USA > Wyoming > The history of Wyoming from the earliest known discoveries > Part 10
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in advance of the party. He had encamped the night be- fore on this stream. At their next encampment, on one of the tributaries of the Spanish (Green) River they perceived a large smoke at some distance to the southwest. The sight was hailed with joy, as they thought it might be an Indian camp whence they could procure something to eat. Le Clerc was despatched to reconnoiter, and the travelers sat up late in the hopes that he would bring them good news, but he did not come and they went supperless to bed. Le Clerc re- turned in the morning to tell them that the smoke arose from the camp-fire of Mclellan. He had found that eccen- tric individual in a worse condition than they were them- selves. He had been ill, he reported, yet had kept pushing forward; but now his strength was exhausted and he could go no farther. The party went to him and found the poor fellow wasted to a perfect skeleton and so feeble that he could scarcely raise his head. The presence of his comrades seemed to revive him, but they had no food to offer, for they were starving themselves. They urged him to rise and ac- company them, but he shook his head. It was all in vain, he said; there was no prospect of their getting speedy relief, and without it he should perish by the way; he might as well, therefore, stay and die where he was. At length, after much persuasion, they got him upon his legs; his rifle and other effects were shared among them, and he was cheered and aided forward. In this way they proceeded for seven- teen miles, over a level plain of sand, until, seeing a few antelope in the distance, they encamped on the margin of a small stream. All that were now capable of exertion turned out to hunt for a meal. Their efforts were fruitless, and af- ter dark they returned to their camp, famished almost to desperation.
As they were preparing for the third time to lay down to sleep without a mouthful to eat, Le Clerc, one of the Ca- nadians, gaunt and wild with hunger, approached Mr. Stu- art, with his gun in his hand. "It was all in vain," he said, "to attempt to proceed farther without food. They had a barren plain before them, three or four days' journey in
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extent, on which nothing was to be procured. They must all perish before they could get to the end of it. It was better, therefore, that one should die to save the rest." He proposed, therefore, that they should cast lots; adding as an inducement for Mr. Stuart to assent to the proposition, that he, as leader of the party, should be exempted. This inci- dent shows to what extremity these wanderers in the desert had arrived. Even the strong nature of Robert Stuart was shocked almost beyond measure by the horrible proposition. He could suffer and if need be die in the desert, but he could not consent to prolong life in the way proposed. He tried to reason with the man, but it was useless. He used argu- ment and spoke cheering words, but this had no effect; finally, he snatched up his rifle and threatened to shoot the man on the spot if he persisted in his inhuman argument. The famished wretch dropped on his knees, begged pardon in the most abject terms and solemnly promised never again to offend by such a suggestion. Again the tired and hungry wanderers went supperless to bed. At dawn of day they were on their way, as they realized that to linger was to perish. Nine miles farther on they ascended a range of hills, and two miles distant they came upon a run-down buffalo bull. The party stretched out along the plain in order to encompass the animal, as their lives depended on their success in killing him. A fortunate shot brought the monster down. The meat was at once cut up, but the poor wretches were unable to wait until a fire was built and the food prepared. Each seized a piece of the flesh and commenced to eat. After a while the remainder was carried to a small brook, where a fire was built and a broth made by Mr. Stuart, which he offered his companions, fearing they would eat to excess on the solid meat. Each took a portion of this broth and then waited until an ample supper was cooked. That night they adopted the Indian style of cook- ing and cramming, which was continued a greater part of the night, and next morning the feasting was resumed. They journeyed on, and on October 17th they passed two tributary streams of the Spanish (Green) River, close under
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the Wind River Mountains, which ranged along to the east. That day they saw buffalo and antelope but did not succeed in killing any. On the 18th, after crossing a mountain ridge and traversing a plain, they waded one of the branch- es of the Spanish River, and on ascending its bank met with about a hundred and thirty Snake Indians. They were friendly in their demeanor and conducted them to their encampment, which was about three miles distant. It con- sisted of about forty wigwams, constructed principally of pine branches. The Snakes, like most of their nation, were very poor; the meandering Crows, in their late excursion through the country, had picked this unlucky band to the very bone, carrying off their horses, several of their squaws and most of their effects. In spite of their poverty, they were hospitable in the extreme and made the hungry stran- gers welcome to their cabins. A few trinkets procured from them a supply of buffalo meat and of leather for moccasins, of which the party were greatly in need. The most valuable prize obtained from them, however, was a horse; it was a sorry old animal, in truth, after a fell swoop of the Crows, yet this they were prevailed upon to part with to their guests for a pistol, an ax, a knife, and a few other trifling articles.
