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{{Short description|American western pioneer}} |
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{{More citations needed|date= May 2014}} |
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{{Infobox writer |
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''' William Lewis Manly ''' ([[St. Albans (town), Vermont|St. Albans, Vermont]], 6 April, 1820 - [[Lodi, California]], February 5, 1903) was an [[United States|American]] pioneer of the mid-nineteenth century. He was first a [[fur]] [[hunter]], a [[guide]] of Westward bound [[caravan (travellers)|caravan]]s, a seeker of [[gold]], then a [[farmer]] and [[writer]] in his later years. He wrote an autobiography, first published with the title ''From Vermont to California'', then a second edition with the title ''Death Valley in '49'', that tells of the Pioneer conquest of America's [[Far West]], in particular the 1848 [[California Gold Rush]]. The 10th chapter of the second version is remarkable in that it tells of the crossing in December 1849, in dire circumstances of thirst and near-starvation, of the [[Timbisha]] Valley, today known as Death Valley, located in [[Inyo County, California]]. Manly was one of several guides hired to lead a party of pioneers from Utah to the California gold fields; these pioneers are believed to be the first group of European-Americans to see Death Valley. |
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|name = William L. Manly |
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|image = William Lewis Manly.jpg |
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|pseudonym = |
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|birth_name = William Lewis Manly |
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|birth_date = {{birth date|1820|04|06}} |
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|birth_place = {{nowrap|[[St. Albans (town), Vermont|St. Albans]], [[Vermont]], U.S.}} |
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|death_date = {{death date and age|1903|02|05|1820|04|06}} |
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|death_place = {{nowrap|[[Lodi, California|Lodi]], [[California]], U.S.}} |
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|occupation = [[Fur]] [[Hunter]]<br>[[Guide]]<br>[[Farmer]]<br>[[Writer]] |
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|genre = |
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|movement = |
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|nationality = American |
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|relatives = Ebenezer Manly (father)<br>Phoebe (Calkins) Manly (mother) |
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|spouse = Mary Jane Woods |
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|relations = |
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|children = |
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|signature = |
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}} |
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''' William Lewis Manly ''' (April 6, 1820 – February 5, 1903) was an American pioneer of the mid-19th century. He was a fur hunter, caravan guide and gold prospector, and then a farmer and writer in his later years. |
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He wrote an autobiography about the pioneer experience in the [[American Old West|Far West]], in particular the 1848 [[California Gold Rush]]. It was first published with the title ''From Vermont to California'', then in a second edition with the title ''Death Valley in '49''. |
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== |
==Early years == |
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In 1829, at the age of nine |
Manly was born near [[St. Albans (town), Vermont|St. Albans]], Vermont, the son of Ebenezer Manly and Phoebe (Calkins) Manly.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kane|first=Michael David|title=William Lewis Manly|date=2008|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6O_GhHj9my4C|page=13|isbn=9780549500711}}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In 1829, at the age of nine Manly left for [[Ohio]] with his family. Later, as a pioneer, he went to [[Michigan]], prior to statehood. He then went fur trapping in [[Wisconsin]], in Ohio, and in what would be the [[Dakota Territory|Dakota]] Territory. |
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==California gold rush == |
==California gold rush == |
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[[File:Wpdms southpass.jpg|left|thumb]] |
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In December 1848, at age 29, Manly traversed California's Death Valley, today the centerpiece of [[Death Valley National Park]], as a member of a group of emigrant pioneers traveling overland from [[Salt Lake City, Utah]] to the [[California gold rush]]. These pioneers were lost, having followed an inaccurate map for the previous three weeks, their supplies of food were almost exhausted, and the oxen needed to pull their wagons were dying of starvation. Manly, with his associate John Rogers, trekked 250 miles on foot across the Mojave Desert to Rancho San Francisco near [[Los Angeles, California]], to scout an evacuation route for the families trapped in Death Valley, and procure food and horses if a settlement could be located. A brief recounting of this story can be read in the article on [[John Haney Rogers]]; for the full account, see Chapter 10 of Manly's autobiography "Death Valley in '49", which is available for free download from the [http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12236 Gutenberg Project]. |
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In 1849, at the age of twenty-nine, Manly joined the [[California Gold Rush]], traveling overland from [[Wisconsin]]. |
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==Farmer == |
