USA > California > San Luis Obispo County > History of San Luis Obispo County, California, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 27
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I informed them (and long experience had given them confidence in my observations and good instruments) that almost directly 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 Sacramento River, and with one effort again place our- selves in the midst of plenty.
The people received this decision with the cheerful obedience which 'had always characterized them, and the day was immediately devoted to the preparations neces- sary to enable us to carry it into effect.
THE STRUGGLE WITH THE SNOW.
Leggins, moccasins, clothing-all were put into the best state to resist the cold. Our guide was not neg- lected. Extremity of suffering might make him desert; we 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 scarlet cloth, were lavished upon him, and to his 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 presents, was probably richer and better clothed 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 encampment 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 pin- nacles shooting up high into the sky, and seeming almost immediately above us. Crossing the river on the ice and leaving it immediately, we commenced the ascent of the mountain along the valley of a tributary stream. The people were unusually silent, for every one knew that our enterprise was hazardous and the issue doubtful. The snow deepened 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 succession opening the road on foot or on horseback, until himself and his horse became fatigued, when he stepped aside,
* l'remont was mistaken; he was then on the headwaters of the Carson, having been on Walker River, where his howitzer was found in 1861.
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EARLY IMMIGRANTS.
and, the remaining number passing ahead, he took his place in the rear.
Leaving 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 entirely covered with snow, which might very easily have escaped observa- tion. A family was living in each, and the only trail I saw in the neighborhood was from the door to a nut- pine near, which supplied them with food and fuel. 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 trav- eled sixteen miles, and our elevation above the sea was 6,760 feet.
FEBRUARY 3D .- Turning our faces directly toward 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 lessened the snow, and where the grass, which appeared to be in good quality 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 mountain. 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. During the day several Indians joined us on snow-shoes. These were made of a single hoop, about a foot in diameter, the interior space being filled with an open network 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 crust. Towards a pass which the guide indicated, we attempted 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 re- turned a short distance back to the break in the hollow, where I met Mr. Fitzpatrick. The camp had been all the day in endeavoring to ascend 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 strewn with camp stores and equipage and horses floundering in the snow. I therefore immediately encamped on the ground with my own mess, which was in advance, and directed Mr. Fitzpatrick to encamp 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.
AN INDIAN WARNING.
rendered his speech striking and not unmusical. We had now begun to understand some words, and, with the aid of signs, easily comprehended the old man's simple ideas: "Rock upon rock, rock upon rock; snow upon snow, snow upon snow, said he; and even if you get over the snow, you will not be able to get down from the mountains."
REACHING THE SUMMIT.
On the morning of the 5th the Indian guide deserted them. They then struggled onward, and on the 20th of February succeeded in reaching the summit at an eleva- tion of 9,338 feet above the sea, the locality being in the region of the headwaters of the South Fork of the American, they having passed near the Twin Lakes. The route taken is one of the most difficult in crossing the Sierra Nevada, and only by the greatest hardihood, indomitable courage, and unyielding energy, could it have been accomplished. From the summit of one of the lofty peaks Kit Carson recognized the great valley and Mount Diablo beyond, which he had seen fifteen years before. The struggle to get out of the mountains was equal to that in reaching the summit from the east, and after fifteen days of perilous labor and suffering, Fremont and a few others in advance arrived at Sutter's Fort. In describing the happy termination of this jour- ney, Fremont says :---
IN THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY.
MARCH 6, 1844 .- We continued on our road through the same surpassingly beautiful country, entirely un- equaled for the pasturage of stock by anything we had ever seen. Our horses had now become so strong that they were able to carry us, and we traveled rapidly-over four miles an hour-four of us riding every alternate hour. Every few hundred yards we came upon little bands of deer, but we were too eager to reach the settlement, which we momentarily expected to discover, to halt for any other than a passing shot. In a few hours we reached a large fork (North Fork of the American River), the northern branch of the river, and equal in size to that which we had descended. Together they formed a beautiful stream, 60 to 100 yards wide, which at first, ignorant of the nature of the country through which the river ran, we took to be the Sacramento. We continued down the right bank of the river, traveling for a while over a wooded upland, where we had the delight to discover the tracks of cattle.
We made an acorn meal at noon and hurried on. Shortly afterwards we gave a shout at the appear- ance on a little bluff of a neatly-built adobe house, with glass windows. We rode up, but to our disappointment found only Indians.
