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 33
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The great mass of the emigrants knew nothing of the country they were to traverse nor of the necessities or methods of conducting or maintaining themselves and trains on such an expedition. Delays, losses, and suffer- ing consequently attended such inexperience, but, never- theless, the passage was successfully made, and many of those who crossed the plains in 1849 in after years re- ferred to the journey with pleasure; rejoicing in its ad- ventures, hardships, dangers, and triumphs.
The greater part of that emigration took the route via the valley of the Platte River, the South Pass of the Rocky Mountains, and the valley of the Humboldt, en- tering California by the Pit River Route, or Lassen's Cut- off, the valley of the Truckee and the Bear River ridge, and a stream poured through the Carson Pass into the central mining region. Many thousand took the old
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Santa Fé Trail via the valley of the Arkansas to the Rio Grande, thence by the road followed by Colonel Cooke and the Mormon Battalion, through northern Sonora to the Gila River, crossing the Colorado into California, reaching the southern mining region of the Mariposa and Tuolumne Rivers several months later than those who followed the northern route.
AN OVERLAND JOURNAL.
Having given a sketch of travel by the Isthmus route from a diary of the time-which was the recorded ex- perience of one, but the actual experience of many-a glance at the pages of another diary will show the dan- gers, the toil, and the incidents encountered in the "Trav- els of a Gold Digger en route to California," overland.
WEDNESDAY, April 18, 1849 .- Leave St. Joseph, Mis- souri, at 1 o'clock, P. M., with one wagon, eight mules, and one pony, with about 3,200 pounds of baggage; travel about five miles toward Fort Childs; camped, cooked supper, and ate; about 9 o'clock retired, and slept very comfortably, although it was very cold in the morn- ing.
APRIL 19TH .- Started about I o'clock, P. M., and traveled over one and a half miles of rough and hilly roads, and stuck fast three times. The third time we unloaded part of our baggage, got our wagon out of the mud, and encamped for the night.
MAY 15TH .- This morning our mules' shoulders were very sore from the hard drawing yesterday. We started at half-past 8 o'clock, and found the road much better and more level than yesterday; but there was no water except in small ponds here and there. About II o'clock several of us had a fine chase after a wolf, but did not catch it. In returning, I found several sticks of wood, and, as it is precious stuff, I shouldered it and toted it to the wagon, for fear we could not get to where there was any, and we would have to supper on a cold cheek. But fortune favored us; after traveling twenty-one miles, we came to a beautiful place between two ravines, in which there were both wood and water.
MAV 16TH .- Started this morning at 8 o'clock. Three of our mules' shoulders were so sore that we had to take them out of the team, and put in the pony. The road was very good, and the day cool, so we got along very well, although the mules suffered considerably for want of water, there being none for twenty-five miles. This was a day of considerable fun; the mules we took out of the team were not broken to ride, but as the whole country around was a level prairie, we thought we would ride them. Mounting one, I rode ahead of the train, and, after going several miles, stopped to graze. When the train came up, E. was limping along slowly. His mule had thrown him, and he could not be induced to mount again. Whereupon T., who had tired of walk- ing, thought he would ride the mule I had ridden. So he got upon him, but the mule started, and in about 200 yards the rider lay sprawling upon the ground. Then S. took the mule E. had ridden, and got along with it very well for a while, when he was thrown off. We came to the Platte River about 3 o'clock, having traveled about twenty-eight miles. There was a little disaffection in the company, which resulted in three different encamp- ments, some refusing to go to the ground picked out by the Captain.
MAY 18TH .- Traveled eighteen miles up the Platte. About four miles from our camping-place was Pawnee- town, an Indian village. Just before arriving there, we met a Pawnee Indian, with whom we had some sport. S.
talked Dutch to him; we then got him to shoot at a dime fixed at a stake, and he knocked down two in three shots with his arrow. We then went up to the village. On the way we saw the grave of a chief, which was all encircled by dead horses' heads-sixty-nine in number. We found no one at the village, the people all having gone down to Council Bluffs. The town was regularly laid out, and consisted of about 120 houses, built of mud, all round, with a long entrance, which was like that into a coal-bank. Four miles above the town we camped. At night it rained very hard, with thunder and lightning. I stood guard from 10 to 12, and it was so dark that I could not see a mule till I was jam against it.
MAY 19TH .- Road very muddy in places; sandy por- tion, however, is better. After traveling about six miles came upon a wounded Pawnee Indian, who had been shot with three bullets in the thigh. He told us he had been shot by the Sioux. We gave him something to eat, and traveled on twenty miles.
MAY 20TH .- To-day we lay by. In the morning sixty Sioux Indians came down the river, and from what we could understand they were in pursuit of the Pawnees, the two tribes then being at war. They came to our camp, were very friendly, and wanted something to eat, when we gave them biscuit. They then crossed the river and continued on their way. A short time after they had left, an old Sioux Indian came up the river, and showed us a fresh Indian scalp, which we supposed was taken from the head of the wounded Pawnee Indian we saw yesterday. Traded twelve biscuit for a buffalo robe.
MAY 2IST .- This morning we started at 6 o'clock and traveled sixteen miles, the road being very miry in some places and very sandy in others, which made our mules very tired. Grazing better to-day than at any time since starting out. A great many deer, elk, antelope, and wolves were seen, but as it was all prairie land we could not get close enough to shoot any. In the evening, B. and S. fought, and there was great confusion in camp. A great many of the company think that we will never get the wagons through, and some were for abandoning them and packing the mules, or of leaving part of the wagons and doubling the teams on the others.
MAY 22D .- Traveled fifteen miles. To-day my feet got very sore, and about 2 o'clock I pulled off my boots, and traveled the remainder of the day barefooted, but the change did not help me.
MAY 24TH .- Passed Fort Kearny yesterday and camped about one mile above it. To-day there is a general ridding-up; we all concluded that we had too much of a load, and go to work and take half of our wagon-bed off, and unload every box and trunk, and throw away every unnecessary thing, besides other things we should have very much liked to keep. Captain A. said he would re- sign, as the company were divided into at least a half dozen squads and would unite upon nothing. At night it rained very hard, and the wind blew fearfully. A bucket standing outside of the tent had water in it to the depth of ten inches. F. and I went down to the fort and traded a pair of pants, a trunk, and two shirts for two large buffalo robes, which were very comfortable at night.
MAY 25TH .- To-day we hitched up eight mules, and, as usual, started by ourselves; passed about 100 ox-teams and camped on the river, after having traveled ten miles. There being no wood here we cooked our supper with grass. This morning there had 2,200 teams passed the fort. The Star Company this morning was all divided, and every team started when it pleased. .
AUGUST 20TH .- To-day we traveled about ten miles and encamped in a valley at the base of a mountain about three-fourths of a mile east of Truckee (Donner)
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Lake; two miles brought us to the valley where Donner encamped; one mile more brought us opposite to where his cabins were, their situation being about one and a half or two miles from the road, on the right-hand side. There were a number of fragments left, but more human bones than anything else. Six miles further and we came to where the Graves' family wintered. One mile more and we arrived to the cabins of Foster and Breen, where we encamped. The road now leaves them to the right, but the old road ran just by them, having them on the left. Graves' and Foster's cabins are the only ones that are now standing, and they present a gloomy appearance. In Foster's there were old clothes, which had been worn by females, and, also, long female hair, which appeared as if it had fallen from the head, and any quantity of bones in and around the cabin.
AUGUST 23D .- To-day we traveled fifteen miles. The road is indescribable; but it was the d-dest roughest and rockiest road I ever saw. About three miles from our camp we had to take our mules from the wagon and let it down with ropes, and it was off of one rock and on to another all day, except a short distance after we started and a few places in the bottom of the river. We also ascended some very steep mountains. After traveling about nine miles in the morning, we left the head-waters of the Yuba River and crossed a mountain, which was not as rough as I expected it might be, and the additional six miles has brought us to our present encampment, a valley on Bear River, where the grass is very good. In crossing from the Yuba to Bear River there are a few oak bushes, and on the divide are two small lakes. During the day we passed another cabin where some of the suffering Don- ner party got to.
AUGUST 24TH .- To-day we traveled seven miles. Five miles from our last camp brought us to a large valley on the main branch of Bear River. In descending to the valley there is a very steep hill, where we let the wagon down with ropes for about three-fourths of a mile; the trees were worn very much where the rope ran around. Two miles more brought us to the lower end of the val- ley where we encamped and mowed grass.