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In 1850, at 30 years old, Manly returned to [[Santa Clara County, California|Santa Clara Valley]] and bought {{convert|250|acre|km2}} south of [[San Jose, California|San Jose]], paying 16 [[dollar]]s an acre, 4,000 dollars in all. He planted a [[farm]]. |
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In 1862, at the age of 42 years, Manly married Mary Jane Woods of [[Lodi, California]]. |
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===Floating the Green River=== |
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==Writer == |
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Upon reaching the [[Green River (Colorado River)|Green River]], just west of [[South Pass (Wyoming)|South Pass]] Manly and a half dozen other men tried to float to California by use of an abandoned ferry they found down the Green to the [[Colorado River]], then on to California. They put in the river in Wyoming and floated downstream through the canyon of the [[Gates of Lodore]] and possibly behind to present day [[Green River, Utah]]<ref>{{cite book|title=Belknap's Waterproof Dinosaur River Guide|page=16|publisher=Westwater Books|location=Evergreen, CO}}</ref> On disembarking they were met by Chief [[Walkara]], who helped them to travel overland to the [[Wasatch Front]]. |
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The notes Manly kept from his youth, which he planned to compile in his autobiography, were lost in a fire. In 1886, at the age of 66, Manly published for first time ''From the Vermont to California'' in ''Santa Clara Valley'', a monthly agricultural review. In the compilation of his memories, Manly contacted all the relevant persons possible, then with the aid of a publishing assistant wrote the greater part of his autobiography, ''The Death Valley in '49 '', published as a book in 1894, at San Jose from Pacific Tree and Vine Company. |
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===Overland to California=== |
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==Death == |
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{{see|Death Valley 49ers}} |
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In 1903, at the age of 83 years, William Lewis Manly died at his home near [[Lodi, California]]. |
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South of present-day [[Provo, Utah]], Manly joined others traveling to southern California. In December they became lost in the [[Great Basin Desert]] and subsequently entered [[Death Valley]] in the northern [[Mojave Desert]], having followed an inaccurate map for three weeks. Their food supplies were almost exhausted, and the oxen pulling their wagons were dying of starvation. Manly and his associate [[John Haney Rogers]] trekked 250 miles on foot across the Mojave to [[Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando|Rancho San Fernando]] near [[Los Angeles, California]] to scout an evacuation route for the families trapped in Death Valley. There they procured food and horses from Mexican villagers and were able to save their party by leading them to [[Rancho San Francisco]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Reynolds|first=Jerry|title=Paradise Found|url=https://scvhistory.com/scvhistory/signal/reynolds/part19.html|publisher=Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society|access-date=2017-10-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008025817/https://scvhistory.com/scvhistory/signal/reynolds/part19.html|archive-date=2017-10-08|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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==The autobiography ''Death Valley in '49''== |
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==Life in California == |
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The title Manly chose for his own autobiography was ''From Vermont to California''; the title was changed to ''Death Valley in '49'', ostensibly to encourage sales, although Death Valley is only spoken of in the tenth chapter. Manly recounts in the book how, as the Bennett and Arcane families began their climb out of the valley through the Panamint mountains south of Telescope Peak, someone in the group turned to take a last look eastward and said "Goodbye, Death Valley!". Only one of the emigrants, a Capt. Culverwell, had died within the confines of the valley itself, while two other persons, who Manly remembers in his book as Mr. Fish and Mr. Isham, were found dead along the trail west of the Panamint Range by Manly and his partner [[John Haney Rogers]]. Fish and Isham were members of another group of emigrants who called themselves the Jayhawkers, who had been traveling alongside the Bennett–Arcane Party from Salt Lake, Utah. The Jayhawkers had left the Bennetts sometime in the second or third week of December 1849 and walked out of Death Valley, after butchering the last of their oxen for jerky, along a path north of Telescope Peak, perhaps through the pass north of Tucki Mountain that today caries State Route 190 from Olancha to Stovepipe Wells. |
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Manly worked the gold fields for several months, then returned to his farm in Wisconsin via steamboat, crossing the isthmus of Panama overland. In 1851, Manly returned to California by the same method, arriving in [[San Francisco]] shortly after the [[San Francisco Fire of 1851|fire of 1851]] and continued in the goldfields until the fall of 1859, by which time he had saved enough money to buy land {{convert|250|acre|km2}} in the [[Communications Hill, San Jose]] area,<ref>*{{cite web|url=https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showdocument?id=24685|title=CHSP Archaeological Evaluation|page=18|access-date=2020-06-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607223106/https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showdocument?id=24685|archive-date=2020-06-07|url-status=live}}</ref> paying $16 an acre, $4,000 in all, where he planted a farm. In 1862, at the age of 42, Manly married Mary Jane Woods<ref>{{cite web|title=Mary Jane Woods Manly|website= Find A Grave}}</ref> of [[Lodi, California]]. |
