A Goldrusher’s Calamitous 1849 Detour into the Deserts Southwest of Salt Lake City

Abstract: A young gold seeker follows a sketch-map into the southeastern Nevada desert in 1849 hoping to find a shortcut to the gold fields of California. No white men have been in this area before. William Lorton and his comrades find nothing but trouble and barely escape back to the Old Spanish Trail with their lives. A true story told mostly in words from Lorton’s daily diary now housed in the Bancroft Library. Lorton’s map is quite accurate, considering his hardships and lack of previous knowledge of the area. Illustrations (some from his diary) depict what he sees, and maps allow readers to follow where he travels through this desert landscape.