The Travel Journal of Eliza House Trist, 1783-84

“Unless something unforeseen happens I shall very soon proceed on my journey. It is a very great undertaking for me who never experiencd any hardships to ride over the Mountains this season of the year.” – Elizabeth House Trist, as written in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, 1783

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Time travel to 1783 with this historic travel journal by Elizabeth House Trist. A native of Philadelphia, she went west, two decades before Lewis and Clark, and kept a journal for Thomas Jefferson. Keeping a daily log of her westward trip into the Mississippi territory, Eliza Trist’s journey is one of agony and hope. She endures extreme weather. She meets early pioneers and settlers. And her daily observations include Louisiana territory natural resources, historic sights, and waterways.

A New Hardbound Edition of the Travel Journal

This new and beautifully-packaged hardbound edition, with a new introduction by Karen A. Chase, faithfully transcribes Eliza Trist’s journal as originally written by her, 1783-84. All the spelling, punctuation, and page-by-page entries have been typeset as she wrote it. With minimal footnotes, it immerses the reader in the prose and poetry of the original travel journal entries. Eliza’s writing firmly places her into America’s founding and expansion history. By her own hand and words, Eliza Trist contributes to our lexicon of what it meant to go west.

 

Presentations & Discounted Orders

For presentations on the history behind the journey and journal of Eliza House Trist, Karen A. Chase is available for book club visits and presentations.

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