The Awakening of the Desert

"Will you join us in a camping trip to the Pacific Coast?" This alluring invitation was addressed to the writer one cold, drizzly night in the early spring of 1866 by Captain Hill Whitmore. The result of this invitation was that author Julius Charles Birge embarked on an expedition with six of his friends as well as others invited for the trip. Starting from their home in Wisconsin, they travelled through the Missouri River and then moved westwards through various states ultimately ending up in the western states of Oregon and California, before circling back to the middle in Kansas state. The book is his travel memoir for the journey and it provides an excellent look at early nineteenth century American life, culture and geography.