USA > California > San Francisco County > San Francisco > The beginnings of San Francisco : from the expedition of Anza, 1774, to the city charter of April 15, 1850 : with biographical and other notes, Vol. II > Part 14
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The altitude of the Great Basin averages about forty two or forty-three hundred feet. From Truckee meadows, an altitude of forty-five hundred feet, the trail enters the sierra and following up the cañon of the Truckee river reaches Prosser creek, thirty miles above, at an elevation of fifty-six hundred feet. Thence to Donner lake, seven miles, elevation six thousand feet. From the camp on Donner creek to the head of the lake is four miles. A mile from the upper end of the lake the trail comes to the foot of precipitous cliffs and the greatest difficulty of the ascent. It is a mile and a half to the summit of the pass and the rise is twelve hundred feet. Crossing the
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summit, altitude seven thousand two hundred feet, Summit valley is reached in a mile and a half, altitude sixty-seven hundred and fifty feet. From Summit valley to Bear valley is about twenty-five miles, elevation forty-five hundred feet; thence to Mule springs (Dutch Flat) fifteen miles, elevation thirty-five hundred feet. Twelve or fifteen miles below this point the forlorn hope emerged from the snow of the sierra.
In June 1847 General Kearny, with whom was William O. Fallon and Edwin Bryant, passed the camps on his way to the Missouri, buried such remains as he could find and burned the cabins. The work of burial was completed by returning Mormons of the battalion in September of the same year.
As this work goes to press the book of Mrs. Houghton is received: (Expedition of the Donner Party, by Eliza P. Donner Houghton). Mrs. Houghton states that Oakley and Stone of the third relief did not desert the helpless ones at Starved Camp, but assisted in bringing them out; a statement which is probably correct. Other- wise her story does not conflict with the foregoing in any material detail.
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NOTE 34 THE OVERLAND ROUTE
The emigration to California by the southern or Santa Fé route passed up the Arkansas river to Bent's fort, thence southwesterly to Santa Fé; thus far over the Santa Fé trail, a road well traveled. Leaving Santa Fé they passed down the Rio Grande, crossed over to the headwaters of the Gila, down the Gila to its junction with the Colorado, across the Colorado desert and over the San Jacinto mountains by Warner's rancho or the Vallecito pass, to San Diego. A few, for fear of the Apaches, came over the Camino del Diablo, but so fearful was the suffering by that route that it was soon abandoned.
The great mass of the emigrants went by the central route. Leaving Independence on the Missouri river the train passed out on to the open prairie. In the beginning large companies under a single commander were the rule, but experience soon taught the emigrants that with small companies they could travel more easily, make better time, and obtain better grass and water facilities. The emigrants set out on their long journey with enthusiasm and were most cordial and friendly in their relations with one another. The exhilaration produced by the pure air, the vastness and grandeur of the prairies bounded only by the blue horizon, the succession of green undula- tions and flowery slopes, was scarcely controllable and all were happy in the joyous anticipations of the future. There was little thought of hardship; the families were well equipped and provided with every comfort for the journey and nearly every family had a cow or two to furnish fresh milk and cream. The camp was usually made early in the afternoon where grass and water was
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plenty; the wagons were drawn up in a circle forming a corral wherein such horses and cattle as were likely to stray were confined. Outside of the corral the tents were pitched with their doors outward; in front of these the camp fires were lighted and the culinary operations performed. After the evening meal was concluded the time was passed in friendly calls, in singing, dancing, etc., and all retired early to rest. In the morning after an early breakfast the "catching-up" or yoking of the cattle and attaching them to the wagons proceeded with great bustle, noise, and confusion and by nine o'clock the train began to move. The ceremony of organizing the company, of choosing officers, of adopting regulations for govern- ment of the party during the journey to California was one of importance and was usually performed at one of the early camps after leaving Independence. The elec- tioneering for the position of captain of the company was, at times, very strenuous, and the claims of ambitious candidates were urged with vehemence by their respective friends.
