USA > California > California gold book : first nugget, its discovery and discoverers, and some of the results proceeding therefrom > Part 4
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charge, reached the shore. There were willing hands to help him to land, and to seize the apparently life- less form of Jennie and bear her to a waiting cot. Very soon she returned to consciousness, and, except for the terrible shock, was but little the worse for this awful experience. Obadiah had given her up for lost many times during her passage to the shore. The time was short, but it was ample for him to enter into many silent covenants with God that if Jennie were spared every energy of his soul and being should be devoted to enhancing her comfort and happiness. These covenants were never forgotten or ignored by him in the future. As long as he lived his efforts were devoted to the happiness of the wife he had so nearly lost.
In a few days Jennie was entirely recovered, and her spirits were as buoyant as they had ever been in her life. The short delay had rested the entire party, and the faithful oxen were seemingly stronger and more obedient than ever. Then the hopeful party took up the line of march for the Harlan settlement, greatly encouraged by their unusually quick and successful trip to this point. There was a trail leading past Iron Mountain, and north of west to Lafayette county, in which the Harlan settlement was situated. This trail was frequently traveled by parties going to St. Louis, whether from the southeastern or northwestern part of the State. When our travelers reached Iron Mountain they were surprised by the vast body of ore which is there collected in one mass, and its apparent richness. Two pieces of ore struck together gave out the clear ring of two pieces of pure metal They mar- veled that such a ponderous deposit, of such richness,
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had not been utilized to a greater extent. And visitors to Iron Mountain now would marvel not less than did our travelers in the summer of 1840. An opening had been made near the top of the mountain, four or five hundred feet from its base. For more than fifty years ore approaching closely to pure metal has been mined and the excavation made in all these years would be more than filled by any one of many of the business blocks in any of our large cities. The St. Louis and Iron Mountain railroad skirts the base of the mountain. Across its track, and not more than a mile from the mountain proper, is a vast deposit of very rich magnetic ore. Surely in these two deposits there is enough raw material for all the street rails and steel vessels that the United States may have use for in ages to come.
Our party left St. Louis to its right, and passed on by easy stages to its destination, arriving there early in October. The political campaign was at its height. "Tippecanoe and Tyler too," was the popular ticket. It was specially popular at the Harlan settlement, for Captain Harlan had shared the dangers met by Tippe- canoe in all the wars on the frontier. He was an enthusiastic, admirer of his old general, and believed that opposition to him for president was a species of high treason. Political meetings-Harrison ratifica- tions-were of frequent occurrence. The last and most important was to be held just about the time our trav- elers would reach the settlement. Their coming was wholly unexpected. They never had acquainted Dea- con Smith of their intention to remove to Missouri, and as luck would have it, he had been selected to deliver the speech of his life at this great Harrison rally, and the speech was to be followed by a grand barbecue, for
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Harrison was a real "F. F. V." Deacon Smith was early on the ground, and from every quarter of Lafa- yette county came enthusiastic crowds with waving banners and tumultuous cheering. Before the speaking commenced, two wagons were seen approaching which bore the unmistakable marks of having made a long journey, and were instantly recognized as belonging to a band of home hunters. Deacon Smith and all the others approached to bid the travelers welcome, and promise them aid and sympathy. His astonishment and delight at meeting his sister and her husband and family came near disqualifying him for the position of orator of the day on this great occasion. However, after the necessary hand-shaking and congratulations, the unexpected reunion had the effect of clearing bis brain and inspiring him with a flow of language and a volume of convincing arguments, which he delivered with an eloquence that captured the last Van Burenite who had risked his democracy by attending this meeting.
The reception of the newcomers was most cordial. The new settlement had every thing desirable but people, and the families of Martin Cloud and Obadiah Baiz were recognized as a great acquisition. Deacon Smith had become highly popular, and these relatives of his got the benefit thereof.
CHAPTER VIII.
TO THE SETTING SUN.
The site chosen for the Harlan settlement was one of the most attractive in the State of Missouri. In 1840 the population of the whole State was only 383,-
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702, and Lafayette county contained more deer, buffalo and elk than inhabitants. But the coming of settlers, and the prosperity they would create, was only a ques- tion of time. The soil was adapted to the growth of everything produced in the temperate zone, and the yield of tobacco and hemp had proved far beyond that obtained in Kentucky, Viginia or Maryland. These were the only products which, at that time, could be depended upon to bring ready cash, or, at least, the only articles which would return a good profit after paying for transportation and brokers' commissions. The settlers up to date were all honest and thrifty, and others were coming in every week from the South and East who would have been welcomed anywhere, Many from the South brought their slaves, and the plains were being transformed into orchards and fields of waving grain. The meeting place at the spring was still retained for the uses of the settlement, but school- houses and churches began to take the place of arbors. The various neighborhoods were getting dissatisfied with having to depend wholly upon the Harlan settle- ment for a place in which to assemble. During the next three years there was not a hint that any one of the settlers was not there to stay. It seemed to be just the spot all had been longing for, and fitted to fill every human requirement. The section was unusually healthy until 1843. Then the ague seemed to become epidemic, and of a most virulent type. Now the medi- cal profession would give the complaint some other name, but then it was known as chills and fever. It was in nearly every family.
The members of the Harlan settlement were largely related, either by blood or marriage. They were a
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social people, and met nearly every Sunday at the arbor, or wherever there was preaching, and as fre- quently as possible at each other's homes. The fami- lies of Peter Wimmer and Obadiah Baiz were on adjoining farms, and they were congenial in their tastes, and specially friendly in their associations. Either was always ready to help the other, and the fre- quency and freedom with which small services would be asked, and the promptness and pleasure with which they were rendered, can only be understood and appreciated by pioneers. Great services would have been performed with equal promptness. The family of Wimmer now consisted of Polly and five children, and that of Obadiah Baiz had been increased by two lovely chil- dren since he and Jennie left Georgia. In the late summer of 1843 both families were sadly afflicted. Obadiah Baiz, so long in the enjoyment of perfect health, was stricken with the prevailing fever. About this time Polly Wimmer was taken down with the same complaint. All that affection could do was done for each, but during the fall both died, leaving two sadly bereaved households. It was not in the nature of Peter Wimmer to repine, and his attentions to his motherless children became redoubled and more affec- tionate. The grief of Jennie Baiz was very great, but it was lessened by the necessity for the care of her two little ones. The intimacy of the two families was increased. Jennie could perform very many necessary services for the little helpless Wimmers which Peter was ignorant how to do ; and a thousand things about the Baiz homestead required the strong arm and expe- rienced brain of a man. Even their mutual afflictions increased and strengthened the bonds of friendship.
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Having known the departed ones so intimately, none other in the world was so qualified to console, as were these two to comfort each other. Together they decorated the tombs of the loved and lost with flowers, and together they communed of all the hopes and ex- pectations which had been buried in the grave. Eaclı had been given such consolation as their friendly neighbors could bestow, but their mutual condolences seemed more genuine and comforting because each knew the bereavement of the other's heart by the poignancy of its own grief. The end of these intimate relations the reader has already surmised. After a year of mourning and loneliness, a wedding gave Polly Wimmer's five children an affectionate mother, and the two orphans of Ohadiah Baiz a Christian father. All their acquaintances joined in congratulations, because they knew the sterling worth of each of the partici- pants in the marriage obligations, and that from every point of view a more wise and commendable arrange- ment could not have been made. It was a marriage of affection as true and deep as though neither had ever loved before, and could be consummated without dis- loyalty to their former companions. But more: this wedding was in accordance with the decrees of Provi- dence, as was the educating incidents Jennie experi- enced in the ravines and gulches of northern Georgia. Both were necessary preliminaries to the discovery of gold in California.
The new graves in the cemetery on the hill-side over- looking the Harlan settlement, combined with a rest- lessness which was growing upon Capt. George W. Har- lan and some of the other pioneers, and which might be traced to their natural desire to be "moving on"
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-to be planting other foundations for prosperous com- munities-had induced a considerable number to talk of going west. The settlement was not far distant from Fort Independence, the point near the Missouri river at which all the trappers and hunters in the employ of the American Fur Company, and all the traders from Taos and Santa Fe, in New Mexico, and other points in the Rocky Mountains and beyond, came for supplies, or. to take boat for St. Louis. The stories told by these brave adventurers, many of whom knew little of English and less of civilization, were far too rose-colored to be believed in their entirety ; but enough was probably true to quicken the pulses of men who had never known any existence but that of frontiersmen. Especially glowing were the descriptions of California. These were mainly corroborated by the lately published story, "Three Years before the Mast," by Dana, of Boston, a copy of which had found its way to this backwoods settlement. Captian Harlan exercised great influence over the honest settlers, all of whom had perfect con- fidence in his judgment. He was early determined to know more of the land of perpetual summer if he lived long enough to make the trip. Every story from the Pacific was listened to with avidity, as they are to this day, and at the Sunday gatherings, and whenever there was a visit exchanged, the main subject of talk was California. The war with Mexico was then fully determined upon, the election of James K. Polk having shown a majority of the people in favor of assisting the Texans in sustaining their right to independence. A large portion of the settlement were conservative, and argued that Lafayette county was plenty good for any one, and that it was wise to "let well enough alone."
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They wanted none of California, or any other place in the Rocky Mountains or beyond. This gave the ques- tion two sides, with earnest defenders of each, and the discussions were constant, generally friendly, but some- times decidely warm and exciting. During the year and more that this was the prevailing subject of talk in the Harlan settlement, the citizens of Hancock and the adjoining counties in Illinois had killed Joe Smith and some of his followers, and had determined that all the rest should leave Nauvoo or meet a like fate. The Mormons had previously been driven from Mis- souri, and knew they were too few in numbers to es- tablish themselves in the vicinity of civilized communi- ties, and in 1845 had passed by Fort Independence on their pilgrimage to the desert. It was known they had made a stand at Salt Lake, and Captain Harlan insisted that if these ungodly persons could make the trip Christiars need not fear to undertake it, and a considerable number of his bearers agreed with him, so that towards the fall of 1845 quite a company had decided to journey to the Pacific with all they possessed, including wives and little ones. In fact, it was settled and understood that they would take a last farewell of every relative and friend who did not accompany them, or who should not follow later on. A possible return was not thought of by any one.
It having been settled that the move would be made, preparations were commenced. All who had decided to join Captain Harlan were practical and experienced men. They had made long journeys, but heretofore settlements were not more than a few days' journey apart. Now they all knew that after leaving Fort Independence no settlement of whites would be
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seen until the long and perilous journey was con- cluded.
When Deacon Smith learned that Peter Wimmer and Jennie, the Deacon's niece, had concluded to jour- ney to California, he made no attempt to dissuade them. Rather, he gave them encouragement, accom- panied with his blessing. He said to Peter: "You are undertaking a long journey. It is not probable you will ever care to return to Missouri. You prob- ably have noticed that all persons, on hearing of a new country, immediately conceive a visionary picture thereof. In my mind I have such a picture of your California. I think it is a land flowing with milk and honey, and peculiarly blessed in soil and climate by the God we revere. I am sure it is adapted to the growth of fruits and flowers and vines, and that all manner of grains will grow there luxuriantly. I can not help imagining it much like the land of Ophir, whence, the Bible tells us, came the gold and precious stones which ornament the streets of the New Jerusa- lem. If I live until science has explored the valleys and mountains of California, I will be much disap- pointed if vast amounts of silver and gold are not pro- duced for the use of man. I believe you have chosen well, and if I were younger would be tempted to join the Harlan band, and defy the perils of the dangerous journey."
The first care of the emigrants was the construction of wagons for the trip. As there were no boats or ferrymen on the route, the wagons had to be made strong, and the beds so nicely jointed that they would be water-tight, and would answer for boats when rivers had to be crossed. The covers were made of
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superior tent cloth, impervious to dew or rain, and the tops of all provided for this band were uniformly painted a bright red. The side-cloths of every wagon cover had "California " in large letters painted on each. The wagons were all of extra size, even for "prairie schooners," and as perfectly constructed as skill of man, and fine workmanship and material, could compass. They were to be drawn by four yoke of cattle each, and two cows for each wagon had been broken to work in the yoke, so that the emigrants would not want for milk on the way. Indeed, provis- ion was also made for a supply of butter. A churn was fastened to the outside of each wagon, and into this the surplus milk was poured; and the violent shaking it would receive in passing over the rough roads would produce an excellent article of butter. Every other article which experience had taught them would be required, was procured. Fresh meat they were sure to have in plenty, as the whole country through which they were to pass was alive with all kinds of game, and especially buffaloes, elk, deer and antelopes.
It was arranged that all who intended to join the "Harlan Band " should rendezvous at Fort Independ- ence early in April, 1846. In good time Captain George W. Harlan, Jacob Wright Harlan, George Harlan, Jr., John Hargrave, Peter L. Wimmer, John Spence and Ira and John Van Gordon, with their wives and children, were in readiness. There were others, who, including the unmarried men, formed a party of eighty-four souls, and about one hundred wagons. The season was unusually late that year, and it was not deemed safe to make the start until the
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grass began to appear. The company went into camp on Indian Creek, twenty-five miles west of Fort Inde- pendence, April 12, 1846. Other organized com- panies arrived at that point, until there were probably five hundred wagons, accompanied by some bands of cattle and a number of horses, which were being driven across the plains on speculation.
May first the Harlan band broke camp, and took the trail for the Platte river. A considerable number of adventurous Americans had already crossed the plains; but notwithstanding there was no road between the Missouri and Pacific which deserved any other appella- tion than "trail." The emigrants were mainly de- pendent upon notes made from information gained from trappers, and the very rough map which had been constructed to aid in the translation of the notes. It was very much like Columbus turning the prow of his vessel toward the center of the illimitable ocean, and trusting to God and his own courage and genius for the discovery of a route, and to meet and over- come difficulties. Like in his case, every provision had been made to meet emergencies which could be foreseen; but it was the vast unknown which might furnish insurmountable obstacles. In both cases there was indomitable courage, and it is said, and is un- doubtedly true, that God smiles upon and blesses the brave, while He heartily despises a coward. Many years ago, using old Zephry Rencontre for an interpre- ter, we asked an Indian brave, who was decorated with scalps of many enemies, what was the unpardon- able sin ? Quick as a flash he answered, " to lie and be afraid." Civilization cannot furnish a better answer. Falsehood and cowardice are twins. The good and
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truthful man has no call to be afraid of man or his maker, and our emigrants comprised as brave and true a body of men and women as ever embarked upon any undertaking inspired of God.
A stout windlass had been provided, and was taken along, which was to be used in forcing the wagon bed boats across rivers, and for drawing the loaded wagons up, and letting them down mountains, which were too steep for the strength of the ox teams to manage. In- deed, these pioneers anticipated finding precipices where even the oxen might have to be raised and lowered by man power, and the windlass and an abundance of strong ropes would be a necessity. They knew, before starting, some of the obstacles they were sure to encounter. They were practically the absolute vanguard of the immense emigration which took place a few years later. They were spared some of the terri- ble sights which shocked those who crossed the plains in 1852, and later, when almost every rod of the route from the Platte to Sacramento had one or more skele- tons of those who had started with as brilliant expec- tations as any of our party ; more brilliant, in fact, for inexhaustible gold mines were expected by those who left their homes in the East after the beginning of 1849, only to find the bones of the victims of cholera, and leave their own skeletons to increase the vast number of unsepultured dead, which strewed the plains all the long way.
The Harlan band was treated to the finest kind of weather at the start. The main trouble experienced was the frequent crossing of the Platte, which became dangerous at some places where the bottom was a bed of quicksands greedy for victims. In such places the
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only safety was in goading the oxen forward. If they halted for a few seconds the hungry sands commenced to swallow wagons and teams. In one case, when Mrs. Wimmer was driving a team, a second's halt gave the sands time to grasp the feet of the off wheel ox with a death-like grip, and make it impossible for him to move. Each instant he was sinking deeper and deeper. Jennie sprang upon the tongue, and reaching the front, with voice and goad, she spurred the lead oxen, still fortu- nately free, to pull the fast disappearing ox from his dangerous position. Her self-possession and prompti- tude saved this ox, and probably the others from being swallowed up by the treacherous sands. Sometimes, in the sloughs and small streams entering the Platte, the quicksands were so plentiful that it was impossible to ford or ferry. Then the windlass was rigged, and the stout rope fastened to all the yokes and to the tongue, and wagon and oxen were dragged across by main strength. When unfordable rivers were met with, the windlass and ropes did service. A stout post was securely sunk on the bank, and the cable was fastened to that. Then the other end was taken across the stream by a man on horseback, and there fastened securely to another post. Then the crossing began in the wagon-bed boats, and generally two or three days would be consumed in ferrying the train across. This time was utilized by the women in washing and drying the clothing, and in recuperating the stock. It was a very tiresome way of making haste, but the brave pioneers made no complaint.
Thus the brave band worked its way across the rivers and plains to the base of the Rocky Mountains, at a place on the Sweet Water, which they named Indepen-
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dence Rock, because there they celebrated the Fourth of July. Independence Rock has retained its name, and from 1846 until now overland emigrants 'have planned to reach that point for the anniversary of the country's natal day. Here, too, the plain is abandoned, and mountain and canyon, with their constant vary- ing landscape, become a pleasure and excitement, for no one knows what magnificent views may be presented at the next turn in the mountain road. The celebra- tion here was not merely a patriotic hurrah over the national greatness, and the extent and richiness of the national domain. It was also an occasion of heartfelt thankfulness. Every member of the Harlan band who had started from Missouri was here to answer the roll- call, and there had been no indisposition of consequence experienced by old or young. The " cloud by day and pillar of fire by night," which signifies the protection of heaven, seemed to ward off sickness as well as other dangers, and our emigrants settled down contentedly for a three days rest.
CHAPTER IX.
ROAD BUILDING IN THE MOUNTAINS.
The halt of three days at Independence Rock was in some sort indispensable. Wagons and other things demanded repair, and the cattle were in need of rest. In all the long journey between the Missouri river and the Sacramento valley, the Harlan band halted nowhere more than a day, except at Independence Rock and Fort Bridger, and while John Hargrave lay waiting for death. Three or four days were spent at Fort Bridger,
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and here information was received which determined some of the band to attempt a new route, while a num- ber, including the ill-fated Donner family, concluded to stick to the old and longer trail, known as the Hall route. Captain Harlan had been assured that a long distance could be saved by following up the Sweet Water to its head, and there crossing the divide into Echo canyon. His information gave no hint of unusual difficulties in the way, and certainly none which could not be sur- mounted in a small part of the time which would be saved by taking the new route. Reid, the Donners and a few others, were opposed to " swapping horses in the midst of the stream," and stuck to the better known route, encountering such misfortunes as will be remem- bered as long as there is history of pioneer trials. The division somewhat weakened the band, and was greatly regretted by Captain Harlan and those who elected to try the new route. Few difficulties, greater than those heretofore experienced, were met with until the divide had been practically crossed, and the pioneers entered Echo canyon. Here trouble began. The canyon is scarcely wide enough to accommodate the narrow river which traverses it, and there was no room for roads between its waters and the abrupt banks. In many places great boulders had been rolled by the mountain torrents and lodged together, forming an impassible way until drilled and blasted into fragments which could be handled. Three such obstacles were encoun- tered, and only about a mile a day was averaged for more than a week. The sides of the mountain were covered by a dense growth of willows, never penetrated by a white man. Three times spurs of the mountains had to be crossed by rigging the windlass on top, and
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