Pen pictures from the garden of the world, or Santa Clara county, California, Part 7

Author: Foote, Horace S., ed
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 844

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They continued sending out hunting parties until they reached the summit of the Rocky Mount- ains, when the buffalo disappeared. There was still plenty of deer and antelope, which rendered it un- necessary to draw on their supply of dried meat. On reaching the summit they saw that the water ran to- wards California, and their hearts were rejoiced as though already in sight of the promised land. They had no idea of how much farther they had to go. They had already come hundreds of miles and natu- rally supposed that their journey was nearing its end. Neither did they realize that they were still to en- counter obstacles almost insurmountable and undergo hardships compared to which their journey thus far had been a pleasure excursion,

PEN PICTURES FROM THE "GARDEN OF THE WORLD."

The emigrants now moved towards Green River, by way of Little and Big Sandy. They camped on Big Sandy twenty-four hours, and there old man Hitchcock was appointed pilot for one day, he saying that, from information he had, he could take them to Green River by a cut-off that would save a hundred miles' travel. By this route he thought the distance from Big Sandy to Green River was about twenty- five miles. Not knowing the character of the country, and thinking the distance was short, the emigrants did not prepare a supply of water to take with them, as they might have done and saved themselves much suffering.

Starting at daylight they traveled until dark, most of the distance being across a rough, broken country, but found no Green River or water of any kind. At last they were compelled to halt in the midst of a desolate country, tired and nearly famished for water. The poor cattle suffered terribly, and notwithstanding their precautions in herding them, about forty head of cows and young cattle broke away in the night. The next morning they pushed forward as soon as it was light enough to see, and at eleven o'clock reached Green River.

This was their first real hardship on the march, and, coming unexpectedly, it found them unprepared, and their sufferings were much greater than they otherwise would have been. The next morning after their arrival at Green River, they detailed six men to hunt for the cattle that had broken loose on the march from Big Sandy. This detail consisted of Daniel Murphy, William Higgins, Mr. Bean, Perry Derby, Mat Harbin and Moses Schallenberger. After start- ing on the hunt, a difference of opinion arose as to the route the cattle had taken. Murphy, Schallen- berger, and Bean thought they had taken the back track to the Big Sandy; the others thought they had made for the nearest water, which was at Green River, some twelve miles below the point reached by the emigrants.

Not being able to agree, they divided the party, Murphy, Bean, and Schallenberger going back to the Sandy. About half way across, while this party were riding along in Indian file, Murphy, who was in advance, suddenly ducked his head, threw his body over to the side of his horse, and, wheeling round, signaled to the others to do the same. They obeyed, and, putting their horses to full speed, followed Murphy to a small cañon, which they ascended for a quarter of a mile. During this time not a word had been spoken, but now, coming to a halt, they inquired what was the matter. Murphy laconically

replied, " Indians." The party dismounted and tied their horses, and, getting down on their stomachs, crawled to a point where they could overlook the plain. Here they discovered a war party of about a hundred Sioux, who were so near that their conversa- tion could be distinctly heard. They passed within twenty yards of the spot where our emigrants were concealed, without discovering them, and the little party drew a long breath of relief when the last feath- ered top-knot disappeared down the horizon. It was a close call, for had their presence been known, the little band of whites would never have seen the golden plains of California.

Again mounting their horses, they proceeded to the Big Sandy, where they found all the missing cattle. Gathering them up, they passed the night in their old camp, and the next morning set out on their return to Green River. They had proceeded only half a mile when they discovered two Indians on horseback on the top of a hill about a mile dis- tant. In a couple of minutes, two more made their appearance in another direction, and within ten minutes they were surrounded by a couple of hundred Indians, all whooping and charging in a manner to strike terror to the bravest heart. There seemed no escape, but the little party resolved to sell their lives as dearly as possible. In the short time they had for consultation, it was determined that when they ap- proached within range each man should select his Indian, shoot him, and then charge, trusting to Provi- dence to get through to camp. They said good-by to each other and waited the onset.