The harmony prevailing at the start was usually of short duration. Nothing tries out the disposition of men like the close companionship and petty inconveniences and annoyances of a long journey. The companies were, as a rule, made up of people who were meeting for the first time and were not, therefore, bound together by those ties of friendship that endure small irritants and infirmi- ties of temper. Many of the men soon manifested petulance, incivility, and a want of a spirit of accommo- dation. This resulted in much wrangling, and angry altercations arose from trifling matters, sometimes ter- minating in violence and blood. Disruptions, forming of new combinations only to be broken up in turn, fol- lowed with increasing frequency as the journey proceeded and its weary length became a tale of hardship and
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suffering. The position of a captain or leader was not always an agreeable one. The by-laws and regulations adopted for the government of the company were not easily enforced and the court of arbitrators appointed to decide disputes between parties and punish offenders against the peace and order of the company had little authority. The person condemned was certain to appeal to the assembly of the whole, and he was nearly certain of acquittal on any charge under that of robbery or murder. In all emigration parties there were men of desperate and depraved character who were perpetu- ally endeavoring to produce discord, disorganization, and collision. In crossing the Missouri Line, about twelve miles west of Independence, the emigrants passed beyond the incorporated territories of the United States into the wilderness, peopled only by savages, with no law but that of might; hence the necessity for organization in the interests of law and order.
On leaving Independence the emigrants took the Santa Fé trail for about fifty miles and then crossed the Waka- rusa creek and traveled in a northwesterly direction to the Kansas river which they crossed by flatboat ferry three or four miles east of the present Topeka; thence west-northwest they crossed the Big Blue river near the present town of Randolph, Kansas; thence northwest they struck the Little Blue river at about Hebron, Nebraska; thence traveling up the valley of the Little Blue they reached the Platte eight miles below the head of Grand island. They now followed up the south bank of the river, sometimes on the river bottom, treeless and dreary, their fuel "buffalo chips" (bois de vache), drinking the warm and unpleasant water of the Platte, and pestered by immense swarms of ravenous mosquitoes. A journey of one hundred and ten miles brings the pilgrims to the forks of the Platte and they
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follow up the south fork for a distance of about sixty miles and then strike across in a north-northwest direction and pass down Ash Hollow to the North Platte, a distance of twenty-two miles. The trail now ascends the north fork, sometimes in the river bottom, and then making a circuit to avoid the bluffs which wall in the river and interrupt the travel. The face of the country now pre- sents characteristics which unmistakably proclaim it to be uninhabitable by civilized man. The light sand, driven by the bleak winds across the parched plains, fills the atmosphere and colors the vegetation with a gray coating of dust. The monotony of the scenery is inexpressibly dreary and the emigrant, scorched by the sun by day and chilled by freezing blasts by night, labors on, his enthusiasm gone and his anticipations dulled by the weary toil and stern privations of the journey. His cattle are driven off by wolves, mounted Indians stampede his horses, and he is yet in the first stage of his journey. Up the north fork runs the trail to Fort Laramie. At this point it leaves the river and passing through the Black hills (Laramie mountains) joins the river again at the ferry, near the present town of Casper, Wyoming. Here the emigrants say good-bye to the Platte and a journey of sixty miles of arid plains and bleak cliffs brings them to Independence Rock and the Sweetwater river. One hundred and fourteen miles up the Sweetwater and they reach the South pass and the backbone of the continent. Crossing the pass, the trail descends by a gentle declivity for two miles to Pacific spring, the waters of which flow into the Colorado river and the gulf of California.
From Pacific spring the route lies west by north for twenty-eight miles over an arid plain covered with sage brush, to the Little Sandy, an affluent of the Green river; thence westerly twelve miles to the Big Sandy river.
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Here is one of the numerous "cut-offs"-a saving of dis- tance at the expense of life and property. For forty- five or fifty miles the trail of Greenwood's Cut-off, as it is called, is across a desert without water to the Green river. The main trail continues down the Green about forty miles then leaving the river it ascends the bluffs and continuing in a southwesterly direction it reaches Black's Fork in a distance of fifteen miles. Forty miles up Black's Fork is Fort Bridger. From Fort Bridger the regular trail takes a northwest course to Ham's Fork, up Ham's Fork, across the divide, down the Muddy river to Bear river, which here runs northward, down the Bear to Soda springs or Beer springs, as it is sometimes called, thence across to Portneuf river down which the trail follows to Fort Hall, on Snake river. Down the Snake the emigrants travel for about fifty miles to Raft river where the Oregon and California emigrants part company. The California trail proceeded up Raft river a distance of about seventy-five miles, thence over the mountains to Goose creek, to its head waters, and thence over the desert in a southwest direction to the head waters of the Humboldt.
The "Hastings' Cut-off," the taking of which proved so disastrous to the Donner party, was a trail passing to the south of Great Salt Lake. Leaving Fort Bridger and traveling in a west-northwest direction the trail passed over the rugged Unitah mountains to Bear river, thence over the Wasatch mountains to the Salt Lake valley passing "Ogden's Hole" and emerging from the mountains about where the city of Ogden now is, thence around the foot of the lake, across Tooele and Scull valleys and striking the Salt Lake desert after passing Cedar mountains; thence in a northwesterly direction about sixty-five miles, thence turning southwest for about fifteen miles, then westerly across the Gosiute and
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Peoquop ranges, thence southwest and south, past Eagle, or Snow Water lake, Franklin, and Ruby lakes to a low pass of the Humboldt range on the fortieth parallel, thence westerly across the mountains thirty miles to Eureka creek, or South Humboldt river as it was then called, thence north to the Humboldt river at Palisade where it joined the main emigrant trail. From here the trail followed the Humboldt river to its sink. Sixty-five miles above the sink, near the present Mill City, Nevada, the northern or Lassen route branched off from the main trail. From seven to nine thousand persons of the emigration of 1849 were persuaded to take this trail, being informed that it was much easier, had more grass and water, etc., only to discover, to their horror, that this was the most dreadful road of all, and so many perished of this emigration that the trail was given the name of the "death route." Leaving the Humboldt at the Lassen Meadows the trail ran in a general northwest direction, passing in turn Antelope spring, Rabbit Hole spring, Black Rock desert, Stove Pipe spring (off the road), Mud spring, High Rock cañon, Willow spring, and Massacre lake; then passing between Upper and Middle Alkali lakes, it turned north to Lassen pass and over the pass to Goose lake. The emigrant had traveled over one hundred and sixty miles from the Humboldt only to find himself over two hundred miles of rough mountain travel from the nearest settlement. Down the shore of Goose lake, to Pitt river ran the trail, down Pitt river to Horse creek, thence southerly to Deer creek and Peter Lassen's rancho of Bosquejo.
From the sink of the Humboldt the emigrants had a choice of two routes. The central was across the desert to the Truckee river at Wadsworth, up the Truckee to Donner lake, over the Donner pass to the south fork of the Yuba, down the Yuba to Bear valley, down Bear river
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to Johnson's rancho, where the trail crossed the Bear. This was known as the Truckee and Bear valley route.
The second route, known as the Carson or Mormon route, ran south from the Humboldt sink, to the Carson river, up the Carson to Genoa-then called Mormon station-thence southerly a distance of seventeen miles to West Carson cañon through which it ascended the Sierra Nevada through Hope valley to Carson pass, over this pass at an elevation of nine thousand feet, thence by Twin lakes, Silver lake, Tragedy springs, Cold Springs ranch, Sly Park, Pleasant valley, and Smith's Flat, to Placerville.
A party of forty-five men from the Mormon battalion, and one woman, wife of one of the soldiers, started in July 1848 from Pleasant valley to cross the sierra and make their way to Salt Lake. They had two small brass pieces, bought of Sutter, and every man had a musket. They had seventeen wagons, one hundred and fifty horses and about the same number of cattle. They had sent men in advance to make a road over which their wagons could pass, and three of their men, David Browett, Ezrah H. Allen, and Henderson Cox, were surprised and killed by Indians at a place called by them Tragedy springs, which name it still bears. The road they laid out became the Carson or Mormon route for the emigration of 1849 and subsequent years. They gave Hope valley its name because when they reached the valley they began to feel hopeful of getting through.
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NOTE 35 THE MILITARY GOVERNORS OF CALIFORNIA
Mexican rule in California terminated when Commo- dore Sloat, on July 7, 1847, landed his forces at Monterey, raised the American flag, and proclaimed California United States territory. On December 20, 1849, General Riley turned over to the newly elected state government the administration of affairs, although California was not admitted to the rights and privileges of a state of the union until September 9, 1850. During the interregnum between the last Mexican governor and the first repre- sentative American governor, the territory was ruled by military chiefs who used the right, under the law of nations, to establish a civil government within the con- quered territory to secure the conquest and to protect the persons and property of the people. On the ratifi- cation of the treaty of peace, the military government, as such, came to an end, but until congress provided a government for the territory, the rule of the military chiefs, being a government de facto, was continued. Thus to the cares and responsibilities of a military commander were added all the details of civil government for which he was fitted neither by training nor experience. Among the many vexing questions to be solved were those relating to land titles and to the customs dues. The customs dues were fixed by Stockton at fifteen per cent. ad valorem, with fifty cents tonnage charge on foreign ships. In October 1847 the governor received a war tariff from Washington to apply to all Mexican ports in possession of the United States officers. It imposed extraordinary specific duties as war contributions, and was
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intended to force the Mexican government by loss of revenue and by popular complaint to sue for peace. Both Mason and Shubrick, the naval commander, rec- ognized the injustice and impolicy of applying such a measure to California and decided not to enforce it. Mason explained his position and defended the liberty he had taken in substituting a modified tariff for that ordered, by referring to the instructions of June 3, 1846, to General Kearny, to the effect that duties should be reduced "to such a rate as may be barely sufficient to maintain the necessary civil officers without yielding any revenue to the government," and he said that promises and assurances, based on those instructions, had been given to the people of California as a solemn pledge on the part of the government. Mason issued his modified tariff making an ad valorem rate of twenty per cent. and reduced the tonnage rate on foreign bottoms to fifteen cents. The money thus collected was known as the "civil fund" and was only used to defray the expenses of civil government. Some loans were made to the military officers from this fund but they were loans only, to be returned on receipt of the treasury drafts. The great increase of trade following the gold discoveries caused this fund to reach a considerable amount and there was some controversy over the disposition of it. Just how much was collected I do not know, but between August 6, 1848, and November 12, 1849, there had been collected $1,365,000; and by the end of military rule there was in the hands of the governor nearly a million dollars.
The rule of Commodore Sloat was brief. On July 29th he transferred the command to Commodore Stockton and sailed on the Levant for home. Stockton was concerned mainly with the conquest and on January 19, 1847, he turned over the civil authority to Frémont whose commission as governor he signed on the sixteenth,
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though General Kearny was in California and Stockton was aware of Kearny's instructions to assume command and form a civil government in that territory. As to Frémont's administration, I have given an account of that officer in a separate note. This then brings us down to
GENERAL KEARNY
Stephen Watts Kearny was born at Newark, New Jersey, in 1794; died at St. Louis, Missouri, October 31, 1848. He was a student at Columbia college, New York, in 1812, and would have graduated in the summer of that year. When it became apparent that war must ensue between the United States and Great Britain he applied for a commission in the army and was appointed from New York first lieutenant in the Thirteenth infantry, John E. Wool, captain. His commission was dated March 12, 1812. He was in the engagement at Queens- town Heights, October 13, 1812, and was commended by his colonel for gallantry in battle. He was made a captain April 1, 1813; major of Third infantry May I, 1829; lieutenant-colonel of first dragoons March 4, 1833; colonel July 4, 1836; brigadier-general June 30, 1846; brevet major April 1, 1820, for ten years' faithful service in one grade, and major-general for gallant and meritorious conduct in New Mexico and California to date from the battle of San Pascual, December 6, 1846.
Kearny accompanied General Atkinson on his exploring expedition to the Yellowstone and in 1834 took part in a campaign against the Comanches. In 1842 he was given command of the Third military department with headquarters at St. Louis. With five companies of his dragoons he marched in 1845 to the South pass returning by way of Fort Bent and holding councils with various Indian tribes.
BRIGADIER-GENERAL STEPHEN W. KEARNY
TnF BEGINNINGS OF SAN FRANCISCO
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NOTES
In anticipation of a war with Mexico Colonel Kearny, then in command at Fort Leavenworth, was in the spring of 1846 selected to command an expedition to be sent against the northern Mexican provinces, more particularly New Mexico and California. Kearny's instructions, dated June 3, 1846, directed him to occupy Santa Fé, and after providing a sufficient garrison from his com- mand, with the force remaining to press forward to the conquest of Upper California whose early possession was deemed to be of the greatest importance; and he was instructed to conduct himself in such a manner as would best conciliate the inhabitants and render them friendly to the United States.
