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Emigrant Trails West Speaking At Feb 27th Reno GPAA


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Emigrant Trails West will be doing a 50 minute power point presentation on the gold rush and the Lassen Trail. If you have ever been in the back roads of Northern California & Nevada ,  you have probably seen their railroad track markers at historical locations .  This will be a interesting speaker. You are all invited.

Emigrant Trails West has agreed to be our guest speaker at February meeting. 

Hi Scott,

I received your e-mail request this morning and would be interested in doing a Power Point presentation for your group. I am the Vice-President/acting-President of Trails West, Inc., and I do several presentations a year on a topic pertaining to your request for "gold related history on the emigrant trails." Below is a short bio and description of my presentation, which is primarily about Lassen's Gold Rush Trail. Trails West, Inc. has several other members who are very knowledgeable about various Gold Rush Trails across the Sierras. Bill Bishell or I will gladly recommend speakers about specific trails into California if you have other requests.  

If you are interested, contact me with available dates.

 

                                                         My Bio

      I am a retired educator, and for several years, I worked as a National Park Ranger at Lassen Volcanic National Park. While working there, the park had me develop a living history program about the Lassen and Nobles Pioneer Trails. I used horses, oxen, and a covered wagon to demonstrate life on the emigrant trails, and I told about the evolution of trails from the Oregon Trail to the California Trail and the importance of the Lassen Trail during the Gold Rush, how it ironically saved the lives of many of the Argonauts that took the trail in 1849, and the implications that had for Peter Lassen, who pioneered the Trail in 1848.

       While researching the trail history, I was impressed with the fact that Peter Lassen was one of the most prominent early pioneers in California. He has more things named for him than any other pioneer with the exception of John C. Fremont and Kit Carson, who are famous throughout the West. In addition to Lassen National Park and National Forest, there are Mount Lassen, Lassen County,  Lassen College, and many more. 

However, on the other hand, historians have written that Lassen was a "wily and inept Dane" who deceived emigrants to get them to follow his trail to his ranch, that he "got lost all the time, and that "he couldn't tell Mount Lassen from Mount Shasta" when he was leading a wagon train to California.

     The accounts didn't balance, so I did extensive research on Lassen's life and legacy and wrote "Legendary Truths, Peter Lassen and His Gold Rush Trail in Fact and Fable" to correct the historical perspective. In doing so, I have sought out many emigrant journals in libraries across the country, become a member of both Trails West and the Oregon California Trails Association, worked with their historians, and I have traveled the Lassen and Nobles Trails many times including riding a mountain bike over the Lassen Trail from its start in Nevada to Lassen's Rancho in Vina California.

      My Power Point presentation is about 50 minutes long, covers the life of Peter Lassen, shows the route his trail follows, and speculates on the mysteries surrounding his death.  

Spanish Springs Library

GPAA of Northern Nevada, Reno

http://emigranttrailswest.org

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Scott, great job in lining up this speaker, it was a very good presentation.  He really got my attention when he mentioned that as part of his research he'd ridden his mountain bike the length of the Lassen Trail.  For those interested or who missed the presentation, the author has also written a book.  I bought a copy at the meeting but haven't read it yet but based on the quality of his presentation it's probably a good one:

https://www.amazon.com/Legendary-Truths-Peter-Lassen-Trail/dp/1932636935

On the topic of books, an excellent book that I have read is "Gabbs Valley, Its History and Legend" by local Gabbs resident Ruth Fenstermaker Danner.  A very good read and gave me plenty of ideas for new Northern Nevada  prospecting and exploring areas:

Gabbs Valley Book

Hope it's OK to be posting those Amazon links.  I am not an Amazon shareholder.

Bob

 

 

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2 hours ago, EZMoney Bob said:

Scott, great job in lining up this speaker, it was a very good presentation.  He really got my attention when he mentioned that as part of his research he'd ridden his mountain bike the length of the Lassen Trail.  For those interested or who missed the presentation, the author has also written a book.  I bought a copy at the meeting but haven't read it yet but based on the quality of his presentation it's probably a good one:

https://www.amazon.com/Legendary-Truths-Peter-Lassen-Trail/dp/1932636935

On the topic of books, an excellent book that I have read is "Gabbs Valley, Its History and Legend" by local Gabbs resident Ruth Fenstermaker Danner.  A very good read and gave me plenty of ideas for new Northern Nevada  prospecting and exploring areas:

Gabbs Valley Book

Hope it's OK to be posting those Amazon links.  I am not an Amazon shareholder.

Bob

 

 

Bob, thanks for posting the links to the books. 

The speaker was great. He put on a great presentation.  

I thoroughly enjoy learning the gold rush history of our area. 

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