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{{Original research|date=April 2010}} |
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Manly's book, with many others on the same subject, is highly recommended reading because through its stories and anecdotes we{{Who|date=April 2010}} can get a precise idea of life in the ''old fashioned'' [[Far West]] age. The book contains a detailed eyewitness account of his crossing of the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the Nevada desert in 1849 to reach the California gold rush. |
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== Autobiography == |
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Manly and Roger's trek through the Mojave Desert, to find help and rescue for the remaining members of the Bennett and Arcane families, is one of the most incredible acts of courage and endurance you will ever read about. These two men ''walked'' 500 miles round trip, through completely unknown desert terrain, with no maps or even any clear idea of the distance they would have to travel to get to "civilization". For this hike they had only the clothes on their backs, rawhide moccasins on their feet, barely 30 pounds of dried ox meat carried in improvised knapsacks, Manly's rifle, double-barreled shotgun, a couple of all-purpose knives, and two canteens jury-rigged from gunpowder cans and holding about a quart of water apiece. For money to purchase rescue supplies, horses, and equipment - assuming they ever found any place to buy something - they had about $30 in coin. |
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[[File:Death Valley in 49 Manly.JPG|thumb|''Death Valley in '49'' (1894)]] |
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Manly wrote his first manuscript, referencing his diary (or notes) in early 1851 after returning east. He had it sent it to his parents to keep for him, but it burned in their farmhouse shortly thereafter. Upon learning this, he decided to put the traumatic past events behind him, and stopped keeping his diary. Thirty years later, his friends finally convinced him to recount his memories. By this time, his diary was "lost" (probably also burned, perhaps purposely) but he recreated events from memory and in 1886, Manly published "From Vermont to California" in ''Santa Clara Valley'', a monthly agricultural review.<ref>*{{cite book|last=Manly|first=William Lewis|editor1=LeRoy Johnson|editor2=Jean Johnson|title=Death Valley in '49|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ak60sCzpvoQC|publisher=Santa Clara University|year=2001|isbn=1890771473|orig-year=1894|chapter=15|access-date=2016-06-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226053014/https://books.google.com/books/about/Death_Valley_in_49.html?id=ak60sCzpvoQC|archive-date=2016-12-26|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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In writing his memoirs Manly contacted all the relevant people possible, then with the aid of a publishing assistant wrote the greater part of his autobiography; ''Death Valley in '49'' was published as a book in 1894 at San Jose from Pacific Tree and Vine Company. The title change was ostensibly to encourage sales, although Death Valley is not spoken of until the tenth chapter. |
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==Death == |
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On February 5, 1903, Manly died at his home near Lodi, California. |
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==Legacy== |
==Legacy== |
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Manly rescued several families of [[Death Valley '49ers|pioneers]] from Death Valley during the 1849 California Gold Rush. For this reason, three |
Manly rescued several families of [[Death Valley '49ers|pioneers]] from Death Valley during the 1849 California Gold Rush. For this reason, three geographic features in Death Valley bear his name: the Manly Beacon near [[Zabriskie Point]], Manly Peak, situated to the south between Panamint Valley and the Death Valley, and [[Lake Manly]], the ancient dried lake in the Valley.{{cn|date=December 2024}} |
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The [[actor]] [[Brad Johnson (actor, born 1924)|Brad Johnson]] portrayed Manley on the first episode, "How Death Valley Got Its Name", of the 18-year [[Television syndication|syndicated television]] [[anthology series]], ''[[Death Valley Days]]'', originally hosted by [[Stanley Andrews]]. [[Phyllis Coates]], in the first of her seven appearances on the program, was cast as the pioneer woman, Virginia Arcane.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0946051/|title=How Death Valley Got Its Name|publisher=[[Internet Movie Database]]|access-date=December 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208120907/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0946051/|archive-date=February 8, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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* [[Christian Brevoort Zabriskie]] |
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{{Commons category|Death Valley}} |
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* [[Walter E. Scott]] |
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*[[Christian Brevoort Zabriskie]] |
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*[[ |
* [[John Haney Rogers]] |
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*[[ |
* [[Francis Marion Smith]] |
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* [[Places of interest in the Death Valley area]] |
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*[[Francis Marion Smith]] |
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*[[Edward Palmer (drunk)|Edward Palmer]] |
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*[[Places of interest in the Death Valley area]] |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{reflist|22em}} |
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*{{gutenberg|no=12236|name=Death Valley in '49 by William Lewis Manly}} |