There was no appearance of cultivation, and we could see no cattle, and we supposed the place had been abandoned. We now pressed on more eagerly than ever; the river swept round in a large bend to the right: the hills lowered down entirely; and gradually entering a broad valley, we came unexpectedly into a large Indian village, where the people looked clean and wore cotton shirts and various other articles of dress. They immediately crowded around us, and we had the inex- pressible delight to find one who spoke a little indifferent Spanish, but who at first confounded us by saying there were no whites in the country; but just then a well- dressed Indian came up and made his salutations in very well spoken Spanish. In answer to our inquiries he informed us that we were upon the Rio de los Ameri-
Two Indians joined our party here, and one of them, an old man, immediately began to harangue our party, 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 arrangement of words, which i canos (the river of the Americans), and that it joined
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HISTORY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY.
the Sacramento River about ten miles below. Never did a name sound more sweetly! We felt ourselves among our countrymen; for the name American in these dis- tant parts is applied to citizens of the United States.
To our eager inquiries he answered: " I am a vaquero (cow-herd) in the service of Captain Sutter, and the people of this rancheria work for him." Our evident satisfaction made him communicative, and he went on to say that Captain Sutter was a very rich man and always glad to see his country people.
We asked for his house. He answered that it was just over the hill before us, and offered, if we would wait a moment, to take his horse and conduct us to it. We readily accepted the civil offer. In a short distance we came in sight of the fort, and passing on the way the house of a settler (a Mr. Sinclair), we forded the river; and in a few miles were met a short distance from the fort by Captain Sutter himself. He gave us a most frank and cordial reception, conducted us immediately to his residence, and under his hospitable roof had a night of rest, enjoyment, and refreshment, which none but ourselves could appreciate ..
A FAVORABLE WINTER.
The passage of Fremont over the Sierra Nevada at that season could only have been made under favorable circumstances. During the months of February and March he reports an almost entire exemption from storms. Early in March he forded the North Fork of the American River above the junction of the South Fork, and he again fords the main stream near Sutter's Fort. These are proof that the season of 1843-44 was a very mild one, with a comparatively small amount of snow in the mountains and rain in the valleys. The following season was also a dry one, and not until 1846-47 did the rains fall in great abundance.
IMMIGRANTS OF 1844.
The next winter after Fremont made his perilous cross- ing of the Sierra, another party, a band of hardy pioneers, worked their laborious way through the drifting snow of the mountains, and entered the beautiful valley, one of them remaining in his snow-bound camp on the shores of the lake since known as Donner Lake, until returning spring made rescue possible.
The party consisted of twenty-three men: John Flom- boy, Captain Stevens, now a resident of Kern County, California; G. Greenwood, and his two sons, John and Britt; Joseph Foster, Dr. John Townsend, Allen Mont- gomery, Moses Schellenberger, now living in San José, California; James Miller, now of San Rafael, California; Mr. Calvin, Wm. Martin, Patrick Martin, Dennis Mar- tin, Martin Murphy, Sr., his wife, his five sons and two daughters, Mr. Hitchcock and son, John Sullivan and wife, and Miss Sullivan, his sister, and Michael Sullivan.
They left Council Bluffs, May 20, 1844, en route to California, of the fertility of whose soil, and the mildness of whose climate glowing accounts had been given.
The dangers of the plains and mountains were passed, and the party reached the Humboldt River, where an Indian, named Truckee, presented himself and offered to guide them to California.
AAfter questioning him closely, they employed him as their guide, and, as they progressed, found that the state-
ments he had made about the route were fully verified. He soon become a great favorite among them, and when they reached the lower crossing of the Truckee River, now Wadsworth, they gave his name to the beautiful stream, so pleased were they by the pure water and abundance of fish to which he had directed them.
From this point the party pushed on toward the beautiful mountan lake, whose shores, but two years later, witnessed a scene of suffering and death unequalled in the annals of America's pioneers.
CAPTAIN TRUCKEE.
The after history of the Indian, Truckee, whose name so many objects bear, is an interesting one. Passing down the mountains, he arrived at Sutter's Fort with the main party, and remained until the breaking out of the war in 1846, when he joined Fremont's Battalion, and was ever after known as Captain Truckee. He was quite a favorite with Fremont, who presented him with a Bible, with the donor's autograph on the fly leaf. This, with a copy of the St. Louis Republican, Captain Truckee jeal- ously preserved until the time of his death. After the American conquest, Truckee returned to his people, east of the Sierra, and when the rich silver discoveries in the Washoe region brought thousands of white men there, he became their fast friend and a universal favorite among the miners. The Indian camp where he lived was in the Palmyra District, Lyon County, Nevada, about a mile from Como, and near the spring where the town of Palmyra was subsequently built. One day in 1860, Cap- tain Truckee went to the mining camp at Como, to ask the men what remedy he should use for a large swelling on his neck. The men thought he had been bitten by a tarantula, and advised him to apply a slice of bacon. Poor Captain Truckee died that night, his last request being to be buried by the white men, and in the white man's style. The miners dug a grave near Como, in the croppings of the old Goliah ledge, and good Captain Truckee was laid away to rest, the Bible and the paper he had cherished so long lying by his side.
