diff options
| author | Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org> | 2025-10-14 19:59:33 -0700 |
|---|---|---|
| committer | Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org> | 2025-10-14 19:59:33 -0700 |
| commit | 99181ef4fd823b04e004e7c17fa9f18f22f6906f (patch) | |
| tree | f19c62179bc440b7302bb2b7ed5ad28fee944f9b /33450-h | |
Diffstat (limited to '33450-h')
| -rw-r--r-- | 33450-h/33450-h.htm | 2599 |
1 files changed, 2599 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/33450-h/33450-h.htm b/33450-h/33450-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6cbe7ab --- /dev/null +++ b/33450-h/33450-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,2599 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> +<head> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" /> +<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Journal of a Trip to California, by Charles W. Smith</title> + <style type="text/css"> + p { margin-top: .5em; + text-align: justify; + margin-bottom: .5em; + text-indent: 1em; + } + h1 { + text-align: center; font-family: garamond, serif; /* all headings centered */ + } + h5,h6 { + text-align: center; font-family: garamond, serif; /* all headings centered */ + } + h2 { + text-align: center; font-family: garamond, serif; /* all headings centered */ + } + h3 { + text-align: center; font-family: garamond, serif; /* all headings centered */ + } + h4 { + text-align: center; font-family: garamond, serif; /* all headings centered */ + } + h1.pg,h4.pg { + text-align: center; font-family: Times-Roman, serif; /* all headings centered */ + } + hr { width: 33%; + margin-top: 1em; + margin-bottom: 1em; + } + body{margin-left: 10%; + margin-right: 10%; + } + a {text-decoration: none} /* no lines under links */ + div.centered {text-align: center;} /* work around for IE centering with CSS problem part 1 */ + div.centered table {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;} /* work around for IE centering with CSS problem part 2 */ + + .cen {text-align: center; text-indent: 0em;} /* centering paragraphs */ + .smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} /* small caps */ + .noin {text-indent: 0em;} /* no indenting */ + .blockquot {margin-left: 5%; margin-right: 5%;} /* block indent */ + .right {text-align: right; padding-right: 2em;} /* right aligning paragraphs */ + .tr {margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; margin-top: 5%; margin-bottom: 5%; padding: 1em; background-color: #f6f2f2; color: black; border: dotted black 1px;} /* transcriber's notes */ + + .pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ + /* visibility: hidden; */ + position: absolute; right: 2%; + font-size: 75%; + color: silver; + background-color: inherit; + text-align: right; + text-indent: 0em; + font-style: normal; + font-weight: normal; + font-variant: normal;} /* page numbers */ + + .footnotes {border: dashed 1px;} + .footnote {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 90%;} + .footnote .label {position: absolute; right: 84%; text-align: right; font-size: 90%;} + .fnanchor {vertical-align: text-top; font-size: .8em; text-decoration: none;} + + .poem {margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; text-align: left;} + .poem br {display: none;} + .poem .stanza {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;} + .poem span {display: block; margin: 0; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} + .poem span.i2 {display: block; margin-left: 2em;} + .poem span.i4 {display: block; margin-left: 4em;} + .poem span.pn { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ + /* visibility: hidden; */ + position: absolute; right: 2%; + font-size: 75%; + text-align: right; + text-indent: 0em; + font-style: normal; + font-weight: normal; + color: silver; background-color: inherit; + font-variant: normal;} /* page numbers in poems */ + + + hr.full { width: 100%; + margin-top: 0em; + margin-bottom: 0em; + border: solid black; + height: 5px; } + pre {font-size: 85%; } + </style> +</head> +<body> +<h1 class="pg">The Project Gutenberg eBook, Journal of a Trip to California, by Charles +W. Smith, Edited by R. W. G. Vail</h1> +<pre> +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at <a href = "http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></pre> +<p>Title: Journal of a Trip to California</p> +<p> Across the Continent from Weston, Mo., to Weber Creek, Cal., in the Summer of 1850</p> +<p>Author: Charles W. Smith</p> +<p>Editor: R. W. G. Vail</p> +<p>Release Date: August 16, 2010 [eBook #33450]</p> +<p>Language: English</p> +<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p> +<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JOURNAL OF A TRIP TO CALIFORNIA***</p> +<p> </p> +<h4 class="pg">E-text prepared by Barbara Kosker<br /> + and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> + (<a href="http://www.pgdp.net/c/">http://www.pgdp.net</a>)<br /> + from page images generously made available by<br /> + Internet Archive/American Libraries<br /> + (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/americana">http://www.archive.org/details/americana</a>)</h4> +<p> </p> +<table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;" cellpadding="10"> + <tr> + <td valign="top"> + Note: + </td> + <td> + Images of the original pages are available through + Internet Archive/American Libraries. See + <a href="http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028909203"> + http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028909203</a> + </td> + </tr> +</table> +<p> </p> +<hr class="full" /> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<p> </p> + +<h1>JOURNAL</h1> +<h3> of a</h3> +<h1>TRIP</h1> +<h3>to </h3> +<h1>CALIFORNIA</h1> + +<br /> +<br /> +<br /> +<br /> + +<h3>Across the Continent<br /> + From Weston, Mo., to Weber Creek, Cal.<br /> + In the Summer of 1850</h3> + +<br /> +<br /> +<br /> +<br /> + +<h2> By C. W. SMITH</h2> + +<br /> +<br /> +<br /> +<br /> + +<h3> Edited with an Introduction and Notes,<br /> +<br /> +By R. W. G. VAIL<br /> + +Librarian of<br /> + +The Minnesota Historical Society</h3> + +<br /> +<br /> +<br /> +<br /> + +<h4> THE CADMUS BOOK SHOP<br /> + NEW YORK</h4> + +<br /> +<br /> +<br /> +<br /> + +<h4>Press<br /> +STANDARD BOOK COMPANY<br /> +Manchester, N. H.</h4> + +<br /> +<br /> +<br /> +<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span> + + +<hr /> +<br /> +<h2>INTRODUCTION.</h2> + + +<p>Several years ago I had the good fortune to find, in the lumber and +rubbish of a storeroom, this little journal. A small leather-backed +notebook, it had lain unnoticed and forgotten for more than half a +century in the author's old homestead.</p> + +<p>The original manuscript is written in a 4 by 6-inch notebook, bound in +boards. It contains 180 pages of text, with pressed western flowers and +plants pasted on the five fly-leaves at the end.</p> + +<p>Mr. William Smith, our author's father, came from Gloucestershire, +England, in 1831 and settled on a farm (now owned by his grandson, +George Smith) just west of the village of Victor, N. Y. For several +years Mr. Smith's sons, James and Charles W., both helped him on the +farm, but eventually the latter decided to become a printer and so +obtained a position in the neighboring village of Canandaigua.</p> + +<p>At the time of the discovery of gold in California, Mr. C. W. Smith<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> +had been for several years on the staff of the <i>Ontario Messenger</i>, +which perhaps accounts for the interesting and newsy style in which his +journal is written. Certain it is that he showed more than usual ability +and training in narrating the experiences of the overland journey and +especially in painting a vivid picture of the prairies, the rivers and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span> +mountains, the rocks and the flowers.</p> + +<p>And so the Spring of 1850 found Mr. Smith leaving his place in the +composing room at Canandaigua and, after a brief farewell visit with his +family in Victor, he proceeded to Centreville, Indiana, from which town +he dated the first entry of his narrative. The journal itself tells the +rest of the story, and I am sure that the student of western history +will find it one of the most valuable of the contemporary journals of +the Forty-Niners and the Overland Trail.</p> + +<p class="right smcap">R. W. G. Vail.</p> +<p style="margin-left: 0.5em;">The Minnesota Historical Society, March 20, 1920.</p> + + +<h4>FOOTNOTE:</h4> + +<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> A portrait of the author, painted in East Bloomfield, N. +Y., is still owned by the family in Victor.—ED.</p></div> + +<br /> +<br /> +<br /> +<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span> + +<hr /> +<br /> +<h2>LETTER TO MOTHER.</h2> + +<p class="right">April 10, 1853.</p> +<p class="smcap noin">Dear Mother:</p> + +<p>I have concluded to send you my journal, not because I think it contains +anything of great interest, but because I know you will take it as an +evidence that I have not forgotten my Mother.</p> + +<p>Nancy and I have been married two years today, and through that time +have walked peacefully along the path of life together, a path on which +little Alice now presses her tiny feet and, holding a little hand in +each of ours, will make our union more complete. It is now nearly six +years since I left home, a home which I then expected to see again in a +few months, and <i>would</i> have seen had I been able to return in a better +condition than when I left it, for it is always expected that when a +young man goes out upon the world, it is to rise and prosper, and not +return in rags. And if it was not for that ambitious feeling that +forbids there are now thousands in California and Oregon, who would +instantly start for those good old homes on the other side of the Rocky +Mountains. In all my wanderings I have been singularly fortunate, always +having my health, and never meeting with those accidents which are +common to persons in an unsettled condition. In regard to the good +things of this world, I have reason to be grateful, rather however for +what we expect, than what we now enjoy, for our 640 acres of land are +lying in an unproductive state, and Nancy's money is all in the States, +excepting $200, which were sent across the plains.</p> + +<p>The spring here opens early this year, a full month in advance of last. +The hillsides are covered with good fresh grass and many places with a +variety of flowers, some of which would adorn a garden.</p> + +<p>The pony that we called "Uncle Ned" is gone "where the good ponies +go"—to the mines. I got a mare and $15 for it, but after it had run out +a few weeks, and improved, it became <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span>so wild that I could not catch it, +and I gave a man $2.00 to catch her for me. But I have traded again, and +this time I have got one that Nancy can ride, and could be sold for +$100.</p> + +<p>We have got but one cow at home, and one in the Willammette Valley, and +$75 there for the purpose of buying another cow.</p> + +<p>Alice is growing fast, and can stand by holding to a chair. Nancy is +going to put a lock (a small lock I guess) of her hair in this book. She +has two teeth and Nancy says she can bite.</p> + +<p>I understand that Jesse Dryer is here, with Rawson.<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> He sent word to +me that you had sent a box and that it was in his trunk at Marysville +and would be brought to this valley as soon as there was an opportunity. +Marysville is a place in the Willammette, about 100 miles from here. The +country is beginning to be pretty well settled up in this quarter, some +new neighbors having lately come in. Our claim is joined on three sides +by settlers.</p> + +<p>There is a new post office nearer than Winchester, to which I would like +you to direct hereafter. Name, Deer Creek, Douglass County.</p> + +<p>I have not received a letter from Sarah yet. I will still look for it. I +received a letter from John. I will send an answer in a short time.</p> + +<p>April 17. I have just received a letter from Nancy's folks in relation +to her property, which we will probably get this fall. I start for the +Willammette next Wednesday, and will be gone about 15 days, I shall +bring a cow with me, perhaps two. I shall take this book with me and +mail it in the Willammette. While I am gone Nancy will have to stay +alone, excepting one of the neighbors little girls. Cattle have rose to +an enormous price lately, good oxen will sell for $300.00 per yoke.</p> + +<p>I intend when I am able to buy a good horse team, and then I can go +somewhere in some reasonable time, and with pleasure. Nancy will send +some specimens of wild flowers between the leaves of this book.</p> + +<p class="right">C. W. SMITH.</p> + +<h4>FOOTNOTE:</h4> + +<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> Norman Rawson of Victor, N. Y., uncle of Mrs. Herman +Boughton, who now owns the pistol that he carried across the plains. +Dryer was also from Victor.—EDITOR.</p></div> + +<br /> +<br /> +<br /> +<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span><br /> + +<h1>JOURNAL OF A TRIP TO CALIFORNIA</h1> + +<br /> +<br /> +<br /> +<br /> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>"Ever changing from scene to scene, deriving new interest<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> +from them all, and learning each day something more of the +many wonders of nature."—<i>The Author.</i></p></div> + + +<br /> +<br /> +<br /> +<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> + +<hr /> +<br /> +<h2>Journal of a Trip to California</h2> + + +<p>In the Spring of 1850 the startling reports from California in relation +to the discoveries of gold had been generally confirmed and sustained by +such a vast number of letters that most men were satisfied of their +truth.</p> + +<p>Strongly impressed with the general correctness of reports from the +modern El Dorado, I at length determined to wend my way in that +direction, and having made the necessary arrangements, I left +Centreville, Ind., on the second of April, 1850. On the same day a +company of about twelve men left the same place and about the same +number left Richmond, Ind., bound for the same destination.</p> + +<p>The Spring of 1850 was unusually backward, in consequence of which many +were compelled to spend many days at the various starting places on the +frontier.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">April 4, 1850.</p> + +<p>I make my first note at Cincinnati, Ohio, on board the <i>Cambria</i> April +4, 1850. Though the Spring is backward, the weather has been fine for a +few days past; some parts have begun to assume a green appearance, and +the roads from this place were quite good.</p> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span>I have engaged passage on the <i>Cambria</i> for St. Louis, and am now +impatient to be off. The boat was to start at 4 o'clock <span class="smcap">P. M.</span>, +but we are yet here. It is a very common practice of deceiving travelers +as to the time of the departure of boats. It should be frowned down by +the traveling public, as it causes great perplexity and loss of time, +etc. Passengers are still coming on board. Most of them are bound for +California. A large number of mules and horses are on deck. Some of them +are inferior animals, especially the mules. The price of mules and +horses is represented as being quite high at St. Joseph and +Independence. Good wagons can be purchased here for $75.00, and many are +being taken for the emigrating service. A company has been organized +here, offering to carry passengers to the gold region for $160, each +passenger to do his equal share of the necessary labor upon the road.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">April 5, 1850.</p> + +<p>Ohio River, April 5, 1850. We left Cincinnati yesterday afternoon about +5 o'clock, with a large number of passengers on board. Reached Madison +last night and laid to till morning. We are now riding along at a fine +rate. The clouds that hung above us all the morning are partly cleared +away, and the warm sun shining through at intervals, making it rather +pleasant and it would be really so, were it not for a cold breeze that +is now up. The trees upon the banks of the river begin <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span>to assume the +appearance of spring, putting forth their fresh buds and lending to the +prospect some degree of cheerfulness. The banks of the river are here +high and abrupt, and well timbered, though the general prospect is +rather monotonous.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">Sunday, April 7.