The excerpt was written by Phineas U. Blunt, a member of the Knickerbocker Exploring Company en route to the gold fields in California. The author spends a great deal of time discussing the trials and obstacles faced on the trail—including quicksand, lack of clean drinking water, sand flees, hail, and loss of livestock. The author details the different people groups he encountered during his travels; a variety of individuals from various states such as Arkansas, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, and New York are noted. In addition, he also mentions other ethnic groups he met along his journey-- such as the Scottish and Hispanic. Native American tribes encountered during the journey and recorded are the Seminole, Choctaw, Creek, Comanche, Washoe, Pawnee, Kiowa, and Apachee. The author briefly mentions some natural remedies used to heal unknown illnesses and gives very detailed accounts of the food eaten along the trail. Trading is another aspect of life the author writes about frequently. Some people noted in the text include Adam Neal, the Choctaw Indian Agent, and Captain Ebbetts, leader of the expedition. Towards the end of the diary, the author confesses his belief that the company has earned the gold they will discover in California and that the group will be well prepared for gold mining due to the hardships already encountered on the journey.