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Leaving Council Bluffs on May 14, 1850, Langworthy traveled via Fort Laramie, South Pass, Granite Pass, Salt Lake City, and the Humboldt Sink, crossing the Sierra Nevada by way of Carson Pass, arriving at Ringgold, near Placerville, on October 21. Wagner-Camp notes that "the overland journey occupies the first 180 pages of the book, with the balance devoted to describing California and the return trip via Nicaragua." Kurutz lauds Langworthy's "compact, but vividly written description of the mines, mining methods, and mining society. His accounts of thievery and gambling halls painted a sordid picture of the land of gold." Cowan p.383; Graff 2392; Howes L84; Kurutz 392a; Mintz 284; Rader 2201; Sabin 38904; Streeter 3179; Wagner-Camp 258.