Wagons, ho! Heading west in the 1800's
Lincoln Presidential Library digs into its collections for Jan. 20 presentation on westward journeys
 

[January 17, 2015]  SPRINGFIELD – As the Illinois prairies began to fill up 175 years ago, some people moved west to seek new land or mine for gold. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will open up its vast collections Jan. 20 for a presentation about those pioneers and their dangerous journeys.

This free “Stories from the Stacks” event will showcase letters, diaries and even paintings from the people who crossed the plains in covered wagons. It includes the maps they followed and the books they wrote years later.

The event takes place at 5:30 p.m. in the reading room of the Lincoln Presidential Library (112 N. Sixth Street, Springfield).

Reservations are required. They can be made by visiting www.presidentlincoln.gov  and clicking “Special Event Reservations” or by calling [phone].

“Stories from the Stacks” gives the public a peek into the library’s collections on Illinois history. Using documents, pictures and artifacts, library experts explore topics beyond Abraham Lincoln.

This presentation on overland journeys will include familiar names like Lewis and Clark and the Donner Party, two expeditions that began in Illinois. But it will also tell the stories of children who limped west with cactus needles in their feet or investors who put money into get-rich-quick schemes.

[Chris Wills, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum]