USA > California > Amador County > History of Amador County, California, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 14
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EARLY CONDITION OF THIS REGION.
Lake Ashley, he built a fort and trading post, which was occupied for three years by his men. In 1826 (or 1827) Mr. Ashley disposed of his business, including the fort, to the Rocky Mountain Fur Com- pany, under the leadership of Jedediah Smith, David Jackson and William Sublette.
During the Spring of 1825, Smith, with a party of forty trappers and Indians, started from the head- quarters on Green river, traveling westward, crossed the Sierra Nevada mountains, and in July entered the Tulare valley. The country from the Tulare . to the American fork of the Sacramento river was traversed in trapping for beaver. They found at the fork another party of American trappers encamped, and located their own rendezvous near the present town of Folsom. In October, Smith, leaving the remainder of the party at the camp, returned to the company's head-quarters on Green river. In May, 1826, Smith again set out for the new trapping region, taking a route further south than on the first trip, but when in the Mohave settlements, on the Colorado, all the party except Smith, Galbraith, and Turner, were killed by Indians. These three escaped to San Gabriel Mission, and December 26, 1826, were arrested as spies or filibusters. They were taken to the presidio at San Diego, where they were detained until the following certificate from Americans then in San Francisco was presented :--
"We, the undersigned, having been requested by Capt. Jedediah S. Smith to state our opinion regarding his entering the Province of California, do not hesi- tate tosay that we have no doubt but that he was com- pelled to, for want of provisions and water, having entered so far into the barren country that lies between the latitudes of forty-two and forty-three west, that he found it impossible to return by the route he came, as his horses had most of them per- ished for want of food and water; he was therefore under the necessity of pushing forward to California, it being the nearest place where he could procure supplies to enable him to return.
" We further state as our opinion, that the account given by him is circumstantially correct, and that his sole object was the hunting and trap- ping of beaver and other furs.
" We have also examined the passports produced by him from the Superintendent of Indian affairs for the Government of the United States of Amer- ica, and do not hesitate to say we believe them per- fectly correct.
" We also state that, in our opinion, his motives for wishing to pass by a different route to the Co- lumbia river, on his return, is solely because he feels convinced that he and his companions run great risk of perishing if they return by the route they came. " In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hand and seal, this 20th day of December, 1826.
WILLIAM G. DANA, Captain of schooner Waverly.
WILLIAM H. CUNNINGHAM, Captain of ship Courier. WILLIAM HENDERSON, Captain of brig Olive Branch. JAMES SCOTT.
THOMAS M. ROBBINS, Mate of schooner Waverly. THOMAS SHAW, Supercargo of ship Courier."
Smith was liberated, and during the Summer of 1827, with his party, left the Sacramento valley, journeying
toward the Columbia river. While encamped at the mouth of the Umpqua river, ncar Cape Arago, the Indians attacked them, and, with the exception of Smith, Richard Laughlin, and Daniel Prior, killed the entire party. These three escaped to Fort Van- couver, where they received a cordial reception and kind treatment. Some writers state that Smith then went directly to St. Louis, while others claim that, with a party of the Hudson Bay Company's men, he returned to the scene of his last battle, and meeting no opposition, journeyed on and down the Sacra- mento valley until he reached the junction of the Sacramento and Feather rivers, near which a camp was located. This party, under command of a Scotchman named McLeod, was the first of the Hudson Bay Company to occupy California. If the latter version is correct, then Smith soon after left the party and returned to the trapping grounds of his own company.
In the Spring of 1832, Capt. B. L. E. Bonne- ville, an officer in the United States Army, on fur- lough, at the head of a company of one hundred men, with wagons, horses, mules, and merchandise, crossed the Rocky Mountains, leading parties of men into the Colorado, Humboldt and Sacramento valleys.
Ewing Young, who had trapped with parties on the upper part of the Del Norte, the eastern part of the Grand and the Colorado rivers, pursuing the route formerly traversed by Smith, in the Winter of 1829-30, entered the San Joaquin valley, and hunted on Tulare lake and the adjacent streams. During the last part of 1832, or early in 1833, Young, having again entered the San Joaquin valley and trapped on the streams, finally arrived at the Sacra- mento river, about ten miles below the mouth of the American, He followed up the Sacramento to the Feather river, and from there crossed over to the coast. The coast-line was traveled till they reached the mouth of the Umpqua, where they crossed the mountains to the inland. Entering the upper portion of the Sacramento valley, they pro- ceeded southerly till they reached the American river, Then they followed down the San Joaquin valley, and passed out through the Tejon pass, in the Winter of 1833-4. Besides these parties and leaders mentioned, during this period there were several trappers or "lone traders," who explored and hunted through the valleys.
The attention of the officers of the wealthy and powerful Hudson Bay Company was first specially called to the extent and importance of the fur trade in California by Jedediah Smith, in 1827 or 1828. The first expedition sent out by them was that under the command of McLeod. A short time after the departure of this company, a second one was sent out under the leadership of Mr. Ogden, which followed up the Columbia and Lewis rivers, thence southerly over Western Utah, Nevada, and into the San Joaquin valley. On their return they trapped on the streams in Sacramento valley, and went out
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HISTORY OF AMADOR COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
at the northern limit in 1830. Abont the middle of 1832 another band of trappers, under Michael Lafram- boise, came into the Sacramento valley from the north, and until the next Spring spent the time in trap- ping on the streams flowing through the great val- ley. The Hudson Bay Company continned sending ont its employes into this region until about the year 1845. Their trappers in California belonged to the " Southern Trapping Party of the Hudson Bay Com- pany," and were divided into smaller parties composed of Canadians and Indians, with their wives. The trapping was carried on during the Winter, in order to secure a good class of furs. The free trap- pers were paid ten shillings sterling for a prime beaver skin, while the Indians received a moderate compensation for their services. The outfits and portions of their food were purchased from the com- pany. The Hudson Bay Company employed about ninety or one hundred men in this State. The greater part of the Indians were fugitives from the Missions, and were honest and peaceably inclined, from the fact that it was mainly to their interest to be so. From 1832 the chief rendezvous was at French Camp, about five miles south of Stockton. About 1841 the company bought of Jacob P. Leese the building he had erected for a store in San Fran- cisco, and made that their business center for this territory. The agents were J. Alex. Forbes, and William G. Ray, both of whom were intelligent, dig- nified, and courteous gentlemen. Mr. Ray, who was very sensitive, and given slightly to dissipation, when some complaint of a trivial character was made in reference to his acts, committed suicide in 1845. His death, and the searcity of beaver and otter, caused the company to wind up their agency and business in the territory. Mr. Forbes was, for. a long series of years, the British Consul at San Francisco, and by his genial manners, superior cul- ture, and finished education, made a good record, which places him among the noted men of the State. This gentleman now resides in Oakland, and although seventy-five years of age, his faculties are as strong as ever. His memory is wonderful, and this power of retention, with the vast fund of knowl- edge possessed, has been of great service to the his- torian. He has the honor of being the first English historian of California, his " California," published in London in 1839, being written in Mexico four years previous to the date of its publication .*
During the months of January and February, 1844, John C. Fremont, then Brevet Captain of Topo- graphical Engineers, on his return from his first exploring expedition to Oregon, passed down the east side of the Sierras, and crossed the snow-cov- ered summit of New Helvetia (Sacramento), suffer- ing many privations and hardships. His experiences are so clearly related in his report to the Chief of Engineers, that the portion relating to this stage of his journey is here given to show the character of
the mountains, the nature of the inhabitants, and the scarcity of knowledge of the Sierras, although the passage was made in El Dorado county. Passing by the account of his journey sonthward from the Dalles we take up his narrative on the evening of Jan- mary 31, 1844, upon reaching the Upper Truckee river, south of Lake Tahoe.
"In the course of the afternoon, one of the men had his foot frost-bitten; and about dark we had the satisfaction of reaching the bottom of a stream tim- bered with large trees, among which we found a sheltered camp, with an abundance of such grass as the season afforded, for the animals. We saw before us, in descending from the pass, a great, continuous range, along which stretched the valley of the river; the lower parts steep, and dark with pines, while above it was hidden in clouds of snow. This we felt satisfied was the central ridge of the Sierra Nevada, the great California mountain, which now only inter- vened between us and the waters of the bay. We had made a forced march of twenty-six miles, and three mules had given out on the road. Up to this point, with the exception of two stolen by Indians, we had lost none of the horses which had been brought from the Columbia river, and a number of these were still strong, and in tolerably good order. We had now sixty-seven animals in the band. (The party consisted of twenty-five persons )
“ ** * We gathered together a few of the more intelligent of the Indians, and held this evening an interesting council. I explained to them my inten- tions. I told them that we had come from a very far country, having been traveling now nearly a year, and that we were desirous simply to go across the mountain into the country of the other whites. There were two who appeared particularly intelli- gent-one, a somewhat old man. He told me that, before the snows fell, it was six sleeps to the place where the whites lived, but that now it was impossi- ble to eross the mountain on account of the deep snow; and showing us, as the others had donc, that it was over our heads, he urged us strongly to fol- low the course of the river, which, he said, would conduct us to a lake (Tahoe), in which there were many large fish. There, he said, were many people; there was no snow on the ground, and we might remain there until the Spring. From their descrip- tions, we were enabled to judge that we were en- camped on the upper water of the Salmon Trout river. It is hardly necessary to say that our com- munication was only by signs, as we understood nothing of their language; but they spoke, notwith- standing, rapidly and vehemently, explaining what they considered the folly of our intentions, and urg- ing us to go down to the lake. Tah-ve, a word signifying snow, we very soon learned to know, from its frequent repetition. I told him that the men and horses were strong, and that we would break a road through the snow; and spreading before him our bales of searlet eloth and trinkets, showed him what we would give for a guide. It was necessary to obtain one, if possible, for I had determined here to attempt the passage of the mountain. Pulling a bunch of grass from the ground, after a short discussion among themselves, the old man made us comprehend that if we could break through the snow, at the end of three days we would come down upon grass, which he showed us would be about six inches high, and where the ground would be entirely free. So far, he said, he had been in hunting for elk; but beyond
"Mr. Forbes died recently of heart disease.
LITH BRITTON & REY S.F.
RANCH RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM WASHINGTON CARLILE PAT ENTEE OF THE STEAM HOISTING DERRICK, FOR THRESHERS. IONE, AMADOR COUNTY, CAL.
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EARLY CONDITION OF THIS REGION.
that (and he closed his eyes) he had seen nothing; but there was one among them who had been to the whites, and, going out of the lodge, he returned with a young man of very intelligent appearance. Here, said he, is a young man who has seen the whites with his own eyes; and he swore, first by the sky, and then by the ground, that what he said was true. With a large present of goods, we prevailed upon this young man to be our guide, and he acquired among us the name Melo-a word signifying friend, which they used very frequently. He was thinly clad and nearly bare-footed, his moccasins being about worn out. We gave him skins to make a new pair, to enable him to perform his undertaking to us. The Indians re- mained in the camp during the night, and we kept the guide and two others to sleep in the lodge with us-Carson (Kit Carson) lying across the door, having made them acquainted with the use of our fire-arms. The snow, which had intermitted in the evening, commeneed falling again in the course of the night, and it snowed steadily all day. In the morning I acquainted the men with my decision, and explained to thein that necessity required us to make a great effort to clear the mountains.
I reminded them of the beautiful valley of the Saera- mento, with which they were familiar from the descriptions of Carson, who had been there some fif- tecn years ago, and who, in our late privations, had delighted us in speaking of its rieh pastures and abounding game, and drew a vivid contrast between the Summer elimate, less than a hundred miles dis- tant, and the falling snow around us. I informed them (and long experience had given them confi- denec in my observations and good instruments) that almost dircetly west, and only about seventy miles distant, was the great farming establishment of Captain Sutter-a gentleman who had formerly lived in Missouri, and, emigrating to this country, had become the possessor of a principality. I assured them that from the heights of the mountain before us, we should doubtless see the valley of the Sacra- mento river, and with one effort place ourselves again in the midst of plenty. The people received this decision with the cheerful obedience which had always characterized them, and the day was imme- diately devoted to the preparations necessary to enable us to carry it into effect. Leggins, mocca- sins, clothing-all were put into the best state to resist the cold. Our guide was not neglected. Ex- tremity of suffering might make him desert; wc therefore did the best we could for him. Leggins, moccasins, some articles of clothing, and a large green blanket, in addition to the blue and searlet cloth, were lavished upon him, and to his great and evident contentment. He arrayed himself in all his colors, and, clad in green, blue and scarlet, he made a gay looking Indian; and, with his various pres- ents, was probably richer and better elothed than any of his tribe had ever been before.
* * * * The river was forty to seventy feet wide, and now entirely frozen over. It was wooded with large cottonwood, willow and grain de bœuf. By observation, the latitude of this cneampment was 38° 37' 18".
. " February 2d. It had ceased snowing, and this morning the lower air was clear and frosty; and six or seven thousand feet above, the peaks of the Sierra now and then appeared among the rolling clouds which were rapidly disappearing before the sun. Our Indian shook his head as he pointed to the icy pinnacles, shooting high up into the sky, and seem- ing almost immediately above us. Crossing the river
on the ice, and leaving it immediately, wc com- menced the ascent of the mountain along the valley of a tributary stream. The people were unusually silent, for every man knew that our enterprise was hazardous, and the issue doubtful. The snow deep- ened rapidly, and it soon became necessary to break a road. For this service a party of ten was formed, mounted on the strongest horses, each man in sueeession opening the road on foot, or on horse- back, until himself and his horse became fatigued, when he stepped aside, and, the remaining number passing ahead, he took his station in the rear. Leav- ing this stream, and pursuing a very direct course, we passed over an intervening ridge to the river we had left. On the way we passed two huts, en- tirely covered with snow, which might very easily have escaped observation. A family was living in each, and the only trail I saw in the neighborhood was from the door-hole to a nut-pine near, which supplied them with food and fitel. We found two similar huts on the creek where we next arrived, .and traveling a little higher up, encamped on its banks, in about four feet of snow. To-day we had traveled sixteen miles, and our elevation above the sea was six thousand seven hundred and sixty feet.
"February 3d. Turning our faces directly towards the main chain, we ascended an open hollow along a small tributary to the river, which, according to the Indians, issues from a mountain to the south. The snow was so deep in the hollow that we were obliged to travel along the steep hill-sides, and over spurs, where wind and sun had lessencd the snow, and where the grass, which appeared to be in good qual- ity along the sides of the mountain, was exposed. We opened our road in the same way as yesterday, but only made seven miles, and encamped by some springs at the foot of a high and steep hill, by which the hollow ascended to another basin in the mount- ain. The little stream below was entirely buried in snow. * * * We occupied the remainder of the day in beating down a road to the foot of the hill, a mile or two distant; the snow being beaten down when moist, in the warm part of the day, and then hard frozen at night, made a foundation that would bear the weight of the animals the next morning. Dur- ing the day several Indians joined us on snow-shoes. These were made of a circular hoop, about a foot in diameter, the interior space being filled with an open net-work of bark.
"February 4th. I went ahead early with two or three men, each with a led horse, to break the road. We were obliged to abandon the hollow entirely, and work along the mountain side, which was very steep, and the snow covered with an icy erust. * * * To- wards a pass which the guide indieated, we at- tempted in the afternoon to force a road; but after a laborious plunging through two or three hundred yards, our best horse gave out, entirely refusing to make any further effort; and, for a time, we were brought to a stand. The guide informed us that we were entering the deep snow, and here began the difficulties of the mountain; and to him, and almost to all, our enterprise seemed hopeless. I returned a short distance baek, to the break in the hollow, where I met Mr. Fitzpatrick. The camp had been all the day occupied in endeavoring to aseend the hill, but only the best horses had succeeded, not having sufficient strength to bring themselves up without the packs; and all the line of road between this and the springs was strewed with camp stores and equipage, and horses floundering in snow. I therefore immediately encamped on the ground with my own mess, which
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HISTORY OF AMADOR COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
was in advance, and directed Mr. Fitzpatrick to en- camp at the springs, and send all the animals, in charge of Taban, with a strong guard, back to the place where they had been pastured the night before. * * * Two Indians joined our party here; and one of them, an old man, immediately began to ha- rangue ns, saying that ourselves and animals would perish in the snow; and that if we would go back, he would show us another and a better way across the mountain. He spoke in a very loud voice, and there was a singular repetition of phrases and arrange- ment of words, which rendered his speech striking, and not unmusical. We had now begun to under- stand some words, and, with the aid of signs, casily comprehended the old man's simple idcas. 'Rock upon rock-rock upon rock-snow upon snow- snow upon snow,' said he; 'even if you get over the snow you will not be able to get down from the mountains. He made us the sign of precipices, and showed us how the feet of the horses would slip, and throw them off from the narrow trails that led along their sides. Our Chinook, who comprehended even more readily than ourselves, and believed our situa- tion hopeless, covered his head with his blanket and began to weep and lament. 'I wanted to see the whites,' said he; ' I come away from my own people to see the whites, and I wouldn't care to die among them, but here,' and he looked around into the cold night and the gloomy forest, and, drawing his blanket over his head, began again to lament. Seated around the tree, the fire illuminating the rocks and the tall bolls of the pines around about, and the old Indian haranguing, we presented a group of very serious faces.
" February 5th. The night had been too cold to sleep, and we were up very early. Our guide was standing by the fire with all his finery on; and see- ing him shiver in the eold, I threw on his shoulders one of my blankets. We missed him a few minutes afterwards, and never saw him again. He had de- serted. His bad faith and treachery were in per- fect keeping with the estimate of Indian character, which a long intercourse with this people had grad- ually forced upon my mind. While a portion of the camp were occupied in bringing up the baggage to this point, the remainder were busy in making sledges and snow-shoes, I had determined to explore the mountain ahead, and the sledges were to be used in transporting the baggage. * * *
"February 6th. Accompanied by Mr. Fitzpatrick, I set out to-day with a reeonnoitering party, on snow- shoes. We marched all in single file, trampling the snow as heavily as we could. Crossing the open basin, in a march of about ten miles we reached the top of one of the peaks, to the left of the pass indi- cated by our guide. Far below us, dimmed by the distance was a large snowless valley, bounded on the western side, at the distance of about a hundred miles, by a low range of mountains, which Carson recognized with delight as the mountains bordering the coast. 'There,' said he, ' is the little mountain (Mt. Diablo)-it is fifteen years ago since I saw it; but I am just as sure as if I had seen it yesterday.' Between us, then, and this low coast range, was the valley of the Sacramento; and no one who had not accompanied us through the incidents of our life for the last few months could realize the delight with which we at last looked down upon it. At the dis- tance of apparently thirty miles beyond us were dis- tinguished spots of prairie; and a dark line, which could be traced with the glass, was imagined to be the course of the river; but we were evidently at a
great height above the valley, and between us and the plains extended miles of snowy fields and broken ridges of pine-covered mountains. * * * All our en- ergies were now directed to getting our animals across the snow; and it was supposed that, after all the baggage had been drawn with the sleighs over the trail we had made, it would be sufficientfy hard to bear our animals. * * * With one party drawing sleighs loaded with baggage, I advanced to-day about four miles along the trail, and encamped at the first grassy spot, where we intended to bring our horses. Mr. Fitzpatrick, with another party, re- mained behind, to form an intermediate station be- tween us and the animals. * * *
"February 8th. * * * Scenery and weather, com- bined, must render these mountains beautiful in Sum- mer; the purity and deep-blue color of the sky are singularly beautiful; the days are sunny and bright, and even warm in the noon hours; and if we could be free from the many anxieties that oppress us, even now we would be delighted here; but our provisions are getting fearfully scant. Sleighs ar- rived with baggage about ten o'clock; and leaving a portion of it here, we continued on for a mile and a half, and encamped at the foot of a long hill on this side of the open bottom. * * *
" February 9th. During the night the weather changed, the wind rising to a gale, and commencing to snow before daylight; before morning the trail was covered. We remamed quiet in camp all day, in the course of which the weather improved. Four sleighs arrived toward evening, with the bedding of the men. We suffer much from want of salt, and all the men are becoming weak from insufficient food.
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