Map My Ancestors: “I Saw the Elephant!”
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/memories/KWN2-8R6 https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/memories/LT5D-Y3B
It was the greatest treasure hunt in America! Our road, Interstate 80 East across Nevada, helped us catch the dream of “seeing the ELEPHANT!” Next to us were over 250,000 Americans hunting gold.Their road….the California Trial, made possible by the discovery of the Humbolt River. We looked over and saw Bethany’s 3rd great grandparents, Orin and Maria Hatch, seeking a different kind of gold!” It was during the 1840’s and 1850’s that the phrase “seeing the elephant,” came to symbolize the herculean effort to have the adventure of a lifetime and make it to the West. In 1849, the year after gold was discovered, California was still 2200 miles away from the United States. They went seeking gold, but what they contributed historically was worth more than the gold they discovered. I found my gold on the shores of Lake Tahoe!
Does map my ancestors help you find any ancestors living in Nevada?
Viewing your family tree as a fan chart in Family Search can help you discover ancestors whose lives span the 1800’s. Did any of them come West? What dreams brought them West?