Crossing the Plains, Days of 1857: A Narrative of the Early Journeys of the Emigrants to California by Volunteer Wagon Method is an unforgettable journey back in time that recounts the courage and adventure of the early settlers who made their way west to California from the eastern United States. Author William Audley Maxwell successfully personifies the spirit of perseverance and forward thinking of these people, showing their courage and endurance in overcoming enormous difficulties. This book is an important testimony to an important era in the history of western settlement of the United States and helps to understand what were the first steps on the way to a new life in an incredibly remote and inaccessible west.