This is a casual monthly book club in which we discuss a book we've read on a southwest history topic. In May, we'll discuss Wilderness Wanderers: The 1776 Expedition of Dominguez & Escalante by Ken Reyhers.

Description:

Knowing very little of the country through which they were to travel, two Franciscan priests set out from Santa Fe in 1776 to find an overland route to the Spanish missions at Monterey Bay on the California coast. For 159 days they wandered through the wilderness in the four-corners region of the Southwest, experiencing many trials and tribulations. They ran out of food and were forced to eat several of their horses. Most of the time the expedition was technically lost and they never did find their way to California, but they explored a vast new land and made remarkably accurate maps. It was a memorable adventure that they recorded in detail in their diaries. Using these diaries, Ken Reyher, the author, physically retraced the 1700-mile route so that he would know firsthand the land they traveled through and the reasons they made the decisions they did. Unlike previous books on the expedition, Reyher focuses on the adventure as well as the historical events along the way. The result is an accurate history that reads more like a fast paced novel.

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I've definitely seen this in used bookshops around town, but here's some helpful links to acquire it: