And the Winner of Survivor Is . . .

The Prairie Traveler, written by Captain Randolph B. Marcy of the United States Army, was an essential companion for the westward traveler after 1859. At the request of the army, Captain Marcy put together a compendium of travel resources, food locations, routes to travel, dangers to watch out for, and good common sense, based on his own travels west. The original title, The Prairie Traveler: A Handbook for Overland Expeditions with Maps, Illustrations, and Itineraries of the Principal Routes between the Mississippi and the Pacific, was published in 1859, by Harper and Brothers Publishers.

The Fur Company’s men of the northwest, have to be labeled the best of the survivors in the Artic regions, because of their unique diet. Among other things, each man consumed approximately 1.25 pounds of Pemmican. Trust me. It is disgusting, but I guess you do what you have to, to survive.

Quoting from page thirty-three of The Prairie Traveler: “The buffalo meat is cut into thin flakes, and hung up to dry in the sun or before a slow fire; it is then pounded between two stones and reduced to a powder; this powder is placed in a bag of the animal’s hide with the hair on the outside; melted grease is then poured into it and the bag sewn up. It can be eaten raw, and many prefer it so. Mixed with a little flour and boiled, it is a very wholesome and exceedingly nutritious food and will keep fresh for a long time.” You've got to be kidding me. Wholesome?

The Prairie Traveler can be purchased from Dover Books.