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A Tramp Across the Continent
When young Charles Lummis heard about a job in the small town of Los Angeles more than a century ago, he walked all the way to it—across the plains, up Pike's Peak, down Devil's Gorge, through the Grand Canyon, over the desert. It was, by conservative estimate, one of the grandest hikes in American history. With no reason to be modest, Lummis called his "unpretentious" account of it "the wayside notes of a happy vagabonding."
270 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1893
About the author
Charles F. Lummis
153 books20 followersCharles Fletcher Lummis was a United States journalist and an activist for Indian rights and historic preservation. A traveler in the American Southwest, he settled in Los Angeles, California, where he also became known as a historian, photographer, ethnographer, archaeologist, poet and librarian. (Source: Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 28, 2020
When reading The Library Book by Susan Orlean, I discovered this book. Charles F. Lummis was the head librarian at the Los Angeles Public Library from 1905 to 1911. I there read of his long walk to Los Angeles.
Two decades before his employment at the library, he took a post as Chief Editor of the Los Angeles Times, leaving his job at a newspaper in Cincinnati, Ohio. He had to get himself from Ohio to California. He decided to walk—for the pure pleasure of doing this. He was athletic and trim. He tramped across the American continent in knickers, a flannel shirt and unsophisticated, plain old ordinary walking shoes, a distance of 3,507 miles in 143 days, from September 11, 1984 to February 1, 1985. He w-a-l-k-e-d the entire way through eight states, from Ohio, through Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, to Los Angeles, California. This tramp is what he writes of here, and he writes of it with enthusiasm, talent and flair. I was captivated.
Lummis has a way with words. I was expecting nature writing such as this when I picked up the books by John Muir. Lummis’ prose is better. The reader sees the canyons, the deep crevices, the towering mountains and the nefarious mountain ledges—you will hear about what happens on one such ledge. The book deserves four stars for the writing alone. Seriously, I have never before felt I wanted to see the Southwest with my own eyes. He makes it sound totally beautiful!
The journey is also exciting. This I was not expecting either. Lummis breaks an arm. I mean he really breaks it. The bone protrudes from the skin. He manages to shove it back into place, fashions a splint and continues. This guy is utterly amazing. He reasons, sitting inside a house while it grew back together again would be worse than walking in the outdoors while it mended. Another terrible, terrible thing happens—his dog .
Not only is the book exciting and extremely well written, it has interesting information about Native American traditions, customs, dances, celebrations, jewelry, housing, apparel and food, about minerals and stone formations and flora and fauna, also the Spanish influence in the Southwest. The book is full of fascinating information.
The book gets more and more interesting as you go. The central focus of the book is on the Southwest. The journey through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri is all covered in the first chapter; only then does the book really begin.
Lummis is a fascinating person. He was educated at Harvard, where he met Theodore Roosevelt. They both advocated conservation and the establishment of national parks. Lummis was an Indian rights activist, an environmentalist and founder of the Southwest Museum of Los Angeles. A short biographical epilogue concludes the book.
Andre Stojka narrates the audiobook. He chuckles and laughs; he personalizes the telling. There are added sound effects—wolves howling, the twittering of birds, the swoosh of wind, the burbling of creeks. This is not usually my cup of tea, but this did not wreck the book for me; actually, it’s kind of fun. Most importantly, it is never hard to hear the words. The narration is good, so I have rated the performance with three stars.
******************
*A Tramp Across the Continent by Charles F. Lummis 4 stars
*The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp by W.H. DaviesTBR
*American Character: The Curious Life of Charles Fletcher Lummis by Mark Thompson TBR
Two decades before his employment at the library, he took a post as Chief Editor of the Los Angeles Times, leaving his job at a newspaper in Cincinnati, Ohio. He had to get himself from Ohio to California. He decided to walk—for the pure pleasure of doing this. He was athletic and trim. He tramped across the American continent in knickers, a flannel shirt and unsophisticated, plain old ordinary walking shoes, a distance of 3,507 miles in 143 days, from September 11, 1984 to February 1, 1985. He w-a-l-k-e-d the entire way through eight states, from Ohio, through Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, to Los Angeles, California. This tramp is what he writes of here, and he writes of it with enthusiasm, talent and flair. I was captivated.
Lummis has a way with words. I was expecting nature writing such as this when I picked up the books by John Muir. Lummis’ prose is better. The reader sees the canyons, the deep crevices, the towering mountains and the nefarious mountain ledges—you will hear about what happens on one such ledge. The book deserves four stars for the writing alone. Seriously, I have never before felt I wanted to see the Southwest with my own eyes. He makes it sound totally beautiful!
The journey is also exciting. This I was not expecting either. Lummis breaks an arm. I mean he really breaks it. The bone protrudes from the skin. He manages to shove it back into place, fashions a splint and continues. This guy is utterly amazing. He reasons, sitting inside a house while it grew back together again would be worse than walking in the outdoors while it mended. Another terrible, terrible thing happens—his dog .
Not only is the book exciting and extremely well written, it has interesting information about Native American traditions, customs, dances, celebrations, jewelry, housing, apparel and food, about minerals and stone formations and flora and fauna, also the Spanish influence in the Southwest. The book is full of fascinating information.
