Robert McConnell took a trip in 1869 to explore some areas that he and his family might like to relocate. It appears that he and his family were living in Cincinnati, OH. On February 9th 1869 he left his home. On Feb. 10th he and some associates bought tickets on the steamboat Lady Gay that would begin his exploratory journey. When they arrived in New Orleans, LA, he had explored several cities along the way. He and an associate spent several days in New Orleans before they changed steamboats where they headed into Apalachicola Bay. From the Bay, they traveled along the panhandle of Florida where they visited St. Mark's, Tallahassee, and Jacksonville, FL. From Jacksonville, FL McConnell decided to return home by way of train. He bought tickets that took him to Savannah and then he passed through Georgia, Tennessee and made his way to Cincinnati, OH. He arrived there on Mar. 11, 1869. He again took a trip in 1881 looking for a location for him and his family to relocate. On Mar. 16, 1881 he left home. It appears that he was accompanied on this trip with family members from the entries in his diary. They traveled to the West. Sacramento, CA was their first destination. From there they traveled up the West Coast. They took passage on a boat on the Columbia River that took them to Portland, OR. From Portland, OR McConnell went on an exploratory trip that took him to Tacoma, Seattle and Vancouver, WA. He wired his family to stay in Portland while he went to eastern Washington to find a place to settle down. McConnell decided that the Lewiston, ID area was a good place to settle down. He came back, bought dry goods and took the family to their new home. On June 20, 1881 McConnell entered in his diary that trade begins. His last entry is July 2, 1881.
From the description of Diary of R. McConnell, 1869-1881. (Washington State Library, Office of Secretary of State). WorldCat record id: 313818269