NOTABLE FAMILIES.
These immigrants of 1844 have acted an important part in the history of California. Doctor Townsend was afterwards Alcalde of San Francisco, and his name was given to one of the streets of that city. John Sulli- van was one of the founders of the Hibernia Bank, and acquired great wealth, leaving a family of distinction. Miss Sullivan became the wife of Sherreback, who owned a large tract of land in the metropolis, which became noted as the source of much litigation. Martin Murphy, his sons, and grandsons are distinguished for their enter- prise, ability, and wealth. Ellen Murphy, the daughter, became the wife of Capt. C. M. Weber, the founder of the city of Stockton. The Martins, Schellenberger, and others are prominent families, all giving honor to the title of "pioneers." This train brought thirteen wagons over the Sierra Nevada, being the first ever brought across the continent to California, a large party under Gov- ernor Peter H. Burnett going to Oregon with wagons the previous year.
SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY
Wm. G. Dana.
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EARLY IMMIGRANTS.
In the overland immigration of 1845, was Judge Wil- liam Blackburn, an elder brother of the well-known Black- burn Brothers, of San Luis Obispo County, also Jacob R. Snyder, a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1849, and prominent Federal and State official. Wm. F. Swasey, Wm. O'Connor, George McDougal, Benjamin Lippincott, John Daubenbiss, Peter Haggerty, James Stokes, J. Washburn, Wm. R. Bassham, and others, add- ing a good array of stalwart men to aid in laying the foundation of American institutions in California.
THE DONNER PARTY.
The immigration of 1846 was more numerous than any that preceded it, and was distinguished by the disas- ter attending one train of nearly 100 members, that reached the eastern base of the Sierra Nevada too late to cross. This was known as the "Donner Party," whose terrible sufferings have formed the theme of many writers. The party arrived at what was then called Truckee Lake on the 31st of October, but the early snows-of that year blocked the road, and the immigrants, although possess- ing but a scanty stock of provisions, decided upon en- camping by the lake, where Schellenberger had passed the winter of 1844-45, and there await assistance, an opportunity to cross the mountains, or death. Of the eighty composing the company, thirty-six perished, and forty-four either saved themselves or were rescued by parties sent to their assistance. Of the company, thirty- one were females (one an infant, that died), and of these, twenty-three survived, some leading in the efforts to es- cape, and exhibiting the most remarkable energy, courage, and endurance. The story of this disaster created a great excitement in California, and the most heroic and self-sacrificing efforts were made for their relief. Through- out the East the accounts published spread a thrill of horror, creating a dread of the overland journey to Cali- fornia that took years to dispel.
OTHER IMMIGRANTS.
Besides the Donner party, there were other large com- panies that "crossed the plains" in 1846, arriving safely in the Sacramento Valley, and distributing themselves over California. Many of these took part in the conquest of the country, joining Fremont's battalion, and march- ing to the south, or companies for the defense of localities in the north. Of the immigrants of 1846 were Charles White, one of the early landholders of this county; Joseph Aram, Captain of a company of volunteers in defense of San José and Santa Clara; Joseph D. Hoppe, James F. Reed and family, Virginia Reed, who became the wife of John Murphy; Samuel Young and family, Alexander Godey, who had been one of Fremont's famous scouts; Isaac Branham and family, Zachariah Jones and family, A. A. Hicox and family, A. Allen and family, Thomas West and family, William and Thomas Campbell and their families, Wm. H. Russell, George Gordon and fam- ily, Andrew J. Grayson and wife, Ex-Governor Wm. Boggs and family, and others, the immigration comprising about 300 people. July 31, 1845, the ship Brooklyn ar- rived at San Francisco with 136 Mormons under the leadership of Samuel Brannan.
In the season of 1847 there was little or no emigration across the plains. The war with Mexico was in active progress, giving employment to the adventurous spirits who otherwise would probably have sought adventure on the great road to the Pacific.
THE MORMON BATTALION.
California, however, received another and very impor- tant accession to her population. A battalion of Mor- mons, desiring to emigrate to California, was organized in Missouri, and placed under command of Lieut. Col. Phillip St. George Cooke, marched through New Mexico and Sonora, crossing the Colorado River at the mouth of the Gila, and entered California in February, 1847. This body numbered about 360. Some settled in California, others joined their co-religionist in Utah.