AUGUST 26TH .- To-day we traveled fourteen miles, eleven of which brought us to another branch of Bear River where there were some of the gold diggers operat- ing, but not with much success. The road from our last camp to the branch ran along a ridge and was very hilly, as there were a great many gaps in it. The descent to the branch was so steep and long that we had to cut down trees and tie them to the wagons.
Having thus seen some of the pioneers of the State safely landed via the great plains, the reader can form some idea from reading the above extracts of the trials and difficulties encountered in reaching this land of promise over that route. All that is now lacking to illustrate the phases of the three principal ways of reach- ing California in the year 1849, are extracts from a pas- senger's journal upon one of the old vessels which came around Cape Horn, and which would read something after this style: " .- 1849 .- Left Boston, in the bark Rising Sun, for California, as one of the members of the Plymouth Rock Mining and Trading Company; crossed the equator -th, landed at Rio Janerio -th, and re- mained in port two weeks; left Rio - and doubled Cape Horn -th, with cold, squally weather, during which the vessel lost spars and sails; - th buried -- - -at sea; latitude - degrees south, - longitude west, becalmed
ten days; - th, arrive at Valparaiso, and sail again on the th; - arrive at San Francisco-th."
And the story of the arrival of the argonauts is told. Gray hairs begin now to creep in among the dark ones of those who were youngest then, and bald polls are now seen where then hung luxuriant locks; while thousands of those brave hearts have ceased to pulsate. Soon they will all be gone. Here upon the Pacific Coast have they established an empire whose products have revolutionized the commerce of the civilized world. In a personal sense not all of them have realized those bright anticipations which were the ideal of youthful aspirations; but the fact that they aided in breaking down the brush, and in marking out the trails which have since been followed by great commercial highways of steel, banding together the orient and the occident, should commend them to the respect of mankind, and the recol- lection of their deeds should ever cause their memory to remain green wherever civilization has erected its stand- ard and enterprise is acknowledged.
ARRIVALS IN 1849.
The flood of immigration which had set toward the bay of San Francisco soon after the announcement of the wonderful discovery and development of the gold placers, did not reach the land until the spring of 1849. On the 28th of February of that year the steamship Cal- ifornia arrived, the first of that line so intimately con- nected with the history of California. The arrival was hailed with welcoming cheers, as establishing a new era in California commerce. She was the first great steamer entering the harbor of San Francisco, or ever upon the coast, and seemed a connecting link between the people of the Pacific and their distant kindred on the Atlantic Coast. The steamer had left New York when little was known of the gold discovery, and preparations had not been made for so extraordinary a state of affairs as was found to exist on arrival, and she was left destitute of a crew in the harbor of San Francisco. March 31st, the Oregon, the second steamer of the line, arrived, and from that date regular trips were made. June 4th, the Panama came and the line was established, each vessel bringing from 1,000 to 1,500 passengers each trip.
A few thousand people had arrived previous to March, 1849, in whalers and small vessels from the Pacific is- lands and the coast, and even at that date the harbor presented a lively appearance from the unusual number of vessels at anchor, a slight indication of the great fleet that was soon to appear. Between March and Decem- ber 1849, 549 vessels arrived at San Francisco bringing 35,000 passengers, and 3,000 sailors who deserted their ships either permanently or temporarily, some by agree- ment going with the officers to the mines, and afterwards returning to their duties on the vessel. The unmanned and deserted ships swung idly to their anchors in the harbor, some ascended the rivers to Benicia, Stockton, and Sacramento, and several square-rigged vessels marked the sites of " cities " at " heads of navigation " at Ver- non, Nicolaus, Eliza, near Marysville, and other points on further, and other rivers, landings, and estuaries about
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HISTORY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY.
the bay of San Francisco. Of the 40,000 or more arrivals by sea during the year less than 1,000 were females. The great majority were Americans direct from the Atlantic States by way of Cape Horn or by Panama, and nearly all rushing to the mines there met the tide pouring over the Sierra Nevada from the toilsome over- land journey from the Missouri River. The mines were then the objective point, all seeking them to try their luck. Many, homesick and unnerved by the adventure, the toil, privations, and hardships, their separation from friends, their loneliness and strange surroundings, suc- cumbed to death almost without disease, or hastily re- turned to their former homes; the sharp tradesman and the speculator sought the large cities, and those who loved the freedom of the country, the self-reliant man- hood to labor in the free and rich estate of his own pos- session, where he could " lay claim " to undisputed lands, untrammelled by the conventionalities of æsthetic civili- zation, surrounded by the grand scenery of deep cañons, watered by the clear, cold, and sparkling mountain stream, and clad in forests of towering pines, or shaded by the broad, spreading oak, remained to toil, to enjoy their bright hopes, perhaps to realize their bright dreams, and many yet remain in the country and the county where first they dug for the shining gold, honored and self- reliant in their age, as when, in youth, as argonauts they sought the western shore.
