AUTHORS & SOURCES The works of several authors, now deceased, have been critical to this project. They include:

Dale L. Morgan
Author of biographies of mountain men Jedediah Smith and Caleb Greenwood, and the landmark Overland in 1846. Regarded by many historians as providing more accurate research on the S-T-M party than any other.

George R. Stewart
Prolific author of historical texts including The Opening of the California Trail, which includes the recollections of Moses Schallenberger, regarded as the most accurate account of the journey.

Chuck Graydon
Author of Trail of the First Wagons Over the Sierra who spent seven years researching the trail.

Clyde Arbuckle
The legendary San Jose historian, educator, author, and mentor to generations of students and "trail buffs," who's collection of materials on the members and descendants of the S-T-M party have been invaluable.

John D. Unruh, Jr.
Author of The Plains Across: The Overland Emigrations and the Trans-Mississippi West, 1840-1860.

Thomas Rumer
Author of The Wagon Trains of '44, which includes diaries and accounts of Oregon-bound emigrants who began the journey with the S-T-M party.

ADDITIONAL SOURCES There are several, who's input and advice have been critical, including:

David Comstock
Author, publisher of books on Western history and culture, and past president of the Nevada County Historical Society.

Thomas Hunt
Charter member and former national trails preservation officer of the Oregon-California Trails Association, and author of Ghost Trails to California: A Pictorial Journey from the Rockies to the Gold Country.

Olive Newell
Author of Tail of the Elephant: The Emigrant Experience on the Truckee Route of the California Trail, 1844-1852.

Patricia Loomis
Retired San Jose journalist, author of numerous articles on pioneer families, and contributing editor for OCTA publications.

Earl Schmidt
OCTA member and author of Who Were The Murphys—California's Irish First Family.