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*[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/S?ammem/calbkbib:@OR(@field(AUTHOR+@od1(Manly,+William+Lewis,+b++1820+))+@field(OTHER+@od1(Manly,+William+Lewis,+b++1820+))) William Lewis Manly, Death Valley in '49,Library of Congress] |
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==External links== |
==External links==<!-- for current and future use if material is uploaded --> |
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* {{ |
* {{Gutenberg author | id=4270}} |
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* {{Internet Archive author |sname=William Lewis Manly}} |
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*[http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cbhtml/cbhome.html California as I saw it, First Person Narratives of California 1849-1900, Collection, Rare Book and Collectors, The Library of Congress] |
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* [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cbhtml/cbhome.html California as I saw it, First Person Narratives of California 1849-1900, Collection, Rare Book and Collectors, The Library of Congress] |
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*{{findagrave|18522962}} |
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* {{gutenberg|no=12236|name=Death Valley in '49 by William Lewis Manly}} |
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* [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/S?ammem/calbkbib:@OR(@field(AUTHOR+@od1(Manly,+William+Lewis,+b++1820+))+@field(OTHER+@od1(Manly,+William+Lewis,+b++1820+))) William Lewis Manly, Death Valley in '49, Library of Congress] |
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* {{find a Grave|18522962}} |
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* [http://www.scvhistory.com/scvhistory/wheat-49ers.htm Tentative Census of the 1849 Sand Walking Party by historian Carl I. Wheat] |
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* {{cite web|title=The Lost '49ers |url=https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/historyculture/the-lost-49ers.htm| website=Death Valley National Park}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> |
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| NAME = Manly, William Lewis |
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| ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Manley, William Lewis |
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| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American western pioneer |
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| DATE OF BIRTH = April 6, 1820 |
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| PLACE OF BIRTH = Saint Albans, Vermont |
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| DATE OF DEATH = February 5, 1903 |
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| PLACE OF DEATH = San Jose, California |
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}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Manly, William Lewis}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manly, William Lewis}} |
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[[Category:Death Valley]] |
[[Category:Death Valley]] |
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[[Category:1820 births]] |
[[Category:1820 births]] |
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[[Category:1903 deaths]] |
[[Category:1903 deaths]] |
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[[Category:People from St. Albans, Vermont]] |
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[[Category:People from Michigan Territory]] |
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[[it:William Lewis Manly]] |
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[[Category:People from Wisconsin Territory]] |
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[[Category:19th-century American writers]] |
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[[Category:People of the California Gold Rush]] |
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[[Category:19th-century American diarists]] |
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Latest revision as of 20:38, 27 December 2024
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2014) |
William L. Manly | |
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 | |
| Born | William Lewis Manly April 6, 1820 St. Albans, Vermont, U.S. |
| Died | February 5, 1903 (aged 82) Lodi, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Fur Hunter Guide Farmer Writer |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Mary Jane Woods |
| Relatives | Ebenezer Manly (father) Phoebe (Calkins) Manly (mother) |
William Lewis Manly (April 6, 1820 – February 5, 1903) was an American pioneer of the mid-19th century. He was a fur hunter, caravan guide and gold prospector, and then a farmer and writer in his later years.
He wrote an autobiography about the pioneer experience in the Far West, in particular the 1848 California Gold Rush. It was first published with the title From Vermont to California, then in a second edition with the title Death Valley in '49.
Early years
[edit]Manly was born near St. Albans, Vermont, the son of Ebenezer Manly and Phoebe (Calkins) Manly.[1] In 1829, at the age of nine Manly left for Ohio with his family. Later, as a pioneer, he went to Michigan, prior to statehood. He then went fur trapping in Wisconsin, in Ohio, and in what would be the Dakota Territory.
California gold rush
[edit]
In 1849, at the age of twenty-nine, Manly joined the California Gold Rush, traveling overland from Wisconsin.
Floating the Green River
[edit]Upon reaching the Green River, just west of South Pass Manly and a half dozen other men tried to float to California by use of an abandoned ferry they found down the Green to the Colorado River, then on to California. They put in the river in Wyoming and floated downstream through the canyon of the Gates of Lodore and possibly behind to present day Green River, Utah[2] On disembarking they were met by Chief Walkara, who helped them to travel overland to the Wasatch Front.