</p> + +<p>I made no note of yesterday, having seen nothing of particular interest. +The river banks become lower as we descend. Today I have seen fruit +trees in blossom. Our passage is rather disagreeable—too cool to be +agreeable on deck, from which the passenger wishes to view the shores of +the river. I rose early this morning and went on deck, as usual. It was +early dawn, so early that I would not have thought it morning were it +not for a golden streak in the east, glowing beneath a heavy mass of +dark clouds. We were just then at an interesting point, passing round +the point from the Ohio into the mighty Mississippi, and had already +begun to stem its muddy current when I came on deck. I took a long look +down between her banks, for the purpose of impressing upon my memory a +picture which I might unveil in the future. The flush of crimson +dawn-light was reflected upon the ripples that came chasing in our wake.</p> + +<p>Now and then upon the shore the dark outlines of a log cabin (the +wood-chopper's home) met the eye. The banks are low and marshy, and +mostly covered with underbrush, such as cottonwood, etc. The river is +some two miles wide here (fifteen <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span>miles above the mouth of the Ohio) +and divided by numerous islands of all sizes—from an acre to several +miles in length. To keep the channel, we have to shift constantly from +one side of the river to the other; sometimes I could throw a stone to +the shore. This is a quiet, calm Sabbath morning, the sun shining out +brightly, with a cool breeze floating in from the west. But the iron +giant beneath us knows no Sabbath, no more than those who direct her +powerful arms, and keeps working on, tireless and undismayed; but like a +war horse, champing the bit, he is a dangerous slave, breathing fire and +smoke and shaking his person by his gigantic struggles. To use a strong +poetical figure, he seems to say:</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i0">"Bind me down with your iron bands,<br /></span> +<span class="i0">Make sure of your curb and rein,<br /></span> +<span class="i0">For I scorn the strength of your puny hands<br /></span> +<span class="i0">As the lion scorns a chain."<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<p>The California-bound passengers on board are a hardy-looking class of +men, say but little about the gold, and are probably prepared to meet +the dangers and hardships of the journey.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">April 8.</p> + +<p>The banks of the Mississippi begin to assume a more cheerful aspect, the +banks are higher and are partly covered with cedar bushes and other +evergreen shrubbery. We arrived at St. Louis at about 9 o'clock this +morning, and immediately took <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span>passage upon "<i>The Pride of the West</i>" +for St. Joseph. We expect to be about a week in going there, longer than +it would take to travel the same distance on the Ohio, owing to the +numerous obstructions in the river. The signs of an immense emigration +become more apparent as we approach the starting points. Every boat is +crowded with passengers, horses, wagons and everything else necessary +for an outfit preparatory to crossing the continent.</p> + +<p>At St. Louis business appears quite brisk at present. The levee is +crowded with articles of trade. But St. Louis, like Louisville, bears +the mark of slavery in their population and the appearance of local +business; their suburbs, instead of being occupied by the beautiful +little dwellings of artisans, look ruinous and uninteresting.</p> + +<p>Well, we are under way again, St. Louis is fading away in the twilight +and blending with the distant hills. Tomorrow morning I expect to look +upon the waters of the Missouri.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">April 9.</p> + +<p>We entered the Missouri this morning at sunrise and are now making but +slow progress in consequence of the numerous obstructions in the stream, +such as sawyers, sand bars, etc. We are compelled to lie up at shore at +night. The weather is decidedly cool today, and we have been favored with +a few flakes of snow. The soil some sixty miles above St. Louis looks +productive, is <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span>sufficiently high for agricultural purposes and is well +timbered. At St. Louis I saw a few Indians, belonging to some of the +western tribes. They were dressed in the highest style of their fashion, +their faces painted and highly colored with red powder. Their hair is +also dyed or powdered red after the same manner as their faces. They +were quite curious specimens of humanity to those unacquainted with +Indian fashions. We have but very few lady passengers.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">April 10.</p> + +<p>Weather clear and cold. We have just passed Jefferson City, the capital +of Missouri. It is but a small place and unimportant, only as being the +capital. The state house is a respectable two-story stone building +situated upon a bluff near the river, fronting the east. There is also a +state prison here, inclosed by a high stone wall. We have seen some +specimens of wild game on the river, such as geese, ducks, turkeys, etc. +Speaking of game reminds me of gaming, a business that is very +extensively followed on the river steamers. About one third of the +passengers on board are at this moment engaged in that laudable +profession—many of them play for money. This class is bound for +California and pass the dimes freely.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">April 13.</p> + +<p>I have neglected my journal a little on account of sickness. The boat is +anything but agreeable to <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span>a person in good health, but to a sick man it +is almost insupportable. When I awoke yesterday morning, I was very much +oppressed with heat, and supposed the weather had moderated in the +night. I got up and went on deck, and fancied that the weather was very +mild, but instead of this, I suppose the difference was in myself, +having contracted a slight fever in the night. In cooling myself I +caught a severe cold, and soon began to feel very chilly. I sat by a hot +stove, wrapped in my overcoat, but it was impossible to get warm, so I +sat shivering all day. Owing to the crowded state of the boat, I had not +got a berth when I took passage, but slept upon the cabin floor, with +about fifty others. I again attempted to get a berth, but could not, so +I was compelled to "chew the cud of sweet and bitter fancy" alone. Today +I succeeded in getting a berth of one of the passengers, in which I took +a refreshing sleep, took some quinine, and now begin to feel better. I +also had a very severe pain in my side, but I am getting better of that, +too. As I have been close by the stove for a day or two past, I can say +but little about the country through which I have passed. Yet I know we +have run upon numerous sand bars, backed out and found other channels; +stopped for wood and passengers, and I felt the jarring of the machinery +beneath me. A large number of the passengers on board are more or less +indisposed, so I have not suffered more than many others. We have passed +several respectable towns in coming up, the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span>principal of which are +Boonville, Lexington and Independence. The latter is some four miles +from the river. We expect to reach St. Joseph tomorrow. There is a +report abroad that the cholera prevails at St. Joseph, and some of our +passengers are leaving the boat to avoid it. It is also said to prevail +at other towns on the river. I shall not deviate from my course on that +account. If it is my fate to be stricken down at this time, I shall try +to meet my fate like a Christian. But I have hope and a strong belief +that—</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i0">"There's a divinity that shapes our ends<br /></span> +<span class="i0">Rough hew them how we will."<br /></span> +</div></div> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">April 18.</p> + +<p>Weston, Missouri, April 18. We arrived here last Sunday morning, +stopped, because our boat being a large one, we could not go up the +river in her further. We have since concluded that Weston is as good a +starting-place as any on the Missouri, and have determined to fit out +here for the journey, and we have already engaged partners in a wagon, +looked at cattle, provisions, etc.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">April 22.</p> + +<p>Our arrangements are completed, and we intend to cross the river +tomorrow and join a company as soon as possible. The weather is becoming +a little more pleasant, as the Spring is late. We will take with us what +grain we can carry for our cattle. I <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span>am now enjoying good health and +feel myself hardening to our present rude mode of life. All that now +remains to be done is to put our cattle to the wagon and be off.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">April 23.</p> + +<p>Weston Ferry, April 23. As we found several parties before us at the +ferry this morning, we are compelled to wait several hours till our +turn. All we expect today is to cross the river, and go out two or three +miles in the country, where we expect to join a company. Several hundred +wagons are already on the opposite shore, waiting for the season to +bring forth grass, etc. I can now see the smoke ascending from the camp +fires behind the bluff upon the other side. Everybody is impatient to be +on the trail, fearing that others will reach the diggings before him. +Two of our party are quite feverish just now, and I have consented to +start immediately, though I think it is too early.</p> + +<p>The ferry boats here are very poor and make slow passages. Common flat +boats are used, propelled with oars; they have to tow them up the shore +a quarter of a mile before crossing, to prevent landing below their mark +on the other side. They carry about two wagons each time, beside several +head of cattle or horses. We are now to cross.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">April 25.</p> + +<p>We started early this morning from our encampment one mile west of the +Missouri, and went to <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span>within about one mile of a stream called +Soldiers' Creek. We have not yet joined a company. Today we made some 18 +miles. About noon we stopped at the cabin of an old Indian, of whom we +purchased an additional supply of corn at $1.00 per barrel. The country +through which we came today is a high, rolling prairie.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">April 26.</p> + +<p>Left our encampment about 8 o'clock in the morning and went some fifteen +miles before stopping, where we encamped for the night. We stopped by a +fine little stream of excellent water. Today I had some extensive views +entirely different from any I ever before experienced. Everything here +seems created on a magnificent plan, the atmosphere clear, the landscape +just beginning to wear its earliest green, and the landscape stretched +far back against the sky. Today we fell in with some other Californians, +but, having mule teams, they soon left us in the rear. I have not yet +seen any game except a few prairie hens. I have seen but very few +Indians. Today we met one brawny fellow; he was quite sociable—wanted +whiskey and "tobac." We gave him a small piece of the latter. He was +very thankful for small favors, and as he left us, he took a trail and +was soon lost sight of among the hills. He wore buckskin leggings, a +blanket over his shoulders, and a sort of turban on his head. Last night +I stood on guard till 12 o'clock. Profound silence reigned, except the +<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span>croaking of a million frogs, and the distant rumbling of thunder in a +black cloud that hung in the west. In the latter part of the night it +rained a little. The grass is very poor here, but is said to be better +several miles in advance.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">April 27.</p> + +<p>Was off early this morning, and traveled about thirty miles over a fine +prairie country. I saw a large train of wagons that came in on the St. +Joseph road. I have noticed a great many ox teams on the road. I believe +they make the surest team—will subsist on nearly anything and are not +so liable to become fractious and run away, if properly managed, as +horses or mules. The weather is still cold—it must be extremely cold +here in winter.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">April 28.</p> + +<p>Set off about sunrise and drove about twenty miles and stopped. Owing to +our ignorance of the road, we had some trouble to find a convenient +place to encamp, the country getting a little more level.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">April 29.</p> + +<p>This morning we joined a company of three wagons with which we intend to +travel. The men are mostly Germans and not of my selection. Went about +twenty miles by one o'clock and encamped; high winds prevail. We all +have good health and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span>strong appetites. A sort of inefficient election +was held this morning at which one of our men was chosen captain—a man +in no way calculated to act in that capacity. Strong pledges of mutual +assistance were given, etc. In looking over these vast prairies, just +beginning to freshen beneath the smile of Spring, I can scarcely believe +that they are uninhabited. Not a tree is within reach of the eye.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">April 30.</p> + +<p>Off again early this morning and went seven miles before breakfast. +After breakfast we pushed on twelve miles more by one o'clock, when we +stopped to dine, by a small brook. Two miles more brought us to another +stream, which we crossed, and traveled on. Yesterday afternoon a mild +south wind prevailed, but fell in the night, when it became quite cold. +Toward morning, a perfect gale sprung up in the north, and though I laid +in the wagon, wrapped in a blanket, in heavy overcoat, I suffered very +much by the cold. The wind poured through our covering like cold water. +Thirty wagons passed us today—they all had feed for their teams. The +wind still raged this morning till about noon, when the sun shone out +and it began to get pleasant.</p> + +<p>The country here assumes a more even appearance, and resembles in some +degree what I had anticipated. We have seen a great number of little +animals called prairie squirrels, resembling the ground squirrel of the +northern states. The ground <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span>is literally filled with their holes. I +have seen also a great many elk horns by the way; they are huge +specimens and indicate that a superior quality of game abounds here at +certain seasons of the year. A few prairie hens come in sight +occasionally, but are rather wild. No timber except on the water +courses, and upon these it is so hedged in by the hills that it cannot +be seen till you get close to it. In consequence of their ignorance of +the road, the emigrants carry wood and water where it is unnecessary, +and again, neglect to take it when needed; but this is unavoidable. The +heavy west winds drive a blinding dust in our faces, and in a few hours +a person becomes as black as a negro. Yesterday we met two United States +dragoons. They report some Indian depredations in advance of us. One is +that a family has been massacred by the Indians, and that the troops +from the Fort Laramie had pursued the murderers and put one hundred to +death. Our road so far has been most excellent, better than a turnpike, +as it is not so hard for the feet of teams. Generally the road is not +worn through the heavy turf but just deep enough to expose the roots of +the grass, which are as large as a man's little finger. Yet, from the +appearance of the road, there are a great many emigrants before us. Five +four-horse wagons passed us yesterday; they traveled fast, intended to +go forty per day and had feed sufficient for fifteen days, thirty +miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span>May 1.</p> + +<p>Started early and went to a tributary of Little Blue River, some four +miles, and took breakfast. The grass begins to look better. At noon we +found water close by the road. We are constantly passing and re-passing +wagons. I have noticed some few families on the road, including all ages +and sexes. Tonight we stop off the road to the right one hundred rods, +within four miles of Big Blue River. We cross it tomorrow. The country +tolerably level. The wolves make a great noise at night. A majority of +the emigrants now on the road are Missourians. Distance, twenty-four +miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 2.</p> + +<p>Left encampment at two o'clock this morning, for the purpose of giving +our cattle more time to feed in the middle of the day. Reached Blue +River at daylight; crossed over immediately; went two miles further and +stopped for breakfast. This plan of irregular driving I consider of no +advantage, yet we have practiced it because some of our men think it +excellent policy. Weather fine, with a shower in the afternoon. Today we +passed the place where the Weston road joins the Independence and St. +Joseph roads. Many come in from the Independence road, and the trail is +now alive with emigrants. At night we stopped twelve miles west of Big +Blue River, a short distance from the road, where we found wood, water +and some <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span>picking for our cattle. When I got up this morning I felt +quite unwell and soon commenced vomiting. Mr. Finch offered me his pony +to ride, which I accepted, but soon found it almost impossible to keep +my seat, so I got off and led the pony. Soon after, one of our company +solicited the use of the pony, and as I let him have it and he rode on, +I was compelled to walk till we stopped for breakfast. I felt so +exhausted that it was almost impossible to proceed, and at one time I +seriously thought of lying down by the road and resting myself, and run +the risk of losing the wagons. But I struggled on till breakfast time, +when I took medicine and soon became better. In many places in this +region we find water standing in holes upon the prairie, and as the +weather is cool it is tolerably good, though I suppose it stagnates +later in the season.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 3.</p> + +<p>Started early: soon crossed a little stream and went on in a northwest +direction till noon, when we came round to the southwest. Up to this +time our general course has been northwest, and this is the reason why +the season seems so backward here. The vegetation is no more advanced +here than at Weston ten days since. We were passed at noon by a company +of one hundred wagons from Wisconsin, and also one of thirty from +Illinois. Most of them had fine horse teams—generally four horses to +each wagon. The wind has been high <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span>and cold—cold as winter. Imagine a +man on the third of May walking in a heavy overcoat and blanket, and +shivering with cold. This was my condition. At sundown the wind subsided +and a rosy glow in the west promised a fair tomorrow. Went nineteen +miles today and stopped by a little stream called Rock Brook. I see but +very few Indians, perhaps one in a week. We have passed the Potawatimes +region, and are now in that of the Pawnees. I have seen none of the +latter tribe. Today we met a few troops from Fort Laramie. They say the +grass is good in the valley of the Platte, distant about one hundred +miles. Good health on the road generally, though we see a grave +occasionally, which reminds us of the admonition, "<i>memento mori</i>," and +beneath this inhospitable soil are hearts once virtuous ambition. The +angel of death follows the race of Adam to the uttermost parts of the +earth.</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i0">"There is no flock however watched and tended,<br /></span> +<span class="i0">But one dead lamb is there;<br /></span> +<span class="i0">There is no fireside howso'er defended,<br /></span> +<span class="i0">But has one vacant chair."<br /></span> +</div></div> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 4.</p> + +<p>Today we made some eighteen miles—passed two or three little streams, +and encamped about one mile from the road, by a stream of good water. +Weather pleasant and warm in the afternoon. Met one team returning on +account of poor grass <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span>in advance. It is tolerable where we stop tonight +in a valley.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 5.</p> + +<p>Today we rested, partly to observe the Sabbath and partly to let our +teams rest. The day has been fair, with a cool breeze from the north. +Sun sets gloriously, with fair promise of tomorrow. About fifty wagons +went by us today, while others are stopping near us. Our men are now +engaged in the business of the closing day—feeding cattle, etc., and +others loitering about the wagon and thinking, perhaps, of Sabbath +evenings spent in a different manner.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 6.</p> + +<p>Off at sunrise. Reached Little Blue River in the evening. Day fine. We +crossed several valleys in which were channels filled with yellow sand. +It is probable that water courses through them during the wet seasons. +Grass poor. Emigrants pushing by us. The Little Blue River is a fine +stream about ten yards in width and deep.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 7.</p> + +<p>Went up by Little Blue River fifteen miles, and encamped about 4 +o'clock, earlier than usual, for the purpose of repairing wagon wheels. +We are getting into the buffalo region; one was seen yesterday and one +killed today by a man in another <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span>company. I have seen none yet. Prairie +hens are abundant, and I have had the pleasure of partaking of one +myself. Day fine, excepting a cool breeze.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 8.</p> + +<p>Encamped again by Little Blue River, after a drive of fifteen miles. +This morning we met a young man in search of a pony, which had strayed +away from him in the night. He looked quite discouraged, and well he +might, as the lost nag was his only means of conveying his provisions +and clothes. They suspected the Indians. Presently we came up to his +comrades, where we found their things in great confusion, and the man +with them in a gloomy mood. But they were partially relieved by some +gentlemen who were there when we came up, who offered to buy their +things or carry them for them, as they might prefer. It looks hard to +meet misfortunes so soon, but many have had to submit to them, as is +apparent all along the route. Horses, mules and oxen have died, wagons +have broken down, and sickness fell to the lot of some. Some of the +teams have consumed all of their feed and begin to travel more +moderately. In this case they are compelled to go slow, as the grass is +very poor. Roads today good and scenery pleasant.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 9.</p> + +<p>Commenced our march at sunrise, and drove our cattle slowly on account +of the poor feed they had <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span>had. Went up the Little Blue twelve miles, +when we left it and entered a high prairie country. Distance, sixteen +miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 10.</p> + +<p>Went on as usual. Met some government wagons going to Fort Leavenworth. +Drove eighteen miles and encamped at the border of the Platte River +bottom. The river itself is some four miles distant, and there is no +water nearer, nor wood, so we are compelled to do without it and make +our supper of hard bread, etc. But little promise of grass. Day +pleasant.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 11.</p> + +<p>Went four miles to the Platte before breakfast. Just opposite where we +stopped is a large island and but a narrow stream on this side; the +water is very muddy. We reached Fort Kearney about 4 o'clock, ten miles +further, and stopped for the night one mile west of the fort. At Fort +Kearney there are several plain-looking buildings, mostly composed of +unburnt brick and turf, and some tents, though the best houses are wood. +One hundred fifty soldiers are stationed here. We hope to reach Fort +Laramie by the end of the month. Grass looks a little better in the +valley. Day warm. Distance, fifteen miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span>May 12.</p> + +<p>This day being Sunday, we rest ourselves, and cattle are in need of it. +About one hundred wagons have passed us today; at times the road would +be crowded with them for a great distance.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 13.</p> + +<p>Having rested yesterday, we made an early start this morning, and went +five miles before stopping to take breakfast. Then went twelve miles +farther and encamped for the night near the river. The stream at this +point is from one to two miles wide, shallow, and divided by numerous +islands. Though there is plenty of timber up on the opposite shore, and +the islands, we have not yet been able to get a stick upon this +side—not enough for fuel. All day we have seen wagons winding along on +the opposite shore, on the road from Council Bluffs. The valley of the +river here is broad and beautiful, stretches away as far as the eye can +reach, and occasionally presenting upon its blue and white profile herds +of buffalo, deer, elk, antelope, etc. Distance, seventeen miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 14.</p> + +<p>Some of our cattle having strayed off, we were delayed a short time in +finding them. However, we were under way at seven o'clock. Having +encamped last night with three additional wagons, we all started +together this morning, and I hope we <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span>may continue so. Our new +associates appear like upright men—men who would respect justice where +there is no law. At night we stopped one mile west of Plum Creek in a +most delightful place, the beauty of which I am incapable of faithfully +delineating. Distance, seventeen miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 15.</p> + +<p>Off early, pursuing our course up the Platte; valley wide and bordered +by high bluffs; at places they are divided by deep ravines, giving us a +peep at the background. Today one of our party had the good luck to kill +an antelope, and we had the pleasure of partaking of it for supper. The +meat is very sweet and tender, and after living for nearly a month on +salt pork, it was decidedly relishable. The Indians visit the road but +very little, which is not much regretted by the emigrants. Last night a +man came to one of our wagons who was in search of horses, which had +become frightened and ran away from his company. They lost nine, which +were all they had. This is a great loss. The grass is but little better +here than it was at Weston; the season has been cold and dry. Distance, +twenty-two miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 16.</p> + +<p>Traveled over a level country; saw some antelope and was passed by a +train of wagons from Galena, Wis. Tonight we stopped near the river. I +never saw finer horses than are on this road, especially <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span>those from +Wisconsin and Illinois. Distance, fifteen miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 17.</p> + +<p>Continued our march over beautiful prairie country, and encamped in the +afternoon upon a green plain not far from the Platte. I forgot to +mention before that when we reached the fort but nine hundred wagons had +been reported as having passing this Spring, and about one hundred more +have gone ahead since then. From this we perceive that we are +comparatively among the first of the emigrants this season. A few pass +us every day, but as we are passing others, it is difficult to tell how +many really keep in advance of us. Distance, fifteen miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 18.</p> + +<p>In our course today we left the Platte several miles to the right and +entered on a high region. At noon we stopped by a small stream of good +water, which winds along in an easterly direction between the hills and +the river. In the evening we stopped on the same stream higher up. Grass +poor. Today we met a man who was in search of a horse which had run away +from him in a buffalo herd. He had himself become lost, a considerable +distance from the road, was without food or arms, except a single +pistol. Saw numerous herds of buffalo and represented the country as +barren and desolate. His horse had been taken up by another company, +<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span>and when we saw him, he was in search of his own. Day warm. Distance, +seventeen miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 19.</p> + +<p>In consequence of there being little grass where we stopped last night, +we were off early this morning, and intended to cross the south fork of +the Platte before we stopped, which we supposed was about ten miles +distant. Today I saw almost countless numbers of buffalo. I saw several +shot and a great many dead by the road. They are huge animals, some of +them larger than any I ever saw; ran in a clumsy sort of canter, yet +they are not slow, as it takes a good horse to overtake them. A man +stayed with us last night who had got lost while in pursuit of the game. +He and another man had killed three, and had some choice cuts with them. +In the morning I lent my rifle to one of our party who wished to go +hunting. In a couple of hours he came up with the gun broken; he said it +was done in a hand-to-hand encounter with a buffalo. But I shall not +state the particulars, as I have reason to discredit his story. About +noon we reached the south fork of the Platte and crossed it immediately. +This river where we cross it is about one mile wide, with an average +depth of about one foot. It is entirely different from any other river I +ever saw in the States. The bed of the river is a kind of quicksand, +into which a horse will sink several inches by standing still a few +moments. Another of our men has just returned <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span>from buffalo hunting. He +succeeded in killing one, but not till he had fired twelve bullets at +it. The balls at the head rebounded as from the solid rock. This evening +one of our men found a human skull near our wagons. It was perforated by +a ball just above the left eye and through the back of the head. We +examined it and conjectured how it came here—whether Indian or white, +male or female. But all our conjectures could not draw from its eyeless +hole one ray of its history, nor awake a slumbering echo in its hollow +ear. "Alas, poor Yorick! Is that a place where a god may dwell?" We have +passed more than fifty wagons today. In the afternoon a thunder shower +came up in the west, and for two or three hours threatened heavy rain; +and at length, after shedding a few drops, it passed round to the south. +We have been just one week in coming from Fort Kearney, a distance of +125 miles. At this rate we shall reach Fort Laramie by the first of +June. The grass is poor in this region, and is never so good here as in +the districts we have passed. I have not seen an Indian in two weeks, +but I presume they have seen us every day. Distance, fifteen miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 20.</p> + +<p>We continued our march up the south fork of the Platte some ten miles, +where we crossed over the bluffs which lie between the two streams, and +after going two miles we reached the north fork at about noon. In the +afternoon we continued up on <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span>the south side of the north flat. At this +point the river wears the same general characteristics as the lower +Platte. The banks are lower and the soil less productive, but the stream +is wide, shallow, and filled with islands or sand-bars. Tonight we feed +our cattle on two of these little islands, near the south shore. The +grass is very poor here. Two of our party who went out yesterday morning +to hunt have not yet returned. It is very easy to get lost on these vast +wilds, as the country is very much alike, and in pursuing game, the +uninitiated thinks of very little beside. Distance, twenty miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 21.</p> + +<p>This morning, after going some two miles up the banks of the river, we +turned off to the south and wound up over the bluffs, and traveled a +level, dry region, almost destitute of vegetation. After going over this +tableland for about twelve miles, we again came down to the river, +through a steep and sandy ravine. Our feet would sink into the sand some +six or eight inches in walking over it, and was thrown up in showers by +the wheels of our wagons. We stopped for the night some twelve miles +farther beyond where we reached the bottom. The day has been warm, +though cloudy. The earth is parched with drought, and if rain does not +fall soon, vegetation will be entirely checked. The flood of emigrants +is rushing past and behind us, all in haste to surpass each other in +reaching the land of gold. Some of the fastest <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span>travelers have already +gained much time upon us; a few have gone by us who started as late as +the fifth and sixth of May. But they are now compelled to go more slow, +as the feed with which they supplied themselves on the start is +exhausted, and their teams are becoming weak. One of our party waded +across the Platte today for the purpose of ascertaining the condition of +the grass on the other side, as from our side it looks quite forward. +The water was nowhere above his knees. Two of our men who left us on +Sunday for the purpose of hunting buffaloes have returned. They were +completely tired of their sport, having succeeded in capturing one of +those huge animals and wounding half a dozen more. Distance, nineteen +miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 22.