A few fateful months ago I chose the enigmatically titled “Journal” from Firestone Library’s Western Americana Collection, and my journey with Thomas Adams began. Now, as Sophie and I wrap up our final project for HUM 331, I’m here to contextualize who Thomas Adams is so that you’ve got some background information.
Thomas Adams was a civil engineer, and at just 23 he was a part of the Stevens Pacific Railroad Survey. Running for two years, from 1853-1855, the Survey was one of 6 expeditions Congress funded that same year to try to find the best railroad route from the Pacific Ocean to the Mississippi River. The Stevens Survey went (North by) Northwest, through North Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. The particular journal we’re using for the project actually starts off in Washington, DC, with the real travel beginning to be documented in Minnesota.
Here’s a map from the first page of Adams’ journal!
On the trip, Adams was designated as a meteorologist and topographer, and the language of his journal reflects this. He tends to write fairly short and informative entries, occasionally interjecting his frustration with the monotony of the food or the annoyances of travel; but he keeps it pretty impersonal. There are many sketches in his journals (but they bear an uncanny resemblance to some of those done by Gustavus Sohon, who was also part of the Survey). He also documented the languages of the Indigenous peoples he encountered, with a small translation guide included in the back of the journal.
Later in life, Adams was involved in brokering treaties between Indigenous groups, specifically the Salish and the US Government. The treaty negotiations operated in an unequal power structure and ultimately resulted in the removal of the Salish and Pend d’Oreille peoples to two different reservations. Thomas Adams was, for the majority of his life, involved in decisions and actions that violently victimized Indigenous people.
References
Adams, Thomas. “Journal.” Digital PUL, 1853-1854. Accessed May 9, 2021.https://dpul.princeton.edu/pudl0017/catalog/qr46r491g.
Adams, Thomas. “Volume II.” Digital PUL 1853-1854. Accessed May 9, 2021.https://dpul.princeton.edu/pudl0017/catalog/vh53x083j.
“Cultural History-Brief History of the People.” Accessed May 10, 2021. http://www.flatheadwatershed.org/cultural_history/pend_salish.shtml.
“Stevens Pacific Railroad Survey.” Stevens Pacific Railroad Survey - Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, naturalhistory.si.edu/research/botany/about/historical-expeditions/stevens-pacific-railroad-survey
“Thomas Adams Papers, 1852-1859 - Finding Aids.” Princeton University, The Trustees of Princeton University, findingaids.princeton.edu/catalog/C1452#description.