About twenty of the Indians were in advance of their party, and when these had approached to a distance of two hundred yards, the emigrants signed to them to stop. This they did, and sent three men without arms to parley. These came on until they were only fifty yards distant, when they halted and held out their hands as a sign of friendship. Schallenberger says that at this sign their hair, which up to this time had been standing as erect as the quills on the back of a porcupine, began to resume its proper position, and their blood, which had been jumping through their veins like a race-horse, reduced its pace to a moderate gait. The Indians proved to be a party of friendly Snakes, who were in pursuit of the band of Sioux from which our party had had such a narrow escape the day before. They were very friendly, and some of them accompanied our friends to assist them in driving their cattle quite a distance on their

PEN PICTURES FROM THE "GARDEN OF THE WORLD."

way back to Green River, which they reached about nine o'clock at night.

The route of the emigrants now lay across a broken country to Bear River, where they found old " Peg-leg" Smith, as he was called. He was one of the earliest trappers of the Rocky Mountains, and was living alone in the hills. He had a band of fat ponies, which he exchanged for some of the poor and tired horses of the train. Proceeding down Bear River, they arrived without adventure at Fort Hall, which was the point at which the Oregon party was to separate from those going to California. Here they were compelled to purchase flour, for which they paid a dollar a pound. The Murphy-Townsend party had started with a supply of provisions sufficient for eight mouths, but others were not so well provided. In fact, several had run out of flour and bacon some time previously, and the others had divided with them. As for meat, the party thought they had plenty; if their dried meat and bacon became ex- hausted, they could kill the young cattle they had brought along for that purpose. The parting with the Oregon party was a sad one. During the long journey across the plains, many strong friendships had been formed, and the separation was deeply regretted by all. Our emigrant train now consisted of eleven wagons and twenty-six persons, all as determined to push on to California as on the day they left Council Bluffs. The country they had traversed was more or less known to trappers and hunters, and there had not been much danger of losing their way; neither were the obstacles very formidable. But the re- mainder of the route lay for most of the distance through an unknown country, through which they must find their way without map, chart, or guide, and, with diminished numbers, overcome obstacles the magnitude of which none of them had any con- ception.

After remaining at Fort Hall for several days, the party resumed its march, crossing the country to Beaver Creek, or Raft River, which they followed for two days; thence westward over a broken country to Goose Creek; thence to the head-waters of Mary's River, or the Humboldt, as it has since been named. Here they encountered the Digger Indians. The language of this tribe was unknown to old man Greenwood, who had hitherto acted as pilot and interperter, but by use of signs and some few words of the Snake language, he managed to converse with them in a limited way. The journey down the Humboldt was very monotonous. Each day's events

were substantially a repetition of those of the day before.

There was plenty of good grass, and the party was not inconvenienced by the alkali water, which caused so much trouble to trains that afterwards came over this route. The Indians seemed to be the most indolent and degraded of any that the party had yet encountered. They were totally with- out energy. They seemed very friendly and every night hundreds of them visited the camp. This they continued to do during the entire journey down the Humboldt, a distance of five hundred miles. AI- though they showed no signs of hostility, the cmi- grants did not relax their vigilance, and guard duty was strictly performed. At the sink of the Humboldt, the alkali became troublesome, and it was with diffi- culty that pure water was procured either for the peo- ple or the cattle. However, no stock was lost, except- ing one pony belonging to Martin Murphy, Sr., which was stolen. The party stopped at the sink for a week in order to rest the cattle and lay out their future course.

Mr. Schallenberger states that their oxen were in tolerably good condition; their feet were as sound and much harder, and except that they needed a little rest, they were really better prepared for work than when they left Missouri. The party seemed to have plenty of provisions, and the only doubtful question was the route they should pursue. A desert lay before them, and it was necessary that they should make no mistake in the choice of a route. Old Mr. Greenwood's contract as pilot had expired when they reached the Rocky Mountains. Beyond that he did not pretend to know anything. Many anxious con- sultations were held, some contending that they should follow a southerly course, and others held that they should go due west. Finally, an old Indian was found, called Truckee, with whom old man Green talked by means of signs and diagrams drawn on the ground. From him it was learned that fifty or sixty miles to the west there was a river that flowed easterly from the mountains, and that along this stream there were large trees and good grass. Acting on this informa- tion, Dr. Townsend, Captain Stevens, and Joseph Foster, taking Truckee as a guide, started out to ex- plore this route, and after three days returned, report- ing that they had found the river just as the Indian had described it. Although there was still a doubt in the minds of some as to whether this was the proper route to take, none held back when the time came to

PEN PICTURES FROM THE "GARDEN OF THE WORLD."

start. In fact, there was no time for further dis- cussion.

It was now the first of October, and they could see that if a heavy fall of snow should overtake them while yet in the mountains, it would be almost im- possible for them to get through. Thus far there had been no trouble with the Indians. All that they had met had been treated kindly, and the natives had rather assisted than impeded them in their journey. It had, however, required constant watching on the part of the older men to prevent the hot blood of the younger ones from boiling over now and then. This was particularly the case with John Greenwood, who, being a half-breed, had a mortal hatred for the Indians. On several occasions, when an ox would stray away, he would accuse the natives of having stolen it, and it would require the utmost exercise of authority to pre- vent him from precipitating hostilities. It seemed as if he was more anxious to kill an Indian than to reach California.

On the morning that the start was made from the sink of the Humboldt, a general engagement be- came very imminent. Schallenberger, whose con- duct on the march had been conspicuous for cool- ness and discretion, missed a halter from his horse, and on searching for it saw one end projecting from under the short feather blanket worn by an Indian who was standing near. Schallenberger demanded the halter, but the Indian paid no attention ; he then attempted to explain to him what he wanted, but the Indian pretended that he did not understand. He then took hold of the halter to remove it, when the Indian stepped back and drew his bow. Schallen- berger ran to the wagon, took his rifle, and drew a bead on the redskin, and was about to pull the trigger when Martin Murphy rushed in and threw up the muzzle of the gun. The whole camp was in con- fusion in a moment, but the matter was explained, and the Indians loaded with presents until they were pacified. If the Indian had been killed, there is no doubt that the entire party would have been mas- sacred. It did not need the reprimand that Schallen- berger received from his brother-in-law, Dr. Townsend, to convince him of his folly, and no one regretted his rashness more than he himself did.

The party left the sink of the Humboldt, having cooked two days' rations and filled all the available vessels with water. After traveling with scarcely a halt until twelve o'clock the next night, they reached a boiling spring at what is now Hot Spring Station, on the Central Pacific Railroad. Here they halted

two hours to permit the oxen to rest. Some of the party dipped water from the spring into tubs, and allowed it to cool for the use of the cattle. It was a sad experiment, for those oxon that drank it be- came very sick. Resuming the march, they traveled steadily until two o'clock the next day, when they reached the river, which they named the Truckee, in honor of the old Indian chief, who had piloted them to it.

The cattle, not having eaten or drank for forty- eight hours, were almost famished. This march was of eighty miles across an alkali desert, knee deep in alkali dust. The people, having water in their wag- ons, did not suffer so much, but there were occasions when it was extremely doubtful if they would be able to reach water with their cattle. So crazed were they with thirst that if the precaution had not been taken to unhitch them while yet some distance from the stream, they would have rushed headlong into the water and wrecked the wagons and destroyed their contents. There being fine grass and good water here, the party camped two days, until the cattle were thoroughly rested and refreshed.

Then commenced the ever-to-be-remembered jour- ney up the Truckee to the summit of the Sierras. At first it was not discouraging. There was plenty of wood, water, grass, and game, and the weather was pleasant. The oxen were well rested, and for a few days good progress was made. Then the hills began to grow nearer together, and the country was so rough and broken that they frequently had to travel in the bed of the stream. The river was so crooked that one day they crossed it ten times in traveling a mile. This al- most constant traveling in the water softened the hoofs of the oxen, while the rough stones in the bed of the river wore them down, until the cattle's feet were so sore that it became a torture for them to travel. The whole party were greatly fatigued by the incessant labor. But they dared not rest. It was near the middle of Octo- ber, and a few light snows had already fallen, warning them of the imminent danger of being buried in the snow in the mountains. They pushed on, the route each day becoming more and more difficult. Each day the hills seemed to come nearer together and the stream to become more crooked.

They were now compelled to travel altogether in the bed of the river, there not being room between its margin and the hills to furnish foothold to an ox. The feet of the cattle became so sore that the drivers were compelled to walk beside them in the water, or they could not be urged to take a step; and, in many

PEN PICTURES FROM THE "GARDEN OF THE WORLD."

instances, the teams had to be trebled in order to drag the wagons at all. On top of all these disheartening conditions came a fall of snow a foot deep, burying the grass from the reach of the cattle, and threatening them with starvation. The poor, foot-sore oxen, after toiling all day, would stand and bawl for food all night, in so piteous a manner that the emigrants would for- get their own misery in their pity for their cattle. But there was nothing to offer them except a few pine leaves, which were of no effect in appeasing their hunger. Still the party toiled on, hoping soon to pass the summit and reach the plains beyond, and that beautiful land so eloquently described to them by Father Hookins. In face of all these obstacles, there was no thought of turning back. One day they came to some rushes that were too tall to be entirely cov- ered by the snow; the cattle ate these so greedily that two of James Murphy's oxen died. However, by con- stant care in regulating the amount of this food, no evil effects were experienced, although it was not very nourishing. These rushes were scattered at irregular intervals along the river, and scouts were sent out each day to find them and locate a camp for the night. Some days the rushes would be found in a very short drive, and sometimes they would not be found at all.

In this manner they dragged their slow course along until they reached a point where the river forked, the main stream bearing southwest and the tributary almost due west. Then arose the question as to which route should be taken. There being an open space and pretty good feed at the forks of the river, it was decided to go into camp and hold a consultation. This camp was made on what is now the site of the city of Truckee, and the route pursued by these emi- grants is practically that now followed by the Cen- tral Pacific Railroad. After considering the matter fully, it was decided that a few of the party should leave the wagons and follow the main stream, while the others should go by way of the tributary, as that seemed to be the more promising route for the vehi- cles.

Those who left the party were Mrs. Townsend, Miss Ellen Murphy, John Murphy, Daniel Murphy, Oliver Magnan, and Mrs. Townsend's servant, Francis. They each had a horse to ride, and they took with them two pack-horses and some provisions. The ladies had each a change of clothing and some blankets, and each man had a rifle and ammunition. There was still some game to be found, and as the Murphys were good hunters there was no thought of their starving. In our account of this journey we have followed the

narrative of Mr. Schallenberger, who has kindly fur- nished us with the facts. In regard to this separation, John Murphy says that there was no consultation or agreement ; that the persons spoken of were traveling in advance of the rest of the party, and, coming to the forks of the river, naturally took the main stream, ex- pecting the others to follow, which they did not do. However this may be, the fact remains that the par- ties here separated and went the different routes as above stated.

The party with the wagons proceeded up the tribu- tary, or Little Truckee, a distance of two miles and a half, when they came to the lake since known as Donner Lake. They now had but one mountain be- tween them and California, but this seemed an im- passable barrier. Several days were spent in attempts to find a pass, and finally the route, over which the present railroad is, was selected. The oxen were so worn out that some of the party abandoned the attempt to get their wagons any further. Others determined to make another effort. Those who determined to bring their wagons were Martin Murphy, Jr., James Murphy, James Miller, Mr. Hitchcock, and old Mr. Martin, Mrs. James Murphy's father. The others left their wagons.

The snow on the mountains was now about two fect deep. Keeping their course on the north side of the lake until they reached its head, they started up the mountain. All the wagons were unloaded and the contents carried up the hill. Then the teams were doubled and the empty wagons were hauled up. When about half way up the mountain they came to a vertical rock about ten feet high. It seemed now that everything would have to be abandoned except what the men could carry on their backs. After a tedious search they found a rift in the rock, just about wide enough to allow one ox to pass at a time. Removing the yokes from the cattle, they managed to get them one by one through this chasm to the top of the rock. There the yokes were replaced, chains were fastened to the tongues of the wagons, and carried to the top of the rock, where the cattle were hitched to them. Then the men lifted at the wagons, while the cattle pulled at the chains, and by this in- genious device the vehicles were all, one by one, got across the barrier.

