Reviews for Encyclopedia of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution

The average rating for Encyclopedia of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-06-17 00:00:00 Dan Mills Six Months in the Gold Mines, a journal written by E. Gould Buffum, was first published in 1850. In it the author writes of the hardships he experienced searching for gold in California in 1848. Using his tin cup for digging and washing, he discovered 20 golden particles, about 50 cents worth at that time, on his very first try. "Throughout this whole region there is not a stream, valley, hill, or plain, in which gold does not exist." Buffum started his search only a few months after gold was first found at Sutter's Creek. No wonder his journal is filled with far more successes than failures. His story is one of Indians, bears, scurvy, frontier justice, price gouging, and salmon shooting (yes, with rifles). The author provided advice for those thinking about moving to California and insights into early San Francisco politics and California statehood. He was a keen observer of his surroundings with descriptions of Monterey, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, San Diego, and other cities. This very readable book abounds with spirit and energy; "we were to go where the track of the white man was yet unseen, and find in the mountain's stony heart a home for the winter, with untold riches lying beneath our feet."

Review # 2 was written on 2012-03-13 00:00:00 William Melchior Interesting first-hand account of the laborious occupation of gold mining in 1840s California. The author never really struck it rich, but managed to make a decent living regardless. His meticulous descriptions of mining techniques and the day-to-day tedium of sifting, digging, and scrounging for the "yellow stuff" can get a bit tedious, but he makes up for it in the wealth of info on early California people and places. Worth a look.