Balduin Möllhausen
Encyclopedia
Balduin Möllhausen was a German traveler and artist who visited the United States
and wrote novels based on his experiences.
studies in Bonn prematurely. He worked some at agriculture in Pomerania
, then went (1850) to North America
, joining (1851) Duke Paul of Würtemberg and his party in the Rocky Mountains
. He was wounded by Indians but, after five months, navigated the Mississippi River
to New Orleans.
Back in Berlin in early 1853, he met Alexander von Humboldt
and became his house guest.
At the instigation of Humboldt, he became topographer and draughtsman for a scientific expedition to the far west of the United States under Lieutenant Amiel W. Whipple, departing May 1853, and returning in 1854, via San Francisco and the Isthmus of Panama
, to Germany
, where he was appointed custodian of libraries in Potsdam
by Frederick William IV of Prussia
at the urging of Humboldt. On February 6, 1855, he married Carolina Alexandra Seifert, Humboldt's ward, who he had met while living in Humboldt's household.
He made another trip (1857-58) to North America accompanying an expedition under Lieutenant Joseph C. Ives exploring central Colorado and the Colorado River
. His remaining years were spent mostly at home writing, which his position as library custodian provided the leisure for.
A collection of his works was published (1906-13), under title of Illustrierte Romane, Reisen und Abenteuer (“Illustrated novels, travels and adventure”).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and wrote novels based on his experiences.
Biography
Financial concerns obligated him to terminate his gymnasiumGymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
studies in Bonn prematurely. He worked some at agriculture in Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
, then went (1850) to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, joining (1851) Duke Paul of Würtemberg and his party in the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. He was wounded by Indians but, after five months, navigated the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
to New Orleans.
Back in Berlin in early 1853, he met Alexander von Humboldt
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt...
and became his house guest.
At the instigation of Humboldt, he became topographer and draughtsman for a scientific expedition to the far west of the United States under Lieutenant Amiel W. Whipple, departing May 1853, and returning in 1854, via San Francisco and the Isthmus of Panama
Isthmus of Panama
The Isthmus of Panama, also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien, is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country of Panama and the Panama Canal...
, to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where he was appointed custodian of libraries in Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
by Frederick William IV of Prussia
Frederick William IV of Prussia
|align=right|Upon his accession, he toned down the reactionary policies enacted by his father, easing press censorship and promising to enact a constitution at some point, but he refused to enact a popular legislative assembly, preferring to work with the aristocracy through "united committees" of...
at the urging of Humboldt. On February 6, 1855, he married Carolina Alexandra Seifert, Humboldt's ward, who he had met while living in Humboldt's household.
He made another trip (1857-58) to North America accompanying an expedition under Lieutenant Joseph C. Ives exploring central Colorado and the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
. His remaining years were spent mostly at home writing, which his position as library custodian provided the leisure for.
Nonfiction
- Tagebuch einer Reise vom Mississippi nach den Küsten der Südsee (“Diary of a trip along the Mississippi to the Gulf”; Leipzig, 1858; English translation by Mrs. Sinnett, 2 vols., London, 1858; 2d ed., entitled Wanderungen durch die Prairien und Wüsten des westlichen Nordamerika, 1860)
- Reisen in die Felsengebirge Nordamerikas bis zum Hochplateau von Neu-Mexiko (“Traveling in the Rocky Mountains of North America up to the high plateau of New Mexico”; 2 vols., Leipzig, 1861)
Fiction
- Die Halbindianer (“The Halfbreeds”; 1861)
- Der Flüchtling: Erzählung aus Neu-Mexiko (“The Refugee: A tale from New Mexico”; 1862)
- Palmblätter und Schneeflocken: Erzählung aus dem fernen Westen (“Palm leaves and snowflakes: A tale from the far west”; 2 vols., 1863)
- Der Mayordomo: Erzählung aus dem südl. Californien und Neu-Mexiko (“The majordomo: A tale from Southern California and New Mexico”; 4 vols., 1863)
- Das Mormonenmädchen (“The Mormon maiden”; 6 vols., 1864; 3d ed., 1871)
- Reliquien: Erzählung aus dem westlichen Nordamerika (“Relics: A tale from the west of North America”; 3 vols., Berlin, 1865)
- Die Mandanenwaise: Erzählung aus den Rheinlanden und dem Stromgebiet des Missouri (“The Mandan orphan: A tale from the Rhinelands and the Missouri River Valley”; 4 vols., 1865);
- Nord und Süd: Erzählungen und Schilderungen aus dem westlichen Nordamerika (“North and South: Tales and depictions from the west of North America”; 2 vols., Jena, 1867)
- Das Monogramm (1874)
- Die beiden Yachten (“The two yachts”; 1891)
- Der Spion (“The Spy”; 1893)
- Das Fegefeuer in Frappes Wigwam (“Purgatory in Frappe's Wigwam”; 1900)
A collection of his works was published (1906-13), under title of Illustrierte Romane, Reisen und Abenteuer (“Illustrated novels, travels and adventure”).