Seeking the Elephant, 1849 James Mason Hutchins' Journal of his Overland Trek to California

by Shirley Sargent

The first edition of Hutchings' Journal of 1848-49 from the manuscript in the Library of Congress, together with his pocket almanac from 1849 (in the Bancroft Library at Berkeley), his list of graves along the trail, and four letters written by him in 1849-51. 6.5x9.5", 209 pp.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Just Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting travel journal, very strange author. Hard to tell if he was clever or just stupid and lucky (probably the latter since he ended up losing all his gold later to multiple bad investments); there were several instances where I'm shocked he didn't get himself killed. At first he seems surprisingly tolerant and open to diverse cultures for his time, but his general benevolence towards native and enslaved black folks sometimes seems less to do with a belief in common humanity and more as if he's bemused and fond of their existence/mannerisms in the same way some people are fond of animals, which is reflected in his similar concern for the welfare of their animals throughout the journey. For example he's concerned that slaves appear happy and clean and educated, but less troubled by the existence of slavery and feels entitled to invite himself into black churches and schools and openly critique the behavior of the attendees. He also seems considerate enough to respect the customs and graves of native groups along the trail, and doesn't seem to harbor any ill will towards native folks as a whole even if they've been attacked by some, but also sees no value in native claim to the land and accurately guesses and seems excited that other white folks will quickly take over and put it to 'better use'. Above all, what this author seems to value most is acting proper, so while he's far from admirable he's still leagues better than some other British contemporaries (i.e. Isabella Bird whose travel journals are so insanely racist and condescending it's wild she wasn't abandoned/unalived outright on most of her trips). This isn't to excuse him, just that his character is a good example of how racism often presents as paternalism instead of aggression.