Overland to California
[edit]South of present-day Provo, Utah, Manly joined others traveling to southern California. In December they became lost in the Great Basin Desert and subsequently entered Death Valley in the northern Mojave Desert, having followed an inaccurate map for three weeks. Their food supplies were almost exhausted, and the oxen pulling their wagons were dying of starvation. Manly and his associate John Haney Rogers trekked 250 miles on foot across the Mojave to Rancho San Fernando near Los Angeles, California to scout an evacuation route for the families trapped in Death Valley. There they procured food and horses from Mexican villagers and were able to save their party by leading them to Rancho San Francisco.[3]
Life in California
[edit]Manly worked the gold fields for several months, then returned to his farm in Wisconsin via steamboat, crossing the isthmus of Panama overland. In 1851, Manly returned to California by the same method, arriving in San Francisco shortly after the fire of 1851 and continued in the goldfields until the fall of 1859, by which time he had saved enough money to buy land 250 acres (1.0 km2) in the Communications Hill, San Jose area,[4] paying $16 an acre, $4,000 in all, where he planted a farm. In 1862, at the age of 42, Manly married Mary Jane Woods[5] of Lodi, California.
Autobiography
[edit]
Manly wrote his first manuscript, referencing his diary (or notes) in early 1851 after returning east. He had it sent it to his parents to keep for him, but it burned in their farmhouse shortly thereafter. Upon learning this, he decided to put the traumatic past events behind him, and stopped keeping his diary. Thirty years later, his friends finally convinced him to recount his memories. By this time, his diary was "lost" (probably also burned, perhaps purposely) but he recreated events from memory and in 1886, Manly published "From Vermont to California" in Santa Clara Valley, a monthly agricultural review.[6]
In writing his memoirs Manly contacted all the relevant people possible, then with the aid of a publishing assistant wrote the greater part of his autobiography; Death Valley in '49 was published as a book in 1894 at San Jose from Pacific Tree and Vine Company. The title change was ostensibly to encourage sales, although Death Valley is not spoken of until the tenth chapter.
Death
[edit]On February 5, 1903, Manly died at his home near Lodi, California.
Legacy
[edit]Manly rescued several families of pioneers from Death Valley during the 1849 California Gold Rush. For this reason, three geographic features in Death Valley bear his name: the Manly Beacon near Zabriskie Point, Manly Peak, situated to the south between Panamint Valley and the Death Valley, and Lake Manly, the ancient dried lake in the Valley.[citation needed]
The actor Brad Johnson portrayed Manley on the first episode, "How Death Valley Got Its Name", of the 18-year syndicated television anthology series, Death Valley Days, originally hosted by Stanley Andrews. Phyllis Coates, in the first of her seven appearances on the program, was cast as the pioneer woman, Virginia Arcane.[7]
See also
[edit]- Christian Brevoort Zabriskie
- Walter E. Scott
- John Haney Rogers
- Francis Marion Smith
- Places of interest in the Death Valley area
References
[edit]- ^ Kane, Michael David (2008). William Lewis Manly. p. 13. ISBN 9780549500711.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Belknap's Waterproof Dinosaur River Guide. Evergreen, CO: Westwater Books. p. 16.
- ^ Reynolds, Jerry. "Paradise Found". Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2017-10-08. Retrieved 2017-10-07.
- ^ *"CHSP Archaeological Evaluation". p. 18. Archived from the original on 2020-06-07. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
- ^ "Mary Jane Woods Manly". Find A Grave.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ *Manly, William Lewis (2001) [1894]. "15". In LeRoy Johnson; Jean Johnson (eds.). Death Valley in '49. Santa Clara University. ISBN 1890771473. Archived from the original on 2016-12-26. Retrieved 2016-06-04.
- ^ "How Death Valley Got Its Name". Internet Movie Database. Archived from the original on February 8, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
External links
[edit]- Works by William L. Manly at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about William L. Manly at the Internet Archive
- California as I saw it, First Person Narratives of California 1849-1900, Collection, Rare Book and Collectors, The Library of Congress
- Death Valley in '49 by William Lewis Manly at Project Gutenberg
- William Lewis Manly, Death Valley in '49, Library of Congress
- William L. Manly at Find a Grave
- Tentative Census of the 1849 Sand Walking Party by historian Carl I. Wheat
- "The Lost '49ers". Death Valley National Park.