POPULATION AT THE CLOSE OF 1849.
There were many estimates of the number of peo- ple crossing the plains in 1849, some placing the number as high as 100,000, but later investigations greatly reduced the estimate. Many returned to the East by steamer before the close of the year, some with small fortunes acquired in the mines or by speculation, others disheartened and homesick, and death claimed its portion.
At the commencement of the year the population was stated as follows: Native Californians, 13,000; Ameri- cans, 8,000; Foreigners, 5,000; total, 26,000. At the close of the year it was: Native, 13,000; Americans, 76,000; Foreigners, 18,000, showing an increase of 68,000 Americans and 13,000 foreigners, a total of 81,000 increase, and a total population of 107,000. This large increase, of which so large a majority was Americans, redeemed California from a wilderness and made it a State of the Union. This immigration spread itself over the mines and built cities in the valleys; made a consti- tution, guaranteeing freedom, with laws of justice and equality, and impressed a character upon it which will never be obliterated.
DOMESTIC HABITS OF THE PIONEERS.
For the satisfaction of curious women who wish to know how their fathers and brothers managed house- keeping, and for men who never tried pioneer life, and have no prospect or necessity of trying it, this is written. Many exaggerated stories are in circulation concerning the habits and characters of our early settlers. Bret Harte, Joaquin Miller, and a score of other writers, have
taken some odd sample of humanity, added some im- possible qualities, and set him up to be laughed at, or perhaps admired; when the fact is, the caricature is about as near the original as the Indian maiden of romance is to the filthy squaw of reality. The '49er is represented as having pounds of dust loose in his pockets, which he passed out by the handful for whisky or whatever struck his fancy; as carrying an arsenal of knives and revolvers, which he was wont to use on the slightest provocation- "rough but generous, brave, and kind." While it is true that an ideal '49er occasionally made an appearance in those days-for it is almost impossible to draw a monster, physical, moral, or intellectual, that has not some familiar features-the fact is, that the mass of the people had no resemblance to the ideals of Bret Harte or Joaquin Mil- ler. They were sober, industrious, and energetic men, who toiled as men with ambition and strength can toil. The labor these men performed in damming and turning rivers, or tunneling mountains, was not the spurt of en- thusiasm born of whisky. Many of the men had families at home whose letters were looked for with the most eager interest. The younger men, who had not families, had ties perhaps equally as strong. The exceptions, which have given such a false character to the '49er, were unprincipled adventurers from every State and nation, gamblers in bad repute, even among their own kind, frontiersmen who acknowledged no law, and fugitives from justice every- where. This was the class that made a vigilance com- mittee necessary in San Francisco in 1850 and 1856, and in San Luis Obispo in 1858; which occasionally aroused the wrath of the mass of the people by robbing or kill- ing peaceable citizens. The description of this class is not our object at present; they have already, in the hun- dred books which have been written of them, had more notice than they deserved. The substantial, honorable, and industrious must now claim our attention. The rush of people in 1849 was for the mining region of the Sierra Nevada, whither all classes went, the new-comers and old settlers alike. The quiet of San Luis Obispo was disturbed as well as all other sections, and all had their experience in the mines. That generation is passing away, and it is therefore more important that there be preserved the true record of their customs, hopes, and habits.
THE MINER'S CABIN.
When the lucky prospector had found a paying claim, the next thing was to set up his household. From two to four was the usual number of the mess. The summers were long and dry, and there was no discomfort in sleep- ing out-of-doors. But even in summer a house, though humble it might be, had many advantages over a tent for comfort and security. A stray horse or ox would some- times get into the flour sack or bread sack, upset the sugar, or make a mess of the table ware. Wandering In- dians would pilfer small things, or take away clothing which might be left within reach; but in a cabin things were tolerably secure from depredation. A site for a cabin was selected where wood and water were abundant. These things, as well as the presence of gold, often deter- mined the location of a future town. Bottle Spring,
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Double Springs, Mud Springs, Diamond Springs, Cold Springs, and Soldiers' Springs at once suggest their origin as places of encampment, as Angels Camp, Secret Ravine, Sonoranian Camp, Don Pedro's Bar, and Dry Diggings did places of gold. In the earlier days, log-cabins were soon put up, for suitable logs were found everywhere. Though these cabins are in the dust-passed into history -- there is no need of describing them, as the books are full of the "settlers' log-cabin," and no boy of the present gen- eration who has arrived at the age of ten would need in- struction in building one.