The book gets more and more interesting as you go. The central focus of the book is on the Southwest. The journey through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri is all covered in the first chapter; only then does the book really begin.
Lummis is a fascinating person. He was educated at Harvard, where he met Theodore Roosevelt. They both advocated conservation and the establishment of national parks. Lummis was an Indian rights activist, an environmentalist and founder of the Southwest Museum of Los Angeles. A short biographical epilogue concludes the book.
Andre Stojka narrates the audiobook. He chuckles and laughs; he personalizes the telling. There are added sound effects—wolves howling, the twittering of birds, the swoosh of wind, the burbling of creeks. This is not usually my cup of tea, but this did not wreck the book for me; actually, it’s kind of fun. Most importantly, it is never hard to hear the words. The narration is good, so I have rated the performance with three stars.
******************
*A Tramp Across the Continent by Charles F. Lummis 4 stars
*The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp by W.H. DaviesTBR
*American Character: The Curious Life of Charles Fletcher Lummis by Mark Thompson TBR
February 21, 2024
The diary of a man in 1885 who accepted a job in Los Angeles and “tramped” across the continent. He literally walked from Ohio to California! I particularly enjoyed his experiences in New Mexico and his introduction to green chili and his wonder at the Grand Canyon.
January 20, 2009
In 1884 Charles Lummis was offered a job at a Los Angeles newspaper. He lived in Ohio. He took the job and then walked to California—passing though all the great landmarks we now think of in terms of National Parks. His dispatches elevated him to hero status (of sorts) and his road trip turned out to be one of the greatest hikes in history. Lummis was one of the first advocates for Indian rights, Hispanic rights and the preservation of the natural wilderness. His writing is gloriously prosaic, some sort of Victorian hybrid, so common in the 19th century. His naïve exuberance at the wonders he encountered are infectious. This is a completely enjoyable. Put it with some John Muir and you have a great tree-hugger combo.
December 3, 2007
It's a good story about walking from St. Louis to Los Angeles (or thereabouts) back in the day when one could carry a gun and shoot critters with equanimity, then stop by the cabins of folks living out in the wilds and expect to get a warm bed and hot meal free for nothin'. Has some excellent (very up-to-date) remarks about race relations aimed at correcting the ill-informed. And it's all more or less true. Quick and easy. Only thing lacking in the edition I read was a map tracing the route of his walk.
July 10, 2009
Er... a more sedate, self-promoting version of his trek across the USA in 1884. If given the choice, go with "Letters from the Southwest."
March 21, 2012
Read my review at my blog.
January 30, 2022
See Kurt & Patrick's reviews. The edition I read was written in 1969.
The first couple of entries were pretty gruesome as far as the animals he killed. I suppose that reading it as a serial in the newspaper kept people interested. He mostly follows the railroad. His descriptions become more descriptive -- almost flowery -- toward the last. I kept reading because of the Southwest Museum's collection, which he helped found. However, in Chapter 6, he writes the following:
"Why is it that the last and most difficult education seems to be ridding ourselves of the silly inborn race prejudice? We all start with it, we few of us graduate from it. And yet the closest thing in the world is him who has eyes and a chance to use them, is that man everywhere -- white men, brown men, yellow men, black men -- are all just about the same thing. The difference is little deeper than the skin."
He DOES have a sadistic streak when it comes to animals, altho there were many more animals, and he had to eat. Poor Shadow, I suppose there were no rabies shots then. But he does not discriminate when it comes to men (and presumably women?) of the lower classes(?) altho he scorns those who have money. Presumably the Los Angeles Times (where he later became the editor) ran all 19 episodes. A good walkabout history, beginning on September 11, 1884.
The first couple of entries were pretty gruesome as far as the animals he killed. I suppose that reading it as a serial in the newspaper kept people interested. He mostly follows the railroad. His descriptions become more descriptive -- almost flowery -- toward the last. I kept reading because of the Southwest Museum's collection, which he helped found. However, in Chapter 6, he writes the following:
"Why is it that the last and most difficult education seems to be ridding ourselves of the silly inborn race prejudice? We all start with it, we few of us graduate from it. And yet the closest thing in the world is him who has eyes and a chance to use them, is that man everywhere -- white men, brown men, yellow men, black men -- are all just about the same thing. The difference is little deeper than the skin."
He DOES have a sadistic streak when it comes to animals, altho there were many more animals, and he had to eat. Poor Shadow, I suppose there were no rabies shots then. But he does not discriminate when it comes to men (and presumably women?) of the lower classes(?) altho he scorns those who have money. Presumably the Los Angeles Times (where he later became the editor) ran all 19 episodes. A good walkabout history, beginning on September 11, 1884.
June 22, 2023
A few parts I found less interesting, even skipped the odd paragraph but mostly fascinating account of what it was like to actually _walk_ from Ohio to LA back in the 1880ies.
On his route there was very little in way of lodging. Food had to be mostly hunted or otherwise caught on the day. "Roads" meant railroads (that he followed, not took).
He runs into all kinds of different people individually, but also Indian tribes, Mexicans, which one wasn't used to coming from the east coast these days.