</p> + +<p>After going up the Platte two miles from camp, we left the stream and +went over the bluffs, in consequence of the river banks being high and +broken. The road was not so good today, as we had to go through deep +sand most of the way. We stopped at night at the mouth of Ash Hollow, at +which place the road that goes up the South Platte came in. At the lower +end there are several springs and a little timber, such as ash and +cedar, and some shrubbery. We are now in the territory of the Sioux +Indians, a party of whom are now about our wagons. They are very +desirous to beg or buy provisions, particularly sugar, coffee, and +liquor. The chief was here and made himself known to us. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span>Their dress is +very simple and confined to adults, the children going naked, except a +bit of cloth fastened about their loins. This tribe is quite friendly, +and the chief signified that anything that we might lay out of our +wagons would be perfectly safe. They look quite intelligent for Indians +and superior to what I had expected to see. Some of them are now +practicing with their bows and arrows for the amusement of the +emigrants. The wind has been very high all day and the dust troublesome. +The sun has just sunk down in the west, casting a crimson flush upon the +dark clouds that hang like a dark curtain drawn across the west. +Companies of emigrants have encamped all around us, and should the +Indians make an attack upon us, at least two hundred men could be +gathered in ten minutes. Distance, twenty-five miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 23.</p> + +<p>Today we continued our travel over a sandy soil, making slow progress in +consequence. We set out at daybreak, and after going a couple of miles, +came to an Indian village. They live in tents made of buffalo skins. +These skins they support on poles set round in a circle on the ground, +and fastened together at the top. In cold weather they make their fires +in the center of the tent and have an aperture in the top for the smoke +to escape. These Indians, like all others, are always ready to trade, +and will sometimes give enormous prices for articles they happen to +fancy. Sugar and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span>coffee are prized very highly by them. I have known +them to give from $1 to $3 per pint for the first, and as they seem to +have plenty of money just now, it will be a profitable trade for those +who have a surplus of these articles. Before I left the United States I +was not aware that these articles could be sold at such prices among the +Indians. Distance, twenty miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 24.</p> + +<p>Traveling two miles this morning, we came to another Indian encampment +of some thirty-five tents. They were encamped upon a beautiful and +expansive plain. These Indians are of the same character of those we saw +yesterday. When we passed by, the sun was just rising and the scene was +quite picturesque. These Indians have a large number of ponies and +mules, which were scattered over the valley feeding, while several +Indians in their blue and white blankets and buffalo skins were watching +them. There were four or five dogs about each tent, and as we passed +they gave us a satisfactory display of vocal sounds. These dogs are an +inferior-looking brute and from imagination appear a little wolfish. +They howl rather than bark, and when a number of them are in concert, it +sounds singularly mournful and plaintive. The road becomes better as we +advance and the grass better than we have before seen. In fact, this is +the earliest period at which the grass can be considered fit for working +cattle. Distance, twenty miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span>May 25.</p> + +<p>A short distance beyond our stopping place we crossed a small stream +called Small Creek. Soon after, we came in sight of those promised +curiosities, the Courthouse and Chimney Rock, the first appearing in the +distance like the dome of an immense building and the latter like a +tower or straight column. At noon, we came nearly opposite the Court +House, and as it appeared but a short distance from the road, some of +our men determined to go to it and satisfy their curiosity. They went, +and by fast walking, overtook us about four o'clock in the afternoon. It +is about seven miles from the trail, and appears very fine, being +discernable from all points. It is composed of an immense mass of rock, +raising from 300 to 500 feet above the level of the plain, and of a +conical shape at the summit, from which it derives its name. Chimney +Rock is about twelve miles further, and seven miles from where we stop +tonight. At noon we crossed another stream, the largest since we crossed +Little Blue River, and good water. It comes in from the south, a little +east of the Court House. This afternoon we had a fine specimen of a hail +storm in this region. A dark mass of clouds were gathering for several +hours in the west, till our path was overhung with an impenetrable +curtain of black, and at length the wind, which was blowing from the +east, turned back, and the storm rushed upon us. It was a real hail +storm. When it commenced beating upon our cattle, they became +<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span>intractable, but we succeeded in unfastening them from the wagons, and +having driven them behind the wagons, they bore it as well as might have +been expected. The hail stones were the largest I ever saw, some of them +being as large as hens' eggs, and striking with force sufficient to make +a man seek a shelter as soon as convenient. It continued some twenty +minutes, when it stopped and we commenced our march; but we had not gone +far when it recommenced, and we were compelled to turn around and wait +till it ceased. But we have reason to be thankful, as we did not feel +the worst of the storm. Two of our men who were in advance to find a +stopping-place for the night were less fortunate than ourselves. Where +they were, the hailstones were as large as lemons and with force enough +to bruise a man severely. Our party in advance were on horses, and as +they became fractious, they could not shelter themselves, and had to +take the full force of the storm. One of our men received a severe +bruise on his head, caused by a hailstone. But the storm soon blew over +and the sun set behind a crimson curtain of transparent clouds. +Distance, twenty miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 26.</p> + +<p>Today being Sunday, we determined to lay by till noon and let our cattle +rest, and go on in the afternoon to the vicinity of Chimney Rock, which +would afford better feed and give us an opportunity to examine this +great natural curiosity. A large <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span>number of teams passed us in the +forenoon, which made some of our party impatient to be going. I said we +stopped to let our cattle rest, for the men were nearly all engaged in +such matters as become necessary, such as washing their clothes, airing +their bedding, and such other things as could not be done on the way. By +four o'clock we were opposite Chimney Rock, and after going a short +distance further we stopped for the night. In company with some others +of our party, I started for the Rock, some two miles distant. The lower +portion of it is thrown up like a mound in a conical shape, to the +height of about two hundred feet, and upon this rests a perpendicular +column of some twenty feet in diameter, and about one hundred feet high. +By some, the height of the rock is computed at from five hundred to +eight hundred feet, but I have put it as it appeared to me. The lower +portion is composed of baked clay, and the upper part of a kind of soft +rock, darker in color than the base. I saw thousands of names which were +engraved upon the plaster material, and intended to carve my own, but +was prevented by a storm coming on. It continued to rain that evening, +and as there was a cold wind, and we had no fuel except a little we had +in our wagons, it was anything but pleasant; but as we went to bed +early, we soon forgot the rain beneath comfortable blankets. Though the +ground was wet, a good buffalo robe was sufficient to keep out dampness +all night. High bluffs are visible on each side of us, and in advance. +Distance, eight miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span>May 27.</p> + +<p>For a few days past we have got up and started about two o'clock in the +morning, and so we did this morning. So after we set out, it recommenced +raining and continued till we stopped for breakfast. Some of our men +swore if they were at home they would not be caught here again, and it +was disagreeable, trying to kindle a fire of wet fuel, being wet +ourselves, and still getting more damp and chilly if possible. But at +length the clouds broke away, and having refreshed ourselves with some +warm breakfast, we went on our way rejoicing. We left the river in the +early part of the day, and traveled upon a high plain, with Scotts +Bluffs as the boundary. In the evening we reached the bluffs, where we +encamped. In this region wood and water is very scarce, and we were not +able to collect during the day so much as we needed; but this might be +remedied by taking them in previously if we had known what was in +advance. At the Bluffs we found several little springs, but they were +between such precipitous banks that it was almost impossible to get our +cattle to them, and some of them entirely beyond their reach. Here we +found a little wood, consisting of a few specimens of stunted cedar +scattered upon the bluffs and in the ravines, and a little dry wood in +the valley, having been washed down by the rain. This latter is most +excellent fuel, having been exposed to the sun for years, and as dry as +powder. Some of the best teams begin to go our pace and will be +<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span>thankful if they can maintain it. Distance, twenty-three miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 28.</p> + +<p>After proceeding a couple of miles, we came to an Indian encampment and +also a place where blacksmithing was done, and on a little further we +ascended the bluffs and traveled over a level, high country and came to +the Platte again in the afternoon and encamped at night in the valley of +that stream. This morning we had the first view of the Rocky Mountains, +150 miles distant. Laramie Peak looks like a vast sugar loaf. We see a +little timber today by the Platte, such as cedar, pine and poplar. Day +warm, and sand deep. Distance, twenty-five miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 29.</p> + +<p>After traveling five miles, we came to a trading place, which was +occupied by some half dozen men and some thirty or forty Sioux Indians. +They had clothing, but no provisions, which were most sought by the +emigrants. This place is within twenty miles of Fort Laramie, and we +have been so successful in getting over the ground that we feel no small +degree of gratification. At three o'clock we came to Laramie River and +forded it and encamped about one half mile beyond by the road opposite +the Fort, which is a mile or more to the south of it. In consequence of +the lateness of our arrival and the determination of our party to +proceed early in the morning, I could not find <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span>time to visit it, but +was compelled to satisfy my curiosity at a distance. From where I now am +I can see several respectable looking buildings, looking the most like +civilization of anything that I have seen since I left Weston. Laramie +River has the same characteristics as the Platte, only much smaller, and +about four feet deep where we forded it. A large number of emigrants +change their mode of travel at this place—from wagons to packing—for +the purpose of hastening their arrival in the gold regions. In doing +this, some of them abandon much property, such as guns, tools, bedding, +clothing, and more especially wagons and harness. I was told last +evening that two men had just thrown their rifles into the Platte, +having tried to sell them to no purpose, and being determined that no +one should profit by the loss. Good wagons can be bought for a mere +trifle, and many of them can be had for nothing. An excellent one was +sold here yesterday at $7 and with it a lot of other valuables thrown +into the bargain. Near us in this valley there is a very large number of +emigrants encamped, stopping for the purpose of some business and seeing +the Fort. I should think there were about 500 wagons and 2,000 men. +Provisions, biscuit and bacon can be obtained at the Fort in small +quantities by those who are in need of them, sufficient to last them to +Salt Lake. Biscuit, $14 per pound. Though we are on the first part of +our journey, we see many things left by the way, but everything of any +value is examined and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span>perhaps taken a short distance by those who come +after, when they in turn cast them away; and others still encumber +themselves as before. I have seen men take hold of a log chain and drag +it for several rods, knowing at the same time that they could not take +it with them; but having large acquisitiveness, they would cling to it +from the force of habit, or in hopes that some lucky circumstance would +turn up that would enable them to sell it. A man was at our camp this +morning who had a rifle, a hatchet, and a shovel, which he offered to +sell for two dollars, but could not, so he gave the rifle to one of our +party and took the rest along. The soil is poor and sandy here and the +grass short and dry. Distance, twenty-five miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 30.</p> + +<p>At three o'clock this morning we were under way and continued up the +Platte, and having gone sixteen miles by two o'clock, we stopped for the +night, our cattle being much in need of feed and rest, having traveled +hard and found but little feed in the vicinity of the Fort. Some three +miles before we stopped we left the river and ascended the tableland, +passing over innumerable little knobs, upon which is scattered a little +cedar and pine. In a ravine near the camp is an excellent spring of +water and tolerably good grass. In the afternoon a dark cloud arose in +the west, and soon came thunder and lightning and rain; and now while I +am writing it is dancing upon our tent in a fine <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span>manner—a manner +peculiar to this country. At length the clouds cleared away and our +party concluded to proceed a few miles further. Accordingly, we +collected our cattle, yoked them, and drove about five miles further. In +the afternoon we passed some soldiers who were engaged in burning lime +for the Fort. One of them wanted to buy liquor; said he had that day +offered $16 per gallon for brandy to an emigrant but could not get it. +One of our company sold him a drink of whiskey for fifty cents. +Distance, twenty-one miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">May 31.</p> + +<p>Going two miles this morning, we came to a little stream called the +Little Cottonweed. Our trail led over a hilly country, presenting every +variety of scenery, from the level plain to the bold bluffs, with here a +few shrubs of pine and cedar. These evergreens are the only objects +generally which enliven the plains in which they are found, as they +usually grow in the moist barrens and indescribable places, deep ravines +and nearly naked rocks. At length we have come into the region of wild +sage so well known and so much hated by the emigrant, as it grows in the +most inhospitable regions. It is a low, bushy shrub, with thick and +light-colored leaves, resembling to some extent the leaf of the +cultivated sage and exhaling a similar scent. Our road is very +circuitous. We have, in a few hours, traveled toward every point of the +compass. Laramie Peak, which we first saw from Scotts <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span>Bluffs, is still +in sight, several miles to the south of us. Its snow-capped summit +presents a strong contrast to the green hill and prairie, which are just +putting on their summer apparel. Today we swapped our wagon for one we +found abandoned by the road. We made a good trade. Distance, twenty-one +miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 1.