Bayard Taylor recounts in exquisite detail the journey he made from New York to California. Unlike many of the thousands who travelled west by land, Taylor went by steamship. This travelogue contains details of his passage there, though the bulk of the work takes place in California. On his way through the state he tours the area that he would later call the Gold Region. The text serves as a valuable first-hand account of mid-19th century California during the gold rush.
