James G. Bell, trail driver and diarist, the son of Samuel Bell, was born in Tennessee in 1832. The family moved to Indianola, Texas, in 1852, and later the father opened a jewelry store in San Antonio. In 1854 Bell decided to join in driving a herd of cattle to California for John James, a San Antonio surveyor. Rather than write letters back to his family, Bell kept a diary of his experiences and observations, a chronicle of a little-known trail to the West. He joined his brother, Edward C. Bell, in California and died there in 1867.
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James G. Bell, "A Log of the Texas-California Cattle Trail, 1854," ed. J. Evetts Haley, Southwestern Historical Quarterly 35–36 (January-July 1932).
Categories:
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Ranching and Cowboys
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Trail Drivers and Riders
The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.
Anonymous,
“Bell, James G.,”
Handbook of Texas Online,
accessed May 23, 2022,
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/bell-james-g.
Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
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Original Publication Date:
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1952
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Most Recent Revision Date:
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November 13, 2018