After reaching the summit a drive of twenty miles westerly brought them to the head-waters of the Yuba River, where the able-bodied men started for Sutter's Fort, then known as New Helvetia, and now as the city of Sacramento. They walked and drove the cattle,

PEN PICTURES FROM THE "GARDEN OF THE WORLD."

expecting to return immediately with supplies for the train. The others remained in camp. Thus were the first wagons that ever made tracks in California soil, brought across the mountains.

Those who remained with the wagons on the Yuba were Mrs. Martin Murphy, with her four boys, Martin, James, Patrick W., and Bernard D .; Mrs. James Murphy, with her daughter Mary; Mr. James Miller, wife, and three children; Mrs. Patterson, with her children, and old Mr. Martin, Mrs. James Murphy's father. Leaving them here for the present, we will return to the wagons, which had been abandoned when the party divided at the forks of the Truckee.

Dr. Townsend and Mr. Schallenberger had brought with them an invoice of valuable goods, which they had intended to sell in California. When the wagons were abandoned, Schallenberger volunteered to re- main with them and protect the goods until the rest of the party could reach California and return with other and fresher animals with which to move them. Mr. Schallenberger thus describes his experience :-

" There seemed little danger to me in undertaking this. Game seemed to be abundant. We had seen a number of deer, and one of our party had killed a bear, so I had no fears of starvation. The Indians in that vicinity were poorly clad, and I therefore felt no anxiety in regard to them, as they probably would stay further south as long as cold weather lasted. Knowing that we were not far from California, and being unacquainted, except in a general way, with the climate, I did not suppose that the snow would at any time be more than two feet deep, nor that it would be on the ground continually.

"After I had decided to stay, Mr. Joseph Foster and Mr. Allen Montgomery said they would stay with me, and so it was settled, and the rest of the party started across the mountains. They left us two cows, so worn out and poor that they could go no further. We did not care for them to leave us any cattle for food, for, as I said, there seemed to be plenty of game, and we were all good hunters, well furnished with ammunition, so we had no apprchension that we would not have plenty to eat, that is, plenty of meat. Bread we had not tasted for many weeks, and had no desire for it. We had used up all our supply of buffalo meat, and had been living on fresh beef and bacon, which seemed to satisfy us completely.

"The morning after the separation of our party, which we felt was only for a short time, Foster, Mont- gomery and myself set about making a cabin, for we determined to make ourselves as comfortable as possi-

ble, even if it was for a short time. We cut saplings and yoked up our poor cows and hauled them together. These we formed into a rude house, and covered it with rawhides and pine brush. The size was about twelve by fourteen feet. We made a chimney of logs eight or ten feet high, on the outside, and used some large stones for the jambs and back. We had no windows; neither was the house chinked or daubed, as is usual in log-houses, but we notched the logs down so close that they nearly or quite touched. A hole was cut for a door, which was never closed. We left it open in the day-time to give us light, and as we had plenty of good beds and bedding that had been left with the wagons, and were not afraid of burglars, we left it open at night also. This cabin is thus par- ticularly described because it became historic, as be- ing the residence of a portion of the ill-fated Donner party in 1846.

" On the evening of the day we finished our little house it began to snow, and that night it fell to a depth of three feet. This prevented a hunt which we had in contemplation for the next day. It did not worry us much, however, for the weather was not at all cold, and we thought the snow would soon melt. But we were doomed to disappointment. A week passed, and instead of any snow going off more came. At last we were compelled to kill our cows, for the snow was so deep that they could not get around to eat. They were nothing but skin and bones, but we killed the poor things to keep them from starving to death. We hung them up on the north side of the house and covered them with pine brush. That night the meat froze, and as the weather was just cold enough to keep it frozen, it remained fresh without salt. It kept on snowing continually, and our little cabin was almost covered. It was now about the last of November or first of December, and we began to fear that we should all perish in the snow.

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Pen pictures from the garden of the world, or Santa Clara county, California, Part 7

Author: Foote, Horace S., ed Publication date: 1888 Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 844

Author: Foote, Horace S., ed
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 844