</p> + +<p>Still among the hills. In the afternoon over a high, level plain. +Stopped at night by a little stream, a short distance from the Blue +Mountain. Day fine. Distance, twenty-five miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 2.</p> + +<p>Today we moved on till we came to a little stream about four miles from +our last night's stopping-place. One mile from where we stopped, we +crossed a little stream called Mountain Blue. We have not found a more +beautiful place than where we stopped today—plenty of wood, water and +grass. Day fine; health good. There is a novel feature in this region in +the existence of a red sand which gives to the prospect a very +picturesque character. I suppose it was caused by volcanic fires, which +burned perhaps centuries ago. A soft quality of marble also abounds +here, and many of our party have smoothed pieces of it and written or +carved their names, dates, and other laconic bits of news upon them for +their friends behind them. I cut a level surface upon a piece and wrote +thus: <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span>"C. W. Smith, Centreville, Indiana. 'On the night's Plutonian +shore.' June 2, 1850." The country over which we are passing is becoming +very rocky and broken, and I am surprised that we can pass over it with +so little difficulty. Sometimes we pass along an extensive range of +hills, sometimes through a deep gorge or dry-bed of a stream, and then +again winding along a serpentine track, thus ever changing from scene to +scene, deriving new interest from them all and learning each day +something more of the many wonders of nature. Distance, four miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 3.</p> + +<p>Having refreshed ourselves yesterday (Sunday) by the river La Bronte, we +proceeded this morning in good spirits; about ten o'clock we crossed the +river "<i>a la Psete</i> (Prele?)" ten or twelve feet in width, and at night +encamped on La Boisce. Great variety of scenery. At noon we had a heavy +shower of rain, which increased the water in the creeks to an almost +impassable height. Tonight the sky is obscured by heavy masses of dark +clouds that sit with portentous aspect upon the brows of the mountains. +The valleys of the tributaries of the Platte through which we have +passed are narrow and winding, with little timber, such as willows, +lind, cottonwood and poplars, beside a little cedar and pine, in the +ravines and on the bluffs. Distance, twenty-three miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span>June 4.</p> + +<p>Going nine miles brought us to a stream called Deer Creek, about twenty +yards wide and with a strong current. Crossed one more stream during the +day. Muddy, crooked creek, and encamped in the valley of the Platte, +twelve miles from the stream. Country more level by the Platte. Weather +pleasant. Distance, eighteen miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 5.</p> + +<p>Distances are very deceptive here. A range of mountains to our left +appeared about two miles off; became the object of curiosity to some of +our party from the fact that there was snow upon its summit, and so they +concluded to walk across the plain and ascend them and get some of the +snow, if such it was, which some of them doubted. They started about 2 +<span class="smcap">P. M.</span> and as we laid by this afternoon, they supposed it a good +opportunity. At sundown our explorers returned, much fatigued. They had +walked the entire afternoon after they had left us. The top of the +mountains was about twelve miles distant, and they had been there. They +brought a snowball and declared that what they saw was worth their +labor. Distance, twelve miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 6.</p> + +<p>We started early this morning, in order to get ferried across the Platte +before those who stopped behind us over night. One mile's travel brought +us <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span>to the ferry, and our wagons were taken across without delay. There +are three boats running across abreast, though conducted by different +men. Price per wagon $4.00. They were not willing to ferry our cattle +over, so we drove them up a short distance, and made them swim the +stream. The boats are run on a very simple principal and a very good +one. A long line is stretched across the river, secured at each end. To +this are placed two pulley wheels, which are fastened to ropes attached +to the boat at each end, and the forward rope being the shortest, the +side of the boat is brought to the force of the current and forced +across. Two wagons are placed in a boat each trip, which is made in +about ten minutes. All being safely over, about 8 o'clock we resumed our +march, leaving the river and following the trail over a high range of +country, destitute of wood and water. At noon we stopped a short time at +Alkali Pond—very poor water and grass; and being none better within +fifteen miles, we pushed on in order to reach them by night. At sundown +we came from a stream which comes from what are called Willow Springs, +about two miles further on. Stopped here. This being a general stopping +place, the grass is poor. The stream is small and the valley narrow. On +the upland there is no vegetation worth mentioning, except wild sage, +which grows in stunted clumps all over the country. We see mountain +peaks to the left and in advance, the first being a range of the Black +Hills and the second the Rattlesnake Mountains, I suppose. Distance, +twenty-six miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span>June 7.</p> + +<p>After traveling over a rough country till noon, we came to Grease Creek +and encamped on it near Rattlesnake Rock. We stopped about two o'clock +for the purpose of resting and letting our cattle feed, as we had just +come over a portion of the route nearly destitute of grass and water. We +came by one little stream which is known to be poisonous, the water +being strongly impregnated with alkali. We learn by some emigrants since +we passed this stream that a company who were ignorant of the nature of +the water let their horses drink it, and many of them died in +consequence. Distance, fourteen miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 8.</p> + +<p>Today at noon we reached the Sweetwater, much elated, as we had been on +the muddy Platte for more than twenty days. The river is here about six +rods wide, and deep; water tolerably good, not quite clear. Another mile +brought us to the far-famed Independence Rock. I climbed up its abrupt, +rocky sides, and spent a few minutes in walking about its summit, though +I had not time to examine it as I wished. It is composed of solid rock +of a light red clay color, about one eighth of a mile long and two +hundred feet high. There are huge masses of grotesque rocks lying upon +its sides and summit, some of which weighed hundreds of tons and appear +as if they could be shoved off by the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span>hand. On the prominent points of +this rock are carved and painted thousands of names, in all styles and +sizes; some are put high up on the ledges, where it must have been +difficult to place them, and others nearer the ground. I looked for a +familiar name, but could find none, though I saw all the states +inscribed, as the former residences of these pilgrims. One half mile +further on we crossed the Sweet Water, and in the afternoon went by what +is called The Devil's Gate, a narrow channel of the stream, through a +pass of the Rattlesnake Mountains. Looking down into the stream from the +rocks hundreds of feet high, it is said that the Sweet Water appears as +a mere rivulet. Some of our party climbed to the top of the Gate and +boasted of having done some daring climbing. We are now surrounded by +mountains, entirely barren, except a few stunted cedars or other +evergreens. The range on the south is partly covered with snow. +Distance, twenty-two miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 9.</p> + +<p>Started in the morning. A shower at noon. Distance, fourteen miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 10.</p> + +<p>After proceeding up the river for fourteen miles, we left it for sixteen +miles. At night we stopped at the Ice Springs. The water is very bad +here, so much so that we dare not let our cattle <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span>drink it. We see many +evidences of its fatality in the many horses and cattle in the vicinity. +Distance, twenty miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 11.</p> + +<p>Started early and reached the Sweet Water again about 10 o'clock, having +gone some ten miles. We were delayed an hour in the morning to find our +cattle that had strayed off. Many of our cattle show the effects of bad +water and today our best yoke gave out, having to take them from the +wagon and drive them slowly behind. Distance, ten miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 12.</p> + +<p>Still by the Sweet Water. The valley is becoming more narrow and the +stream more rapid. In advance and a little to the north of our trail, we +can see the Wind River Mountains. Their lofty summits are covered with +snow, and in their dazzling whiteness appear truly sublime. From their +great height and the transparency of the air, they look not far off, +though they are probably not less than seventy-five miles. In the +afternoon I walked over a body of snow lying near the road, and as it +had retreated down the bank, it was interesting to notice how the grass +and flowers had followed, a barren space of not more than three yards +intervening winter's snow and summer's flowers. Pleasant day, just cool +enough to be agreeable. The grass <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span>is becoming better, as there are +numerous springs in this vicinity, by which it grows. Distance, nineteen +miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 13.</p> + +<p>Started early this morning and went two and three quarters miles to the +North Sweet Water, where we took breakfast and stopped till noon. In the +afternoon we crossed Willow Creek, and at night encamped on a fine +little brook of crystal water about one mile from the main road. Today +we have felt that we are in a high region. We see snow in all +directions—on the mountains, on the hills and in the ravines—and here, +a few yards above me, an extensive bed reflects the rays of the setting +sun over a bed of sweet pink flowers which peep up through the fresh +grass. The grass is good here, though rather short. We are now within +about ten miles of the South Pass, which we will probably reach by +tomorrow noon. We see no longer any of the large companies which +overtook us on the outset of the journey. They have invariably broken up +into small companies of five or six wagons. This is the best plan, +especially when there is no danger to be apprehended from the Indians. +It is impossible for large companies to improve the time like small +companies. The great difficulty is there is too much hesitation on the +plains, which invariably results in disagreement. Distance, eleven +miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span>June 14.</p> + +<p>After going a little over a mile, we crossed the Sweet Water for the +last time, leaving it to our right. At noon we were at the South Pass, +where we stopped for a short time. In the afternoon we passed the +Pacific Springs and encamped within about two miles of Little Sandy. In +the afternoon it rained very hard, and now, at sundown, as heavy a cloud +as I ever saw is coming up in the west. Distance, seventeen miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 15.</p> + +<p>Quite cool last night, so much so that we could not keep warm between a +buffalo robe and two good blankets. The night before last was cold also. +Water froze over near our camp. After three miles' travel this morning +we came to what is called Dry Sandy. In the valley there is no water at +this season of the year. We passed down the valley six miles, when we +came to the fork in the roads—the Salt Lake and Subletts (?)—cut off, +the former leading down by Sandy and the latter keeping to the right, +west. Five miles more brought us to the Little Sandy, where we stopped +for the night. Tomorrow we shall go but six miles to Big Sandy, where we +shall prepare to cross a desert, as it is called, stretching from that +stream to Green River, a distance of forty miles, which is generally +traveled in the night. Distance, six miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span>June 16.</p> + +<p>Today we laid by to prepare to cross the desert from Big Sandy to Green +River. This afternoon I went up this stream about three miles to cut +grass for our cattle while crossing the desert. I was engaged half a day +in cutting two small sacks full with a knife. Then I came back to the +wagons and started down the stream for more grass, but found it more +scarce than ever. There is but little grass in this region, excepting +the creek bottoms, and they are few and narrow.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 17.</p> + +<p>As it was agreed to start early, I went in company with some others to +fetch our cattle from some three miles up the river, where they had been +feeding. A snowstorm came on about daybreak and I had the full benefit +of it. I walked several miles in search of a couple of ponies that +belonged to the company and was at last compelled to return without +them. The face of the country there is nearly destitute of vegetation, +wild sage, greasewood and an occasional bunch of grass being the entire +product of the soil. We left Big Sandy at about eleven and a half <span class="smcap">A. +M.</span> with the intention of traveling all night and reaching Green +River the next morning. We pushed on as fast as we could against a +strong wind and a blinding dust. A little before sundown we stopped an +hour for supper and to feed our cattle, having gone fifteen miles. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span>This +over, we entered the night, and the most tedious part of our journey. +With the sun went down the wind and we hoped that an agreeable night +would follow such a boisterous day. But we were disappointed. A dark +cloud overcast the sky and soon a snowstorm came drifting in our faces, +and continued all night. At twelve o'clock we stopped to rest and feed +our cattle, and then pushed on till eight o'clock in the morning, when +we reached the Green River. The country between these streams is not so +barren as I was led to suppose. It is but little more so than much of +the ground we had passed over before, west of Fort Laramie. Green River +is about 1,000 feet lower than Big Sandy. Upon this stretch of forty +miles there is not a drop of water, and this is the reason why it is so +barren. Our cattle stood the drive very well. In the morning the sun +shone out clear and warm and the thin mantle of snow soon disappeared +beneath his beams. Distance, forty-six miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 18.</p> + +<p>About 7 o'clock this morning we came within sight of Green River, +apparently not far off, but several hundred feet below us. After the +most disagreeable night's travel I ever experienced, we were elated at +the prospect of being so near a stopping-place, but on following the +trail we had to go about three miles further before we got down to the +river. Green River is about twenty rods wide here and so deep that it +has to be ferried. In the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span>Spring it is said it can be forded, but it is +swollen now in consequence of the snow melting at its sources. There are +two ferries, which charge $7 per wagon. We made arrangements to have +ours crossed this evening, and accordingly they were taken over without +accident. I am told that four men were drowned the other day in +attempting to cross on a raft. Some companies find it difficult to make +their horses and cattle swim the stream, but ours went over without +trouble. We found the grass rather scarce near the ferry, and drove our +cattle three miles up the river, where it was first-rate. In company +with three others of our party, I went up about sundown to watch the +cattle over night. Nowhere upon the way have I found a more beautiful +place than this. The valley of the river is broad and Spring's first +fresh carpet of grass adorned with fragrant flowers. The numerous +varieties of shrubs divided and subdivided the valley into picturesque +lawns, and gave more variety to the scenery. We built a good fire of dry +wood, and spreading our buffalo robes upon the grass, we laid down to +rest, one watching at a time and being relieved at intervals by the +others.