Our Faces Are Westward: The 1852 Oregon Trail Journey of Edward Jay Allen

An ailing Edward Jay Allen joined a wagon train en route to Oregon in 1852. Despite exhaustion from weeks of strenuous travel, he guided a raft down the Snake River. A foot injury compelled him to risk a harrowing float over falls and rapids. Lucky to be alive, he reached Fort Boise and operated a ferry before returning to the trail. Walking with difficulty and short of food and water, he struggled on to Portland. Based on newly-discovered diaries and letters replete with keen observations, poetry, and humor, Allen’s delightfully literate, entertaining accounts bring the emigrant trail experience to life.