On October 19th the party loaded their old horse with five days' provisions, consisting of buffalo meat. They pro- ceeded along a branch of the Spanish (Green) River and soon striking a large Indian trail they kept on it to the southeast. This trail was well-beaten and ran in a proper direction, and they therefore determined to travel it as far as safety would permit. This highway led through val- leys and high ridges, keeping a general direction to the southeast. That afternoon the two Canadians killed a young buffalo which was in good condition and afforded them a plentiful supply of fresh beef. The next morning they crossed the continental divide. Here they left the Indian trail, which changed its course, bearing to the north- east; they therefore left the trail, keeping on their course for eighteen miles, through a beautiful undulating coun-
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try. In the evening they encamped on the banks of a small stream in the open prairie. The next day (October 21st) they set forward, keeping to the northeast, toward the lofty summit of a mountain which it was necessary for them to cross, and having traveled fifteen miles, they camped at the base of the mountain and the next day crossed it. Mr. Stu- art's journal says that when they arrived at the opposite side of the mountain they found a rill of water oozing out of the earth, and resembling in look and taste the water of the Missouri. The next day they came upon a stream running to the east between two hills of bluish earth, strongly im- pregnated with copperas. Mr. Stewart was of the opinion that this stream was one of the tributaries of the Missouri and he determined to follow it, which he did for twenty. six miles, when he reached the top of a high hill, from which he could see the vast plain beyond, through which wandered the same stream, in a southeast direction, and he finally made up his mind that it could not be one of the sources of the Missouri; he therefore took an easterly direc- tion toward a high mountain sixty miles away. For two days they kept on toward this mountain.
On the 26th of October they steered east, northeast, for a wooded ravine in a mountain, at a small distance from the base of which, to their great joy, they discovered an abundant stream running between willow banks. Here they halted for the night, and Ben Jones luckily trapped a beaver, and killed two buffalo bulls. They remained in camp all the next day, feasting and reposing and allowing their jaded horse to rest. This stream was the Sweetwater, but it had not yet been named. The journal of Mr. Stuart says: "Pursuing the course of this stream for about twenty miles, they came to where it forced a passage through a range of high hills covered with cedars, into an extensive low country, affording an excellent pasture to numerous herds of buffalo." Here they killed three cows, which were the first they had been able to get, having hitherto had to content themselves with bull beef, which at this season of the year is very poor. The hump meat afforded them a re-
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past fit for an epicure. It will be discovered that the trav- elers had made a wide circuit to the south and crossed the continental divide many miles south of the headwaters of the Sweetwater. Had they kept the Indian trail to the Sweetwater they would have saved themselves many weari- some miles.
"Late on the afternoon of the 30th they came to where the stream, now to a considerable size, poured along in a ravine between precipices of red stone, two hundred feet in height. For a distance it dashed along, over huge masses of rock, with foaming violence, as if exasperated by being compressed in so narrow a channel, and at length leaped down a chasm that looked dark and frightful in the gather- ing twilight."
They had now reached the North Platte, but having crossed the point of land on the north side of the Sweet- water, were not aware that they had come upon another stream. The crossing from the Sweetwater to the Platte is now considerably north of the place where Stuart and his party came over. The northern road is comparatively smooth, there being no steep hills to climb.
"For a part of the next day the wild river, in its ca- pricious wanderings, led them through a variety of striking scenes. At one time they were upon high plains, like plat- forms among the mountains, with herds of buffaloes roam- ing about them; at another, among rude, rocky defiles, broken into cliffs and precipices, where the black-tailed deer bounded off among the crags, and the big-horn basked on the sunny brow of the precipice.
"In the after part of the day they came to another scene, surpassing in savage grandeur those already described. They had been traveling for some distance through a pass of the mountains, keeping parallel with the river as it roared along, out of sight, through a deep ravine. Sometimes their devious path approached the margin of cliffs below which the river foamed and boiled and whirled among the masses of rock that had fallen into its channel. As they crept cau- tiously on, leading their solitary pack-horse along these giddy heights, they all at once came to where the river thun- dered down a succession of precipices, throwing up clouds of spray, and making a prodigious din and uproar. The travelers remained for a time, gazing with mingled awe and
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Great Overland Trail Discovered.
delight at this furious cataract, to which Mr. Stuart gave, from the color of the impending rocks, the name of The Fiery Narrows."
Their camp was made on the banks of the river below the cataract and the next morning they started on down the river, and as they went along they discussed their situ- ation and their whereabouts. What stream they were on, they did not know. Some thought that it might be the Cheyenne, as it inclined somewhat to the north of east. They were certain that it was a tributary of the Missouri and that if they kept on they would reach home and friends. They talked over the probabilities of encountering the pi- ratical Sioux, Crows and Cheyennes; then they weighed their chances of being able to continue their journey through the deep snows when they reached the open prairie country, which they surely would farther down the river, where fuel for camp fires would be out of the question. It was finally agreed that the best thing to do was to select winter quarters and go into camp as soon as possible. Robert Stu- art says that they were brought the more promptly and unanimously to this decision by coming upon an excellent wintering place that promised everything requisite for their comfort. It was on a fine bend of the river, just below where it issued from among a ridge of mountains and bent toward the northeast. Here was a beautiful low point of land, covered by cottonwood and surrounded by a thick growth of willow, so as to yield both shelter and fuel, as well as materials for building. The river swept away in a strong current, about a hundred and fifty yards wide. To the southeast were mountains of moderate height, the near- est about two miles off, but the whole chain ranging to the east, south and west, as far as the eye could reach. Their summits were covered with extensive tracts of pitch pine, checkered with small patches of the quivering aspen. Lower down were thick forests of firs and red cedars, grow- ing out in many places from the very fissures of the rocks. The mountains were broken and precipitous, with huge bluffs protruding from among the forests. Their rocky re-
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cesses and beetling cliffs afforded retreats for innumerable flocks of the big-horn, while their woody summits and ra- vines abounded with bears and black-tailed deer. These, with the numerous herds of buffalo on the lower grounds along the river, provided the travelers abundant cheer in their winter quarters.
Those who are familiar with the country along the North Platte below the Sweetwater will recognize this win- ter camp of Robert Stuart's party. The bend of the river spoken of is where Bessemer is now located. The mountain across the river is Caspar Mountain, and the little brook, where Ben Jones and his party collected their meat, is the lower Poison Spider Creek.
"On the 2nd of November, therefore, they pitched their camp for the winter on the woody point, and their first thought was to obtain a supply of provisions. Ben Jones and the two Canadians accordingly sallied forth, accompa- nied by two others of the party, leaving but one to watch the camp. Their hunting was uncommonly successful. In the course of two days they killed thirty-two buffaloes and collected their meat, on the margin of a small brook, about a mile distant. Fortunately, a severe frost froze the river, so that the meat was easily transported to the encampment. On a succeeding day, a herd of buffalo came tramping through the woody bottom on the river banks, and fifteen more were killed. It was soon discovered, however, that there was game of a more dangerous nature in the neigh- borhood. On one occasion Mr. Crooks had wandered about a mile from the camp and had ascended a small hill com- manding a view of the river. He was without his rifle, a rare circumstance, for in these wild regions, where one may put up a wild animal or a wild Indian at any turn, it is customary never to stir from the campfire unarmed. The hill where he stood overlooked the place where the massa- cre of the buffalo had taken place. As he was looking round on the prospect, his eye was caught by an object be- low, moving directly toward him. To his dismay, he discov- ered it to be a grizzly bear with two cubs. There was no tree at hand into which he could climb; to run would only be to provoke pursuit, and he would soon be overtaken. He threw himself on the ground, therefore, and lay motion- less, watching the movements of the animal with intense
NATURAL-BRIDGE.
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PLATTE-CANON LOOKING SOUTH
PLATTE-CANON LOOKING NORTH.
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anxiety. It continued to advance until at the foot of the hill, when it turned and made into the woods, having prob- ably gorged itself with buffalo flesh. Mr. Crooks made all haste back to the camp, rejoicing at his escape and deter- mining never to stir out again without his rifle. A few days after this circumstance a grizzly bear was shot in the neighborhood by Mr. Miller.
"As the slaughter of so many buffaloes had provided the party with beef for the winter, in case they met with no fur- ther supply, they now set to work, heart and hand, to build a comfortable wigwam. In a little while the woody promon- tory rang with the unwonted sound of the ax. Some of its lofty trees were laid low, and by the second evening the cabin was complete. It was eight feet wide and eighteen feet long. The walls were six feet high and the whole was covered with buffalo skins. The fire-place was in the center and the smoke found its way out through a hole in the roof.
"The hunters were next sent out to procure deer-skins for garments, moccasins and other purposes. They made the mountains echo with their rifles, and in the course of two days' hunting killed twenty-eight big-horns and black- tailed deer.
"The party now reveled in abundance. After all that they had suffered from hunger, cold, fatigue and watch- fulness; after all their perils from treacherous and savage men, they exulted in the snugness and security of their iso- lated cabin, hidden, as they thought, even from the prying eyes of Indian scouts, and stored with creature comforts; and they looked forward to a winter of peace and quietness; of roasting, and boiling, and broiling, and feasting upon venison, and mountain mutton, and bear's meat, and mar- row bones, and buffalo humps, and other hunters' dainties, and of dozing and reposing around their fire and gossiping over past dangers and adventures, and telling long hunting stories, until spring should return, when they would make canoes of buffalo skins and float themselves down the river.
"From such halcyon dreams they were startled one morning at daybreak by a savage yell. They started up and seized their rifles. The yell was repeated by two or three voices. Cautiously peeping out they beheld, to their dismay, several Indian warriors among the trees, all armed and painted in warlike style, being evidently bent on some hostile purpose.
"Miller changed countenance as he regarded them. 'We
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are in trouble,' said he. 'These are some of the rascally Arapahoes that robbed me last year.' Not a word was ut- tered by the rest of the party, but they silently slung their powder horns and ball pouches and perpared for battle. Mclellan, who had taken his gun to pieces the evening be- fore, put it together in all haste. He proposed that they should break out the clay from between the logs, so as to be able to fire upon the enemy. 'Not yet,' replied Stuart; 'it will not do to show fear or distrust. We must first hold a parley. Someone must go out and meet them as a friend.' "Who was to undertake the task? It was full of peril, as the envoy might be shot down at the threshold.
" 'The leader of a party,' said Miller, 'always takes the advance.'
"'Good!' replied Stuart. 'I am ready.' He immedi- ately went forth, one of the Canadians following him. The rest of the party remained in the garrison to keep the sav- ages in check.
"Stuart advanced, holding his rifle in one hand and ex- tending the other to the savage that appeared to be the chief. The latter stepped forward and took it; his men fol- lowed his example and all shook hands with Stuart in token of friendship. They now explained their errand. They were a war party of Arapahoe braves; their village lay on the stream several days' journey to the eastward. It had been attacked and ravaged during their absence by a band of Crows, who had carried off several of their women and most of their horses. For sixteen days they had been track- ing the Crows about the mountains, but had not yet come upon them. In the meantime they had met with scarcely any game and were half famished. About two days pre- viously they had heard the report of firearms among the mountains, and on searching in the direction of the sound had come to a place where a deer had been killed. They had immediately put themselves upon the track of the hunters, and by following it up had arrived at the cabin."
