The Man Who Walked the Entire Union
A formerly enslaved man recounts his epic, cross-country trek to the Puget Sound, fueled by a simple curiosity to see the nation for himself.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
John Thomas, a colored man 60 years of age, appeared on our streets yesterday, and told his interesting history. He had been a slave. At the close of the war he went into business for himself by renting a small farm. About twelve years ago he made up his mind to travel. Having heard lectures about the different parts of the Union, he desired to visit them and see for himself. He has walked into every State and Territory of the Union, with the exception of Texas, and he is very proud of it. He has been nearly a year in travelling from Louisiana to Puget Sound. After he is through British Columbia he will visit Texas, and when his journeys are completed he will publish a book containing a sketch of his life, and an account of what he has seen. He makes his own clothes out of whatever material he can find, and his appearance is funny enough. His outside garments are a huge vest with a red flannel back, a pair of canvas trousers, a large white hat, and a pair of shoes made by himself from the uppers of old boots, sewed with strips of buckskin. He does not know the alphabet, yet his conversation abounds with bits of wisdom and raw philosophy. He claims that the fashionable people make a great mistake in travelling abroad, when they have such a vast country of their own to visit and explore. John Thomas is a happy old man with one idea, which he is developing with admirable persistence.
“He claims that the fashionable people make a great mistake in travelling abroad, when they have such a vast country of their own to visit and explore.”
John Thomas’s desire to see the reality of his country rather than rely on hearsay reflects a timeless American wanderlust. While his mode of travel was born of necessity and limited means, his critique of 'fashionable' travel remains a sharp observation on the disconnect between wealth and lived experience in the American landscape.
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