In the western settlements a floor made of hewn tim- bers (puncheons) was usual, but the ground served for a floor, and was considered good enough for a man. The sleeping places were as various as the minds of men. Sometimes a kind of dais, or elevation of two or three feet was made on one side of the cabin, where the men, wrapped in their blankets, slept with their feet to the fire. Generally bunks were made by putting a second log in the cabin at a proper elevation and distance from the sides, and nailing potato or gunny sacks across from one to the other, making in the same way a second tier of bunks, if necessary. Some fern leaves or coarse hay on these sacks, with blankets, made a comfortable bed. A good fire-place was necessary. Most of the mining was in water, necessarily involving wet clothes. A rous- ing fire, especially in winter, was necessary to "get dried out." Some of these fire-places would be six feet across, and built of granite or slate rocks, as each abounded. There was not much hewing done to make them fit. When the structure had been carried up four or five feet, an oak log was laid across as a mantle-piece, and on this the chimney, generally made of sticks or small poles plas- tered with mud, was built. A couple of rocks served for rests for the " backlog" and "forestick." A shelf or two of shakes, or, sometimes an open box, in which pickles or candles had come around the Horn, would serve for a cupboard to keep a few tin plates and cups, and two or three cans containing salt, pepper, and soda. A table of moderate size, was also made of shakes, sometimes mova- ble, but oftener nailed fast to the side of the house. Those who crossed the plains would often take the tail- gate of the wagon for this purpose. A frying-pan, coffee- pot, Dutch oven, and water-bucket completed the list of household utensils. As the miners became prosperous, a soup-kettle for boiling potatoes, and also for heating water to wash their clothes on a Sunday, was added. Somewhere in a corner, was a roll of paper, with pen and ink, with which to correspond with the folks at home.
HOUSEKEEPING AND COOKING.
Cooking was sometimes done turn-about for a week, and sometimes seemed to fall to the lot of the best-natured one of the crowd, the others bringing wood and water by way of offset. Not much attempt was made at neatness, and oftentimes one had to console himself with eating only his own dirt, for there were camps where the dishes were not washed for months. Sometimes a little hot coffee turned on a plate would take off the last formed dirt; but washing dishes-the everlasting bane of woman's
housekeeping-was, if possible, more repugnant to man, and was frequently omitted; it made the gold-pan greasy (the miner's prospecting pan served for washing dishes as well as gold, also, as a bread pan, and wash-tub on Sun- day); there was no time to stop after breakfast, and they worked so late that they could not delay supper for the dishes to be washed, and so they were left from day to day. The cooking was a simple matter, boiling potatoes, making coffee, frying slap-jacks and meat, being the usual routine. Bread ?- yes, I am going to tell you about that. All sorts of bread but good bread were made at first. The miners knew that their wives and mothers put in soda, so they put in soda. Some of them brought dried yeast across the plains, and undertook to make raised bread, but as a general thing, miner's bread was but sorry, sad stuff. The most successful plan was to keep a can of sour batter (flour and water mixed), with which to mix the bread, neutralizing the excess of acid with soda. Some of the miners became quite expert with this, judg- ing to a nicety the exact amount of soda required. Dough mixed in this way, and set in the sun, would soon raise, and, if the soda was rightly proportioned, was palatable and wholesome. The sour batter was splendid for "slap- jacks!" The old story that a California miner could toss his slap-jack up a chimney, run out-doors, and catch it as it came down, right side up, is too old to be repeated; but it is a fact that they would turn the slap-jacks with a dexterous " flip flop" of the frying-pan, though when the batter was stiff enough to stand this kind of usage, the cake would answer for half-soling a boot. The better way was to have two frying-pans, and turn the cakes by gently upsetting the contents of one into the other. Thirty years' experience and observation suggest no improvement on this method.
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