May 15 Overland Journeys in 1841 The Bartleson-Bidwell Party left Independence, Missouri. Seventy men, women and children headed west with 15 wagons and two solid-wheel carts. John Bidwell, one the first overland travelers into Nevada and California, kept a journal. He described landmarks and the surrounding countryside, which guided later Overland Trail travelers. Indians in 1850  A […]