be located. A brief recounting of this story can be read in the article on John Haney Rogers
John Haney Rogers
John Haney Rogers, born 1822 in Tennessee, died December 27, 1906 Merced, California, was a pioneer of the California Gold Rush, and was one of the first known group of European-Americans to travel through Death Valley, California, in December 1849....
; for the full account, see Chapter 10 of Manly's autobiography "Death Valley in '49", which is available for free download from the Gutenberg Project.
Farmer
In 1850, at 30 years old, Manly returned to Santa Clara ValleySanta Clara County, California
Santa Clara County is a county located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 it had a population of 1,781,642. The county seat is San Jose. The highly urbanized Santa Clara Valley within Santa Clara County is also known as Silicon Valley...
and bought 250 acres (1 km²) south of San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, paying 16 dollar
Dollar
The dollar is the name of the official currency of many countries, including Australia, Belize, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States.-Etymology:...
s an acre, 4,000 dollars in all. He planted a farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
.
In 1862, at the age of 42 years, Manly married Mary Jane Woods of Lodi, California
Lodi, California
Lodi is a city located in , in the northern portion of California's Central Valley. The population was 62,134 at the 2010 census. The California Department of Finance's population estimate as of January 1, 2011 is 62,473....
.
Writer
The notes Manly kept from his youth, which he planned to compile in his autobiography, were lost in a fire. In 1886, at the age of 66, Manly published for first time From the Vermont to California in Santa Clara Valley, a monthly agricultural review. In the compilation of his memories, Manly contacted all the relevant persons possible, then with the aid of a publishing assistant wrote the greater part of his autobiography, The Death Valley in '49 , published as a book in 1894, at San Jose from Pacific Tree and Vine Company.Death
In 1903, at the age of 83 years, William Lewis Manly died at his home near Lodi, CaliforniaLodi, California
Lodi is a city located in , in the northern portion of California's Central Valley. The population was 62,134 at the 2010 census. The California Department of Finance's population estimate as of January 1, 2011 is 62,473....
.
The autobiography Death Valley in '49
The title Manly chose for his own autobiography was From Vermont to California; the title was changed to Death Valley in '49, ostensibly to encourage sales, although Death Valley is only spoken of in the tenth chapter. Manly recounts in the book how, as the Bennett and Arcane families began their climb out of the valley through the Panamint mountains south of Telescope Peak, someone in the group turned to take a last look eastward and said "Goodbye, Death Valley!". Only one of the emigrants, a Capt. Culverwell, had died within the confines of the valley itself, while two other persons, who Manly remembers in his book as Mr. Fish and Mr. Isham, were found dead along the trail west of the Panamint Range by Manly and his partner John Haney RogersJohn Haney Rogers
John Haney Rogers, born 1822 in Tennessee, died December 27, 1906 Merced, California, was a pioneer of the California Gold Rush, and was one of the first known group of European-Americans to travel through Death Valley, California, in December 1849....
. Fish and Isham were members of another group of emigrants who called themselves the Jayhawkers, who had been traveling alongside the Bennett–Arcane Party from Salt Lake, Utah. The Jayhawkers had left the Bennetts sometime in the second or third week of December 1849 and walked out of Death Valley, after butchering the last of their oxen for jerky, along a path north of Telescope Peak, perhaps through the pass north of Tucki Mountain that today caries State Route 190 from Olancha to Stovepipe Wells.
Manly's book, with many others on the same subject, is highly recommended reading because through its stories and anecdotes we can get a precise idea of life in the old fashioned Far West
Far West
Far West most frequently refers to the American Old West.Far West may also refer to:* "Far West", a common colloquial term for a distinct area of the far Western United States* Far West, Missouri...
age. The book contains a detailed eyewitness account of his crossing of the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the Nevada desert in 1849 to reach the California gold rush.
Manly and Roger's trek through the Mojave Desert, to find help and rescue for the remaining members of the Bennett and Arcane families, is one of the most incredible acts of courage and endurance you will ever read about. These two men walked 500 miles round trip, through completely unknown desert terrain, with no maps or even any clear idea of the distance they would have to travel to get to "civilization". For this hike they had only the clothes on their backs, rawhide moccasins on their feet, barely 30 pounds of dried ox meat carried in improvised knapsacks, Manly's rifle, double-barreled shotgun, a couple of all-purpose knives, and two canteens jury-rigged from gunpowder cans and holding about a quart of water apiece. For money to purchase rescue supplies, horses, and equipment - assuming they ever found any place to buy something - they had about $30 in coin.
Legacy
Manly rescued several families of pioneersDeath Valley '49ers
The Death Valley '49ers were a group of pioneers from the Eastern United States that endured a long difficult journey during the late 1840s California Gold Rush to prospect in the Sutter's Fort area of the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada in California...
from Death Valley during the 1849 California Gold Rush. For this reason, three points of interest in Death Valley bear his name: the Manly Beacon near Zabriskie Point
Zabriskie Point
Zabriskie Point is a part of Amargosa Range located in east of Death Valley in Death Valley National Park in the United States noted for its erosional landscape...
, the Manly Peak, situated at South between Panamint Valley and the Death Valley, and Lake Manly
Lake Manly
Lake Manly is a pluvial, former freshwater, endorheic, rift lake that filled the Death Valley basin of Inyo County, California through the Holocene before the area's climate changed to desert. Following its isolation from the Colorado River system, Lake Manly receded by evaporation with Badwater...
, the ancient dried lake in Death Valley.
See also
- Christian Brevoort ZabriskieChristian Brevoort ZabriskieChristian Brevoort Zabriskie was an American businessman and former vice president of Pacific Coast Borax Company...
- Walter E. ScottWalter E. ScottWalter Edward Perry Scott , also known as Death Valley Scotty, was a prospector, performer, and con man, who was made famous by his many scams involving gold mining and the iconic mansion in Death Valley, popularly known as Scotty's Castle.- Early years :Scott was born in Cynthiana, Kentucky to...
- John Haney RogersJohn Haney RogersJohn Haney Rogers, born 1822 in Tennessee, died December 27, 1906 Merced, California, was a pioneer of the California Gold Rush, and was one of the first known group of European-Americans to travel through Death Valley, California, in December 1849....
- Francis Marion SmithFrancis Marion SmithFrancis Marion Smith was an American miner, business magnate and civic builder in the Mojave Desert, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Oakland, California.Frank Smith created the extensive interurban public transit Key System in Oakland, the East Bay,...
- Edward Palmer
- Places of interest in the Death Valley areaPlaces of interest in the Death Valley areaPlaces of interest in the Death Valley area are mostly located within Death Valley National Park in eastern California.-Artist's Drive and Palette:...