Parkman, Francis (1823-1893), one of America’s greatest historians, wrote vivid accounts of the role of American Indians in North American history. He made a famous journey on the Oregon Trail in 1846, and lived with the Indians for months to gather material for a book. Published in 1849 as The California and Oregon Trail, it later became famous as The Oregon Trail. Parkman also made a thorough study that included five trips to Europe for material before he published History of the Conspiracy of Pontiac (1851).
He also wrote France and England in the New World, a seven-volume series. These books described the history of the struggle between France and Britain (now the United Kingdom) for control of North America, and the part the Indians played in it. The series included Pioneers of France in the New World (1865), The Jesuits in North America (1867), The Discovery of the Great West (1869), and Montcalm and Wolfe (1884). Parkman’s books did not include the economic elements of history now considered important, but they were so realistically written that they still may be read with great pleasure.
Parkman’s health had been damaged by the hardships of his trip on the Oregon Trail. He lost much of his sight, but continued his work with the help of a reader. Parkman studied horticulture as a hobby and was so successful that he became a professor of horticulture at Harvard University in 1871.
Parkman was born on Sept. 16, 1823, in Boston. He graduated from Harvard University and later studied law there. He died on Nov. 8, 1893. He was elected to the Hall of Fame for Great Americans in 1915.