STEVENSON'S REGIMENT.
During the spring and summer of 1846 a regiment of men was organized in New York, for the purpose of as- sisting in the conquest of California, and settling therein at the conclusion of the war. An effort was made to en- list young men of good character, having some profession or trade, preparing them to become good members of society. The command of this was given to Col. Jona- than D. Stevenson, Henry S. Burton, Lieut. Col .; James A. Hardie, Major, and Joseph L. Folsom, quartermas- ter. The regiment numbered about 600 men, and was brought out in the ships Thomas H. Perkins, which arrived March 6, 1847; the Loo Choo, Thomas Drew, and Brutus, with the remainder coming shortly after. Many of these became worthy and prominent citizens, and them- selves or families are found in all parts of the State. The late Henry M. Osgood, of San Luis Obispo, was a mem- ber of the Stevenson Regiment, and had resided in this county from its first organization, occupying positions of high trust.
DISCOVERY OF GOLD.
The gold discovery of 1848 caused a large immigration from Oregon, Mexico, the Sandwich Islands, and South America, and set in motion the vast flood that changed the character of the country in 1849.
CAPT. WM. G. DANA.
To New England, among the commercial people of the United States, belongs the honor of developing trade and making explorations among the islands of the great "South Sea" and along the "Northwest Coast," as the Pacific Ocean and the western shore of North America were called in the early part of this century. Boston, Salem, New Bedford, and Nantucket were the localities known to the people in this quarter of the globe; and " Boston men" became, and remains to this day, the designation of all Americans, as contradistinguished from "King George's men," by which the English are known, among the Indians of the far north. The whalers, the missionaries, the hide-gatherers, and traders were from New England, and those who wrote pleasant descriptions of their travels came in Boston ships. Then the Boston mariner could say :---
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HISTORY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY.
"Where'er the breeze can bear the billows' foam, Survey our empire and behold our home."
From such a people and with such enterprise came the late William Goodwin Dana, of Nipomo; whose signature we find often repeated in the archives of San Luis Obispo County, in the land and language of his adoption, as Guillermo G. Dana, but to Americans was best known as Capt. Wm. G. Dana.
HIS BIRTH AND ANCESTRY.
This gentleman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, May 5, 1797, his father bearing the same given name, and his mother, Elizabeth, being a daughter of Gen. Robert Davis of Massachusetts. His lineage traces back to early co- lonial times, Richard Dana, the progenitor of the family, settling at Cambridge in 1640. From that patriarch has descended a numerous family, and clustering about that great center of learning many have attained distinc- tion as jurists, poets, scientists, divines, doctors, and writers of every class. Among them were Richard, grandson of the first, a great lawyer; Francis, Chief Justice of Massa- chusetts; Richard H., distinguished as one of the most pleasant of American poets and essayists; Richard H., Jr., author of "Two Years before the Mast," and an authority on maratime law; Samuel Luther, M. D., LL.D., a distinguished chemist; James Dwight, LL.D., who accompanied Wilkes' exploring expedition to the Pacific in 1838-42, as geologist and mineralogist; James, D. D., a prominent minister in New England; James Freeman, M. D., mineralogist and author, and Danas in every rank of life. The spirit of Richard of 1640, could look over a long and numerous line of descendants, and probably find as many representatives of his name on the roll of honor as any of the Puritan Pilgrims of that day.
YOUTH AND EARLY TRAVELS.
The youth of William G. was spent in Boston, where he acquired a good education, but at the early age of eighteen, just after the close of the last war with England, he was sent in the service of his uncle, a Boston merchant, to Canton, China, where he remained nearly two years. From thence he went to Calcutta, India, remaining there one year and returning to Boston. That was a long and venturesome journey for one so young, and sufficient to fill the enthusiastic youth with the unquenchable spirit of unrest. He appears to have been an observing and studious young man, learning the art and qualifications of a sailor, as is shown by his obtaining a first-class certifi- cate as a navigator.
CAPTAIN OF THE BRIG WAVERLY.
His stay in Boston was short. He had learned the business of the China trade, and, being full of enterprise, determined to engage in it. Taking a vessel (probably the schooner or hrig Waverly, as we find him Captain of that vessel a few years afterwards) he sailed to China to engage in trade between that country, the Sandwich Islands, California, and Boston. In 1820 he established a large commercial business and erected an extensive warehouse at Oahu (Honolulu), in the Sandwich Islands,
making that place his headquarters during a period of five years. From Oahu he made several voyages to Canton, to Russian America, California, and the South American Coast.
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