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 19.</p> + +<p>This morning we drove the cattle back to the wagons and taking breakfast +while our company were preparing to start, we were on the march by 7 +o'clock. Here we entered a decidedly mountainous country and our road is +very crooked. After <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span>winding over and around the mountains for about +eight miles, we came to a tributary of Green River, which we expect to +travel up for several miles. We went two miles up this stream and rested +for an hour or two. We found good grass by driving our cattle across the +stream, which is narrow and deep. Quite a ludicrous incident occurred +here. As I said, the stream is deep, though narrow, our cattle being +compelled to swim it when only eight or ten yards wide. Well, when we +were ready to start, somebody must cross over to bring the cattle back. +After some equivocations, two men were chosen, and having undressed and +went a little higher up the stream, they plunged in, but instead of +swimming, they struck their knees upon the bottom, and having raised +upright in two feet depth of water, walked the remainder of the way +across, amid the laughter of the whole company. We crossed to the south +side of the stream about two miles further on and left it. After going +seven miles further we came to another, and two miles more, another +still, by which we stopped for the night. We see snow all round us and +have very cool nights. Distance, nineteen miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 20.</p> + +<p>Continued our march over a mountainous country, the most rough I ever +saw. From some of the elevations we could see the trail for miles, +dotted with men, horses and, more distinctly, the white-covered wagons. +We passed numerous small <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span>streams, flowing from the mountains. After +going about seventeen miles, we reached Ham's Fork of Green River, and +encamped four miles beyond it on the open prairie, where we found good +grass, and water we had in store. The day has been pleasant, more so +than any we have had since we left the Sweet Water. This morning I had a +fine view of the Bear River Mountains, about seventy-five miles +distance, stretching around the sky from the south to the southwest. +Their summits are covered with spotless snow. At Ham's Fork I saw +another party of the Snake River Indians. Most of them looked very +squalid and miserable, and beg provisions of all they can. They are less +prepossessing than the Sioux, though they are well supplied with guns +and horses. They are good horsemen and use their sharp-pointed arrows +with the certainty of a bullet. The mosquitoes began to trouble us today +for the first time. We expect they will lay a long siege to our blood. +Distance, twenty-one miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 21.</p> + +<p>Country continues very mountainous. In the afternoon we passed over a +very high range, to descend which ropes had been used by former +emigrants on a trail near the one we took. We had two wheels of our +wagon locked for more than a mile, and then it was hard to keep it from +running over the cattle. The mosquitoes stick to us like genuine +friends, especially during the day; at night <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span>it is too cool for them. +At noon we stopped by a fine stream of water, in a deep gorge of the +mountains. In the afternoon we ascended another high range of mountains, +from the summits of which we could see far below us into Bear River +Valley. This stream is as large as the Sweet Water, and courses its way +through a rich and beautiful valley, from three to six miles in width. +We encamped in the valley at night by a large pond of very poor water, +but the grass was excellent. Distance, twenty-two miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 22.</p> + +<p>Continued down the valley of Bear River. In the forenoon we passed four +branches of the stream, which came within a few yards of each other. +Some of them were deep and all difficult to cross, but we got over in +safety. There is good grass in this valley. Four miles after dinner +brought us to Smith's Fork, which we crossed in safety, though we had to +raise our wagon-beds in order to keep them dry. Day warm. Thunder and +lightning, but no rain. The river makes a sudden bend south, and the +trail leaves it and lies over a spur of the mountains, reaching it again +in about eight miles. After going about four miles, we came to a long +and difficult hill. In the valley east of it is a stream, which empties +into Bear River within sight. Some of our company thought we could reach +the river by sunset, but the first ascent being set at nought, their +calculations were wrong. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span>It was nearly sunset by the time we reached +the summit, and here, without wood or water, our cattle being tired, and +one having fallen dead in coming up, we determined to stop for the +night. A party of us returned to the stream for water, to make coffee, +etc.—a distance of about two miles. As we descended the mountain the +mosquitoes commenced an assault upon us and General Taylor would have +been compelled to surrender upon this occasion. I never before saw them +half so numerous or so bloodthirsty. They stung my hands so much that +they were soon badly swollen. After fighting them about half an hour, we +were successful in getting back with a few quarts of water. Distance, +twenty miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 23.</p> + +<p>This morning we drove four miles to Bear River and stopped for the day, +all needing rest. A family of the Snake Indians came to our camp and +asked for sugar and powder. They were dressed in dirty buckskin and +looked very wretched. We see already upon the road numerous stragglers, +men having lost their teams and provisions, and those who started +unprepared. Our speed on the road has been much better than we expected. +For more than a month we have seen the same companies, some of them +supplied with the best teams. Distance, four miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span>June 24.</p> + +<p>Started early this morning, all in good spirits. Continued down the +valley but were not within several miles of the river for most of the +day, and did not come close to it at all, though we crossed a great many +streams, which came down from the range of mountains on our right, and +emptied into Bear River. Though we had crossed many streams during the +day, at night we camped not less than three miles from it. A couple of +our men went to the river for some water, and when they returned they +declared that it was not less than four miles to it. It appears about +one mile and a half. Road today excellent. The wild sage which covered +most of the country from Fort Laramie to Green River is not so prolific +in this region, but a great many plants spring up among the grass, some +of which bear beautiful blossoms. Distance, twenty-six miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 25.</p> + +<p>Went two miles to water and took breakfast; about eight miles farther we +came to Cold Springs. They spring up out of the plain near the trail and +make quite a respectable stream. The water is remarkably cold and good. +Opposite the Cold Springs, and about a half a mile to the right, is +another natural curiosity, called Beer Springs. These springs are so +called from the fact that these springs have a sour taste, somewhat +resembling beer. It springs out of an elevated, light-colored <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span>rock, +which I suppose was caused by the petrification of certain properties in +the water. Upon the center of the elevation are several sharp-pointed +rocks, from which the water rushes. Several of these conical rocks, +larger than the rest, are now exhausted. They must have been great +curiosities when in full play. Four miles further on, and within two +yards of Bear River, are Steamboat Springs. The water of these springs, +which gushes from the rocks is warm, which is the more remarkable from +the fact of its being so close to the river. Just beyond this place the +Bear River bends suddenly round the mountains, to the south, and here we +leave it. It is well known it rises in the great basin and empties into +Salt Lake. A little to the west of the bend is the old crater, so called +from the supposition that it was once a volcano, the base alone +remaining. The rocks in this ruinous-looking place bear the marks of +fire. Opposite to the old crater the road branches off to Fort Hall, the +one we are traveling (Hedspeths [?] Cutoff), continuing west. Distance, +twenty miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 26.</p> + +<p>This afternoon we crossed the vide that divides the waters of the Great +Basin from those of the Pacific. This we know from the fact that we +crossed a branch of the Pont Neuf River. At night we encamped by the +Pont Neuf. It is from ten to fifteen yards wide, and deep. We saw some +Snake Indians today. They have plenty of horses, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span>which they offer to +sell. The country before us appears very mountainous. I must cut today's +note short, as it takes both hands to keep off the mosquitoes. Confound +the mosquitoes! Distance, twenty miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 27.</p> + +<p>Today our road led over very mountainous country. We crossed two high +mountain ranges, with a fine stream of water between them. In advance of +us our path was filled up with mountains, one upon another. Snow to be +seen. There are two classes of mountains in this region, the largest +covered with snow and the smaller one having vegetation and filling up +the space between the others. Upon the peaks of some of the highest +mountains is a stunted growth of cedar, which gives them rather a dark +appearance. I have often heard when at home that buffalo did not abound +west of the south pass, but I have seen numerous evidences in the shape +of skulls by the road; but it is said by the Indians that there are not +at this time any buffalo in this region, nor has there been for six +years past. A sufficient cause for their entire disappearance in this +region I cannot fully understand. Distance, sixteen miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 28.</p> + +<p>Most excellent road today, and down hill all the way, except a +circuitous narrow gorge in the mountains of about four miles in length, +which we went <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span>through in the afternoon. In descending the western slope +of this range we found the road very steep, though we came down in +safety. At the soda springs we saw an old man who called himself Captain +Grant. He assured us that one half of our cattle would die on the +cut-off, for want of grass, and also that the road was almost impassible +and no nearer than that by Fort Hall. This statement in respect to grass +is utterly untrue, and we suspect the others are of like character. +Grass on the cut-off is first rate—better than we have before seen on +the road. Wild flax abounds in this region, though not in abundance. It +is now in full bloom and looks quite like a flower garden in some +places. We stopped by a little stream at noon, beyond which water is not +so plenty for about twenty miles. There are willows growing along this +stream. The road turns south after we cross it. We laid here until three +o'clock and then went on about eight miles, passing over a range of low +mountains, and encamped at night in the valley. A shower of rain in the +afternoon. Distance, twenty miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 29.</p> + +<p>Went down the valley about four miles to where it turned west over the +mountains, when we unyoked the cattle and drove them in a southeast +direction to a spring of water. About eight miles more brought us to a +valley in which were several good springs. In the afternoon went eight +miles <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span>and found another spring of good water. Here we took in water for +the night and encamped just beyond, where we found good grass. A little +animal abounds in this region called the prairie squirrel. It is a +little smaller than the common black squirrel, and gray in color. We see +hundreds of them every day, and they are often killed with clubs and +whips. I first noticed them in the vicinity of Fort Laramie, and have +seen them every day since. The Indians, the Snakes principally, shoot +them and use them as an article of food. Road good, weather pleasant. +Distance, twenty miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">June 30.</p> + +<p>This morning we continued through the range of mountains which we +entered yesterday. In the forenoon found plenty of water, passing +several springs, and at length came to a mountain stream, which we +followed down the valley. At noon we stopped opposite to a spur of rock. +In the afternoon we struck out across the valley in a western direction. +After crossing the stream which we followed in the morning, we went +about twelve miles before we reached water. This stream was but four or +five feet wide, but deep and difficult to cross. In this valley there is +an abundant growth of wild sage and grease wood, but not much grass. +Distance, twenty-seven miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span>July 1.</p> + +<p>Went four miles this morning and came to what we supposed to be Raft +River. It is about six yards wide and deep, like most of the other +rivers in the mountains. We forded it and went up its valley about one +mile and laid by till about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, when we +proceeded three miles further and stopped for the night, the grass in +which a heavy swath could be cut. Just after we crossed Raft River we +came to the junction of the cut-off with the Fort Hall road. Those with +whom we have spoken about the road represent it as being further and the +worst of the two. On that road there are one or two very bad streams to +cross, and also a mirey district. Distance, eight miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 2.</p> + +<p>Went up Raft River a short distance, when we crossed it and struck out +in a southern direction. We went up a gentle slope for several miles and +then descended into a wide valley, in which we crossed several streams +and found plenty of grass. By one of these brooks we stopped at noon. In +the afternoon we proceeded, and after going three miles, we entered the +mountains again and went through a rugged region through the remainder +of the day, though the road was good and water plenty. Towards evening +we came to the junction of the Fort Hall and Salt Lake roads, about +nineteen miles from where it crossed Raft River. We <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span>fell in with some +emigrants direct from Salt Lake and got all the news we could. +Provisions are represented as being very high there—flour $1.00 per +pound and other things in proportion, except butter and milk, which are +comparatively cheap. Distance, twenty-one miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 3.</p> + +<p>In the morning we went up Sleet (?) Creek, which we followed a mile or +so up a ravine, and after descending the other side of the mountain, we +reached what is called Goose Creek, a distance of about ten miles. This +part of the day's drive was bad. In the afternoon we proceeded up Goose +Creek about twelve miles. This stream is about six yards wide and the +valley is narrow; grass good. Weather hot. Distance, twenty-two miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 4.</p> + +<p>The Fourth of July! What a glorious day, and how honored at home, but to +the travel-worn emigrant, in the eternal wilds, this day's remembrances +hardly stir the sluggish blood. All are rushing to the gold region, and +few stop to celebrate the Fourth of July. We drove as usual, wild sage +and dust being about the only thing in the eye. We followed up Goose +Creek and a tributary for about ten miles, when we struck out across a +high, dry country, destitute of vegetation, except wild sage, etc. After +going twelve miles, we came to <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span>Thousand Spring Valley, and going down +it a little more than a mile we found water and tolerable grass, where +we stopped for the night. Day hot! Distance, twenty-three miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 5.