Making a virtue of necessity, the chief and sub-chief were politely invited to enter the cabin, but Mr. Stuart and his associates by motions indicated to the chief that the bal- ance of his party must remain on the outside. Upon reach- ing the inside of the hut, the chief glanced with satisfaction at the rafters, which were laden with the choicest cuts of buffalo, elk and deer meat. The two savages were invited
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to partake of the hospitality of the wayfarers and large quantities of meat were also passed out to the twenty-three savages who were awaiting their chief. Then commenced a scene of gormandizing so well known to all who are ac- quainted with the Indian character. They ate all day with slight intermissions and continued their feast way into the night. Mr. Stuart intended to feed them to stupefaction, and in this he succeeded admirably. The two chiefs gorged themselves, not unlike anacondas, became stupid and un- able to do the travelers harm even had they so desired. The chief, under the good treatment, became exceedingly friend- ly and boasted of the scalps they would take from the Crows when they should overtake them, and asked Mr. Stuart for a small supply of powder, promising to pay munificently out of the spoils of victory, saying that they were poor now and on foot, but when they returned in two weeks they would be riding horses and would provide the white men each with a horse to prevent them from being tired on their journey. The reply to this proposition was that when they brought the horses they should have the ammunition, but not before. The Indian is a good judge of human nature and understands the signs indicated by the tone and expression of the face, and seeing Mr. Stuart's attitude realized that it would be useless to continue further negotiations and dismissed the subject with a good-humored laugh. The unwelcome visit- ors remained until 10 o'clock of the next day and went away laden with the winter stores of the Astorians, sufficient to last them a week.
As soon as the vagabond band was out of sight the little party held a council and determined to move, and thus take no chances of the savages returning.
It was the 13th of December when they left their com- fortable winter camp where they had enjoyed the sweetest repose for five short weeks. They passed down the north side of the Platte and within twenty miles came opposite to where Casper now stands. The snow was deep and a crust had formed on the surface, but they hurried along and by the time they reached the locality where the city of
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Douglas now cheers the traveler, their feet had become sore by coming in contact with the hard crust which had formed on the snow and through which they broke at every step. Soon the whole party became dispirited and the opinion was held by the majority that they might better have remained in their comfortable camp and run the risk of being killed by Indians than to drag on thus painfully with a probability of perishing by the way. Their poor old horse was loaded down with meat, but they had nothing wherewith to feed him except willow twigs and cottonwood bark. The leader of the party cheered them on, assuring them that they were constantly shortening the distance to that point on the river where it would be navigable for canoes. They passed cottonwood groves and at last reached a place where the river ran between rocky hills and promontories covered with cedar and pitch pines, and peopled as they said with big-horn sheep and deer. This was the Platte River Canon. They kept on and finally passed the point where twenty-two years later Captain William Sublette and Robert Campbell built their trading post, which was to become the historic Fort Laramie.
If Robert Stuart could have looked forward and real- ized that he was blazing the way for a new road across the continent,and that thirty-one years later Marcus Whitman was to pass over it with a train of a thousand people, it would have cheered him in his lonely wanderings. But not- withstanding his lack of knowledge of the future, he will ever be known as the pioneer explorer of the Overland Trail. This journey across the continent surpassed all others in adventure, in heroism and in results. He it was who discov- ered a practical route across the mountains which possessed great advantages over every other.
After this digression, let us again proceed on the toil- some journey with these weary travelers. They pushed on, the weather became colder, and the swift current of the river was frozen over. The snow was now fifteen inches deep, and yet they pressed forward and soon came to where the face of the country was level and the timber had disap-
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peared. They looked out over the great plain, where noth- ing but desolation met their eyes, and here they came to a halt, sensible of the fact that they could not safely pursue their journey farther east until the snow and rigors of win- ter were past, nor could they remain where they were. It will be recognized that they were now in Nebraska. They retraced their steps seventy-seven miles and again went into winter quarters in a cottonwood grove on the margin of the river, where the trees were large enough for canoes. Here again they erected a house, but before it was completed New Year's Day of 1813 came, and they ceased from their labors, resolved to make it a holiday. It was indeed a happy new year to them, for they saw that it was now simply a question of waiting until spring arrived. On the second day of January they went manfully to work again on their new house and in a few days completed it. Buffalo and other game was plentiful in the neighborhood and they soon had an abundance of provisions, and here they remained for the balance of the winter. During the time spent at this encampment they built canoes, intending to launch them early in the spring. By this time they were pretty well con- vinced that they were on the Platte River. The location of this camp was on the border of Wyoming, where the State of Nebraska joins. Some claim that the identical spot is Gering, and if so it would be just over the line in Nebraska.
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