The troops of the expedition rendezvousing at Fort Leavenworth consisted of six squadrons of First dragoons under Major E. V. Sumner, two batteries of light artillery under Major Meriwether Lewis Clark, two companies of infantry under Captain W. Z. Angney, the Laclede Rangers under Captain Thomas B. Hudson, and the First regiment Missouri mounted volunteers under Colonel Alexander W. Doniphan-in all sixteen hundred and fifty-eight men and sixteen pieces of ordnance- twelve six-pounders and four twelve-pound howitzers. In addition was a corps of field and topographical engineers consisting of Lieutenant William H. Emory, Lieutenant William H. Warner, Lieutenant J. W. Abert, and Lieu- tenant G. W. Peck. The force was styled the "Army of the West" and began its march June 26, 1846, in detached columns, and on July 29th crossed into Mexican territory and concentrated in admirable order and pre- cision at a camp nine miles below Bent's fort. After a brief rest at Bent's fort the march to Santa Fé was resumed and on August 18th Kearny entered the capital of New Mexico, the enemy retiring before his advance. The flag was raised on the plaza and saluted with thirteen
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THE BEGINNINGS OF SAN FRANCISCO
guns by Major Clark's batteries. A few days before, at Las Vegas, an express from Fort Leavenworth reached the army bringing Kearny's commission as brigadier- general. On the nineteenth Kearny assembled the citizens and addressed them saying that the United United States had taken possession of New Mexico and that he would establish a civil government for the depart- ment, assuring them of protection for person, property, and religion. In addition to the Doniphan regiment another regiment of Missouri volunteers had been raised and was marching to Santa Fé under command of Colonel Sterling Price. They were to form a part of Kearny's force and march to California, should they be needed. Kearney was also authorized to raise a battalion among the Mormons who were assembling on the Missouri river preparatory to a migration across the plains. Kearny sent Captain Allen of the First dragoons from Fort Leavenworth to enlist from among the Mormons who wished to go to California, five companies of one hundred men each, each company to elect its own officers, the battalion to be commanded by Allen with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. The battalion so formed was assembled at Fort Leavenworth where Lieutenant-colonel Allen fell sick and the troops marched to Santa Fé under command of Lieutenant Andrew J. Smith of the First dragoons. They reached Santa Fe on the ninth and twelfth of October where they were received by Colonel Doniphan with a discharge of artillery, much to their delight.
On September 25th General Kearny began the march from Santa Fé to California with three hundred dragoons and two mountain howitzers, leaving orders for the Mormon battalion to follow him. Colonel Doniphan was to await the arrival of the regiment under Colonel Price and then march his regiment into Chihuahua and
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report to Brigadier-general Wool, leaving Santa Fé in charge of Price. The artillery was divided, a part to accompany Doniphan and the rest to remain in Santa Fé. Proceeding down the Rio Grande Kearny met, on October 6th a few miles below Socorro, an express from California with dispatches for Washington from Commodore Stockton. This was Kit Carson with a party of fifteen men, including six Delaware Indians. Carson informed Kearny that the conquest of California had been completed and the territory was in the quiet possession of the Americans. In consequence of this information Kearny sent back to Santa Fé two hundred of his three hundred dragoons. He retained companies C and K, one hundred dragoons, under Captain Benjamin D. Moore, Lieutenant Thomas C. Hammond, and Lieutenant John W. Davidson, the latter in charge of the two howitzers. His staff consisted of Captain Henry S. Turner, acting assistant adjutant-general; Captain Abraham R. Johnston, aide-de-camp; Major Thomas Swords, quartermaster; Lieutenants William H. Emory and William H. Warner of the topographical engineers, with a dozen assistants and servants; and Assistant- surgeon John S. Griffin. Antoine Robidoux was the guide and Kearny insisted that Carson, being more familiar with the route, turn back and guide them to California. Carson was unwilling to do so saying he had pledged himself to deliver his dispatches in person, and he also desired to see his family. Kearny, however assumed the responsibility for the dispatches, and Carson consented to return. The entire force of officers and men numbered one hundred and twenty-three. The com- mand was mounted on mules, it being thought that they would stand the hardships of the journey better than horses. After two days' march Carson told the com- mander that at their rate of travel it would take four
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