</p> + +<p>Continued our march down the valley for ten miles, when we turned to the +right, and on going two miles, came to what is called Dry Creek. In the +afternoon we followed up this valley. In it there is the channel of a +creek in which there is a little indifferent water in holes. A little +farther on we noticed more water in the creek, and presently we saw it +had increased to a stream. About ten miles up we stopped for the night, +where we found a well of tolerable water. Grass first rate. Distance, +twenty-two miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 6.</p> + +<p>We went up the valley this morning eight miles and crossed the stream +which I suppose is called Cold Creek. Five miles more brought us to the +end of the valley, where we found a good spring of water. In the +afternoon we went over a range of mountains, and after going eight +miles, came to another valley, in which we found a spring and good +grass. Weather warm. Distance, twenty-one miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span>July 7.</p> + +<p>Continued down the valley all day, except a few miles over a point of +land running into a bend of the river. We found water in sloughs along +the valley and at night came to a stream which is the head waters of +Mary's or Humboldt's River. The valley is here broad and the grass good, +though the soil is considerably impregnated with alkali. The weather +cool and cloudy, with heavy rain seen falling upon the mountains in the +afternoon. We begin to think that we have gained upon the great mass of +emigrants, as we have not seen so many in the last few days; but this is +owing to some extent by some having stopped at Salt Lake to recruit and +others having gone by Fort Hall to Oregon. We at present overtake more +than overtake us. Distance, twenty miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 8.</p> + +<p>This morning we reached the main stream of the long looked for Humboldt. +The crossing was bad, the water being deep and the banks steep, though +the stream is but about eight yards wide. The valley opens broad and +affords a very extensive view of the country in advance of us. On our +right rise the Humboldt Mountains, whose summits are covered with snow. +The last rays of the setting sun are now lending to their spotless +mantle a warm, rosy glow. One by one the lofty peaks lose their +transient splendor, and outline after outline loses its distinctness in +the sombre hues of evening. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span>No timber in sight, except a little +underbrush by the river. Today we passed a new-made grave, in which +sleeps the last sleep of an emigrant who was shot a few days ago by an +Indian, while on guard. Indians were about for the purpose of stealing +horses and really did succeed in capturing one while the mounted guard +was receiving the attention of the whole company. The fatal arrow was +poisoned. This murder will raise great animosity against the Indians and +the future emigrant, as he passes by the grave of his murdered +countryman, will feel a spirit of revenge. The Root Diggers infest this +region, a most savage and degraded tribe. Distance, twenty miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 9.</p> + +<p>Continued down the valley this morning some seven miles, when we came to +a branch of the river and forded it. It is longer than the first we came +to, though better to ford. At noon we met five men who had their team of +six horses stolen last night by the Indians. There was but a single +horse left among the five, and being unable to proceed with their +effects, they were waiting for some fortunate opportunity. We put their +provisions in with ours, intending to assist them through the journey, +giving them equal advantages with ourselves. We take one of them in our +wagon. This afternoon they found a written notice put up by the way, +cautioning emigrants against the Indians, and stating that some +twenty-five horses had been <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span>stolen by the Indians in that quarter +within two or three days. They were taken in the night. A mule had been +shot and a man captured and robbed. This will arouse new vigilance. We +have not yet heard of any cattle being stolen. Distance, twenty-two +miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 10.</p> + +<p>Nothing of note today. Continued down the valley thirteen miles by noon, +then ascended a mountain and took a very circuitous course for the +remainder of the day, making nine miles by night. Distance, twenty-two +miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 11.</p> + +<p>Went down the Humboldt and crossed another stream, tributary to the +former. After crossing it we commenced ascending a range of mountains +and continued in this character of country for some fifteen or eighteen +miles; but little water, and that in springs in the mountains. At night +we reached the Humboldt again after having been from it some thirty-five +miles. This portion of the road is new. The usual road is near the +river, but could not be traveled now on account of high water. The face +of the country is very barren, always excepting wild sage. Our road is +very dusty. The dust is so light that the least wind raises it, though +it does not impede the wheels of the wagons but little. Sometimes the +dust is so heavy that we cannot see the wagon immediately ahead of us in +the train. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span>Quite a number of packers pass us daily. Provisions begin to +get scarce. Constant applications are made. Distance, twenty-six miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 12.</p> + +<p>Having made a long drive yesterday, we rested today till noon. As we +started we turned off to the right and reached the river again at the +end of eight miles, continued along it a mile or two, crossed another +low range of hills about two miles across, and camped for the night by +the Humboldt, a short distance further on. Distance, twelve miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 13.</p> + +<p>Continued down the valley, which is very wide at this point. Toward +night we entered into another bend of the river, running across by north +and south. The general surface of the soil here is nearly bare, wild +sage, greasewood and a few stunted weeds being the only vegetation. The +soil is light in color and weight, and walking through it is like +walking through ashes or slacked lime. Most of the day we were several +miles from the river and came to it but twice during the day, I never +saw such dense clouds of dust as I saw here, and it is more disagreeable +on account of being impregnated with alkali, which abounds in this +valley. The sky is cloudless and the sun extremely warm. We have +traveled so long among the mountains, and all bearing the same general +<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span>appearance, that we seem to be stationary instead of changing our +position every day. In looking around me I seem to be in a deep blue +ocean of air, with the distant mountains around as the shore. Distance, +twenty-three miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 14.</p> + +<p>Went on this morning over a most desolate plain, with scarcely a vestige +of vegetation, except greasewood. We traveled fifteen miles before we +reached the river, and then found no grass on the east side; but as some +men were ferrying grass across in a wagon bed, we procured it and +brought over grass for our cattle. After going two miles further we came +to a fork in the road, one running down the river and the other passing +over a low range of bluffs. We followed the latter and came to the river +again in about two miles. Distance, twenty miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 15.</p> + +<p>This morning we went on eight miles, when we came to the river, where we +stopped to water. Here we found quite a number of wagons which were +stopped in consequence of a report that they were near the desert and at +the place where it was necessary to take in grass. We made inquiries and +examined our uncertain guides, which tended to corroborate the report. +The indications were all affirmative, but the distance was too short. +Several <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span>hundred wagons have gone directly off the road eight miles to +procure grass for their stock on the desert, and finally we concluded to +go also, and be on the safe side at any rate. In the afternoon we +traveled to the grass and found it tolerably good and was enabled in the +afternoon to cut as much as we could conveniently carry. Day hot. +Distance, eight miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 16.</p> + +<p>Up and off early. Came to the river again some three miles below where +we left it. A little lower down we stopped at noon. By the way, one of +our men went on twelve miles yesterday noon to see if we were as near +the sink as was supposed. We found the appearance of the river unchanged +and concluded that the sink was not near. However, we determined to take +on our grass and use it when necessary. In the afternoon we went over a +low range of hills some six miles in distance, then we came to the +river, and soon stopped for the night, and found good grass after a good +deal of trouble in getting our oxen over a bad slough. Distance, twelve +miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 17.</p> + +<p>In the forenoon we were thrown off our main course some three miles by +having to go round a slough. We met some packers from California, who +informed us that we were 140 miles from the sink. We discredited their +statement, but soon <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span>after came to some emigrants who were old neighbors +of these Californians and was told by them that confidence might be +placed in the report. This disappointment came extremely hard to those +who were nearly out of provisions. Some are already destitute of food +and have to depend on the liberality of others. Some are killing their +work cattle for beef. One man in our own company offered $10 for five +pounds of flour and could not get it. The grass and water in this region +are poor. Weather warm. Distance, eighteen miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 18.</p> + +<p>There being but little grass where we stopped last night, we went on +this morning before breakfast about five miles. Being weary of the +journey and wishing to proceed as fast as possible, I here sold out my +share in the team, and in company with another of our party who sold out +his team also, proceeded ahead of the wagons, carrying our provisions +upon a pony, going in company with six others from the same company, who +set out in consequence of being short of eatables. Most of the day we +kept by the river, but just at night happened to get upon a sand plain +of fifteen miles, without grass or water. We came upon this distance +unawares and suffered much for water. About 9 o'clock we reached the +river again, greatly fatigued. Distance, thirty-five miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span>July 19.</p> + +<p>Proceeded down the river and went round a great bend to the north. Grass +very scarce. Hot weather. A breeze every noon; soil very light. +Distance, twenty-two miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 20.</p> + +<p>Light sand plain. River bottom narrow. No grass. Dead animals. +Destruction of property. Distance, twenty-two miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 21.</p> + +<p>Fourteen miles to good spring—two to river—three to grass for the +desert. Grass plenty. Beef twenty-five cents per pound. One hundred +wagons preparing. Weather hot. Destitution of food among the emigrants. +Distance, twenty-three miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 22.</p> + +<p>Started early for the sink. Country barren. Bad water. Distance, twelve +miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 23 and 24.</p> + +<p>Crossed the desert forty miles. Eight miles to the sink. Went upon the +desert at 4 o'clock <span class="smcap">P. M.</span> Saw many dead animals. First part +road level and good. Moonlight night. Wagons strewn along the road. +Latter part of the road deep sand. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span>Reached Carson River at 11 o'clock +<span class="smcap">A. M.</span> Saw timber for the first time in several hundred miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 25.</p> + +<p>Went up river twelve miles, then from it for fifteen miles over a high +desert country. Valley of river narrow and well timbered. Distance, +twenty-seven miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 26.</p> + +<p>Left the river and went twenty-six miles before we came near it again. +Country barren and broken.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 27.</p> + +<p>Went up river eight miles, then left it for twelve. Road mountainous, +with a little cedar. Distance, twenty miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 28.</p> + +<p>By river one mile, from it five, then up the valley remainder of the +day. Valley wide—numerous mountain streams, fine grass and fine +flowers. A high mountain on our right. Snow on some of the peaks. Nights +cool. Past trading post. Provisions from a dollar to two dollars per +pound. Packers and foot men rushing for the diggings. Distance, +twenty-one miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span>July 29.</p> + +<p>Up the valley twelve miles, then through a canyon six, then in camp two +miles beyond; canyon rocky and ascending and full of timber. High +mountains all around us. Distance, twenty miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 30.</p> + +<p>To dividing range of mountains, with Red Lake at foot, five miles. Over +this range and down to another lake, six miles. Over Snow Mountain to +Rock Valley, ten miles. (Through snow two miles.) Road over continual +rocks; snow in places, and timber. Cool day and freezing at night. On +the mountain, amid the melting snows, were flowers of the most brilliant +colors, and the road passed for many miles among gigantic pines. +Distance, twenty-one miles.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">July 31.</p> + +<p>Went fifteen miles to Leak [Leap (?)] Spring Valley. Country mountainous +and well timbered.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap">August 1.</p> + +<p>Went seventeen miles to the junction of the Weaver and Hangtown roads. +No grass and but little water on the road in this distance. Road bad.</p> +<br /> + +<p class="cen smcap"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span>August 2.</p> + +<p>Went seventeen miles to Pleasant Valley, in the vicinity of Ringgold and +Weaver. Here the country begins to look like California—canvas houses, +hot weather, dry, reddish soil. This day's travel I consider the +conclusion of a journey, a longer or more tedious than which is not +often performed on this earth.</p> + +<p>"The heart rebounds with long forgotten fleetness" at the thought of +having performed it. The interminable wastes are passed over, the +wilderness of wild sage and ashes is behind me, and climbing a hundred +mountains will no longer tire my feet. This act is ended, and now for a +struggle for gold and then</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i0">"Oh! for a falcon's wing to bear,<br /></span> +<span class="i0">To bear me to my home."<br /></span> +</div></div> +<br /> + +<p class="cen">NOTE.</p> + +<div class="blockquot"><p>The distances in the foregoing journal are probably +inaccurate, as we had no means to measure them, and depended +entirely on our own judgment. In reading it over, I have +noticed many typographical and grammatical errors, but these +will be excused when it is recollected that it was written +for the most part in haste and at different times.</p></div> + +<p class="right">C. W. S.</p> + +<p> </p> + +<div class="tr"> +<p class="cen"><a name="TN" id="TN"></a>Transcriber's Note</p> +<br /> + +Some inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in +the original document has been preserved.<br /> +<br /> +Typographical errors corrected in the text:<br /> +<br /> +Page 5 wonderings changed to wanderings<br /> +Page 6 wil changed to will<br /> +Page 13 nigh changed to night<br /> +Page 24 conditon changed to condition<br /> +Page 32 suceeded changed to succeeded<br /> +</div> + +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<hr class="full" /> +<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JOURNAL OF A TRIP TO CALIFORNIA***</p> +<p>******* This file should be named 33450-h.txt or 33450-h.zip *******</p> +<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> +<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/3/3/4/5/33450">http://www.gutenberg.org/3/3/4/5/33450</a></p> +<p>Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed.</p> + +<p>Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project +Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you +charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you +do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the +rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose +such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and +research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do +practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is +subject to the trademark license, especially commercial +redistribution.</p> + + + +<pre> +*** START: FULL LICENSE *** + +THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE +PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK + +To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free +distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work +(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project +Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project +Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at +<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/license">http://www.gutenberg.org/license)</a>. + + +Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic works + +1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to +and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property +(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all +the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy +all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. +If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the +terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or +entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. + +1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be +used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who +agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few +things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works +even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See +paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement +and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. See paragraph 1.E below. + +1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" +or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the +collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an +individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are +located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from +copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative +works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg +are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project +Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by +freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of +this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with +the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by +keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project +Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. + +1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern +what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in +a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check +the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement +before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or +creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project +Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning +the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United +States. + +1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: + +1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate +access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently +whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the +phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project +Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, +copied or distributed: + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + +1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived +from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is +posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied +and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees +or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work +with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the +work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 +through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the +Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or +1.E.9. + +1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted +with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution +must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional +terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked +to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the +permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. + +1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this +work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. + +1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this +electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without +prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with +active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project +Gutenberg-tm License. + +1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, +compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any +word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or +distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than +"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version +posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), +you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a +copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon +request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other +form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. + +1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, +performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works +unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. + +1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing +access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided +that + +- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from + the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method + you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is + owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he + has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the + Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments + must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you + prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax + returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and + sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the + address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to + the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." + +- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies + you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he + does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm + License. You must require such a user to return or + destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium + and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of + Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any + money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the + electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days + of receipt of the work. + +- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free + distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set +forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from +both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael +Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the +Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. + +1.F. + +1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable +effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread +public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm +collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain +"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or +corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual +property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a +computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by +your equipment. + +1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right +of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project +Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all +liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal +fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT +LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE +PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE +TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE +LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR +INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH +DAMAGE. + +1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a +defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can +receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a +written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you +received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with +your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with +the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a +refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity +providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to +receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy +is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further +opportunities to fix the problem. + +1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth +in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS,' WITH NO OTHER +WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO +WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. + +1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied +warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. +If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the +law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be +interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by +the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any +provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. + +1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the +trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone +providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance +with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, +promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, +harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, +that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do +or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm +work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any +Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. + + +Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm + +Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of +electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers +including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists +because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from +people in all walks of life. + +Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the +assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's +goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will +remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure +and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. +To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation +and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 +and the Foundation web page at http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf. + + +Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive +Foundation + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit +501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the +state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal +Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification +number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent +permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. + +The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. +Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered +throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at +809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email +business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact +information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official +page at http://www.gutenberg.org/about/contact + +For additional contact information: + Dr. Gregory B. Newby + Chief Executive and Director + gbnewby@pglaf.org + +Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation + +Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide +spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of +increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be +freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest +array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations +($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt +status with the IRS. + +The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating +charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United +States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a +considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up +with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations +where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To +SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any +particular state visit http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf + +While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we +have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition +against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who +approach us with offers to donate. + +International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make +any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from +outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. + +Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation +methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other +ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. +To donate, please visit: http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate + + +Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. + +Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm +concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared +with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project +Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. + +Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + +Each eBook is in a subdirectory of the same number as the eBook's +eBook number, often in several formats including plain vanilla ASCII, +compressed (zipped), HTML and others. + +Corrected EDITIONS of our eBooks replace the old file and take over +the old filename and etext number. The replaced older file is renamed. +VERSIONS based on separate sources are treated as new eBooks receiving +new filenames and etext numbers. + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + +<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org">http://www.gutenberg.org</a> + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. + +EBooks posted prior to November 2003, with eBook numbers BELOW #10000, +are filed in directories based on their release date. If you want to +download any of these eBooks directly, rather than using the regular +search system you may utilize the following addresses and just +download by the etext year. + +<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext06/">http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext06/</a> + + (Or /etext 05, 04, 03, 02, 01, 00, 99, + 98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 92, 91 or 90) + +EBooks posted since November 2003, with etext numbers OVER #10000, are +filed in a different way. The year of a release date is no longer part +of the directory path. The path is based on the etext number (which is +identical to the filename). The path to the file is made up of single +digits corresponding to all but the last digit in the filename. For +example an eBook of filename 10234 would be found at: + +http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/0/2/3/10234 + +or filename 24689 would be found at: +http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/4/6/8/24689 + +An alternative method of locating eBooks: +<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/GUTINDEX.ALL">http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/GUTINDEX.ALL</a> + +*** END: FULL LICENSE *** +</pre> +</body> +</html> |