Very nice his description of how he finds himself a wonderful four-legged compagnion.
Not to forget the exciting medical misadventures he has to deal with all by himself, of a kind that would make modern man reach for the phone to call in a medevac flight.
Two of my highlights as examples:
The sprained ankle was too painful to permit rapid walking next day, and I was glad when eighteen hobbling miles brought me at nightfall to a poor little ranch on waterless Turkey Creek, where a good-natured young man and his white-haired mother made me very welcome.
Along the roads in that part of Colorado I frequently came to ranches where children of two to six years were “staked” in front of the house by a long, strong rope, one end of which was securely knotted under their arms, while the other was fastened to a stake.
On his route there was very little in way of lodging. Food had to be mostly hunted or otherwise caught on the day. "Roads" meant railroads (that he followed, not took).
He runs into all kinds of different people individually, but also Indian tribes, Mexicans, which one wasn't used to coming from the east coast these days.
Very nice his description of how he finds himself a wonderful four-legged compagnion.
Not to forget the exciting medical misadventures he has to deal with all by himself, of a kind that would make modern man reach for the phone to call in a medevac flight.
Two of my highlights as examples:
The sprained ankle was too painful to permit rapid walking next day, and I was glad when eighteen hobbling miles brought me at nightfall to a poor little ranch on waterless Turkey Creek, where a good-natured young man and his white-haired mother made me very welcome.
Along the roads in that part of Colorado I frequently came to ranches where children of two to six years were “staked” in front of the house by a long, strong rope, one end of which was securely knotted under their arms, while the other was fastened to a stake.
October 5, 2022
I recently walked by the home of Charles Lummis in Los Angeles and learned that he's walked from Cincinnati to Los Angeles to begin an editor job at the Los Angeles Times. That prompted me to buy this book to learn about his adventurous walk in the 1880's..... a walk that took 143 days to cover 3,507 miles.
Lummis has a unique writing style that takes some getting used to. Perhaps the style was common in the 1880's but it was a bit odd and interesting to me.
The book is very short - at 100 pages total.
I particularly enjoyed the towns he passed through during his travels and the people he met and his impressions of the Mexican Americans and Native Americans. Sometimes he'd get hung up on a particular topic that was particularly interesting to him ........ but not so much to me.
Still, at 100 pages it is a very interesting slice of history. He was quite a trooper to undertake such an expedition through what was still pretty wild territory at the time.
Lummis has a unique writing style that takes some getting used to. Perhaps the style was common in the 1880's but it was a bit odd and interesting to me.
The book is very short - at 100 pages total.
I particularly enjoyed the towns he passed through during his travels and the people he met and his impressions of the Mexican Americans and Native Americans. Sometimes he'd get hung up on a particular topic that was particularly interesting to him ........ but not so much to me.
Still, at 100 pages it is a very interesting slice of history. He was quite a trooper to undertake such an expedition through what was still pretty wild territory at the time.
August 24, 2017
Fascinating slice of history with a walking trip across the continent. Compiled by dispatches mail along the way from Cincinnati to Los Angeles in the late 1800's. A conscious choice when rail transportation was available. Sad about the greyhound, though.
April 24, 2019
I don't know how much of it was true but it made for an enjoyable read.
June 10, 2019
A great peek into the the mind of an educated man of the 1880s as he crosses the West on foot. I loved his impressions of the Pueblos and other native peoples he encountered, and as a language nerd I was equally fascinated by the language.
January 15, 2023
Perfect book to read while traveling the southwest part of America. Love his descriptions as well as his enjoyment of all the people he meeta along the way.
May 20, 2023
Boring. Read this at work because it was free online and otherwise i’d be doing nothing.
May 31, 2019
This was an interesting read. I first heard of the Author's story in the book titled "The Library Book". In that book Susan Orlean mentioned and described Charles Lummis and he sounded pretty interesting.It's not every day that you get introduced to a guy who walks to his new job, especially when the job's in LA and he's in Ohio. Oh, and by the way he does it in the mid 1880's. It's not the best written book, but it's lack of style is more than made up for with his stories of meeting Frank James (Jesse's brother), or breaking his arm in the middle of nowhere and having to set it himself, or his respect and love for the Native Americans and Mexicans that he learns about on his trip. Mr Lummis is one of those people who would be great to sit down and shoot the breeze with.
June 8, 2021
From American history
This was not the easiest book I've read, but it's an amazing story of perseverance during the late19th century. The hardship of walking across a yet uncivilized country and the warm hospitality was amazing. His traveling companion, Shadow provides life saving company until going mad in the SW dessert.
This was not the easiest book I've read, but it's an amazing story of perseverance during the late19th century. The hardship of walking across a yet uncivilized country and the warm hospitality was amazing. His traveling companion, Shadow provides life saving company until going mad in the SW dessert.
June 6, 2020
Determination, grit and a fearless resolve to walk the breadth
Of America to a job as a newspaper editor in California gives this account a special quality of truth despite consequences that may seldom be found.
Of America to a job as a newspaper editor in California gives this account a special quality of truth despite consequences that may seldom be found.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews