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People, animals alike suffered on trek west
By Jerry Bowen
When we last left the Pleasant Hill wagon train, it had split
into three groups because of the increased scarcity of feed for the animals as
they continued their weary trek toward Independence Rock, the next major
landmark.
It's at this point that James S. Pleasants in his chronicle lets us know that it
is the latter part of July. J. Goldsborough Bruff was also approaching
Independence Rock on July 27, 1849, so the two wagon trains at one time must
have been in the company of each other. Pleasants had little to say about the
trail at that time other than they were out of the buffalo's range and they had
to use greasewood for fuel.
Bruff describes the weather at the same time as follows: "Rain fell in a perfect
sheet, blinding and appalling lightening, and crashing thunder ... then
hailstones of extraordinary size, not only cut and bruised the men, whose faces
and hands were bleeding, but it also cut the mules."
When the Pleasant Hill party arrived at Independence Rock, William Pleasants
climbed up on top and, "... and wrote my name there." Unfortunately, his name is
one of many that haven't survived the ravages of time.
The emigrants felt that if they reached Independence Rock by July, they would be
able go the rest of the way without being trapped later by the deep snows of
winter. Many also thought they were halfway to their destination, but they still
had many miles ahead of them to that point.
Another diarist, Wakeman Bryarly, (Trail to California, published in 1945 by
Yale University Press) who passed Independence Rock a few days earlier than
Pleasants, commented about another of our pioneers of Solano County, Lansford W.
Hastings, and an experience at Independence Rock in 1844:
"It was the Oregon emigration of 1844. Two men with it, by name Hastings &
Love-joy, (went) ahead of the train some distance for the purpose of ascending
the rock before it came up. They imprudently left their guns sitting against the
rock at its base & went up. They scarcely got up before the war whoop of 250
Indians was heard & they were described by the men as jumping up from every sage
bush & bunch of grass. The men were the more surprised because they had
examined, as they thought, well, all around the place for fear of these
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self-same fellows. They were still more surprised when they saw their own guns
pointed towards them and ordered to come down. They came down and were seized by
the Indians & treated with the greatest indignity. The young Indians spit in
their faces, pulled their ears & nose. They were stript & whipt most
unmercifully & driven thus towards the train which, so soon as they perceived
them, corralled. One Indian snapped a pistol three times at Lovejoy's head, but
his time had not yet come. They demanded a most exorbitant ransom, in
provisions, for them, which had to be paid, and they were released. This taught
them however, never to stray too far from home. Lovejoy is now Mayor of Oregon
City, & Hastings is one of those who with Sutter, just invited the emigration to
California."
About four miles west of Independence Rock the wagon train came to "Devil's
Gate." Pleasants described it as, "This river (the Sweetwater River) flows
through a wonderful canyon, known as the Devil's Gate. It is a narrow gorge,
only about sixty feet wide, and probably three miles in length. The walls on
either side are of solid rock about three hundred feet high and perpendicular."
The trail skirts around the "gate" because it is too rocky to pass through.
For the next 25 days, Pleasants comments only that they followed the entire
length of the Sweetwater River and that on the 15th day they crossed over the
continental divide. He says little about the hardships on the trail at the time.
While most trail journals comment about the increasing number of dead animals
and human graves, Pleasants says little. It is apparent that he was getting a
little homesick. At this time the party has lost four men to cholera and one,
David Rice, to fever. They had seen thousands of Indians and traded with them.
As they crossed the "Great Divide," he reflected on the trip up to that time.
"Since leaving the Lone Elm, our starting point, some ninety days ago, our
course has been uphill ... In all this time no word from home has reached us,
neither has there been an opportunity to send a message back, hence the anxiety
of our loved ones must be extreme. They know that a hundred dangers to one that
threatens them ... the days lengthen into weeks and weeks into months, and still
that awful silence and uncertainty, and hope deferred that maketh the heart
sick."
About 20 days after passing the Divide they reached the Green River and passed
over the Bear River Mountains, and their course took them to Fort Hall, Idaho on
the northeast edge of American Falls Reservoir.
From there they followed the Oregon Trail along the Snake River until they
reached its junction with the Raft River. At this point, known as the Raft River
Crossing, they turned south onto |
the California Trail and headed into the desert country of Nevada to the
Humboldt River. The crossing over the desert lands had taken their toll on
numerous wagon trains as they wound their way west.
Pleasants says nothing about the 200 miles traveled alongside the Humboldt River
until they reach a point where the trail forks once again west of today's
Winnemucca, Nev. The trail divides at this point, the California Trail heading
south across the dreaded Humboldt Sink, also known as the Forty Mile Desert, and
the Applegate-Lassen Trail continues westerly toward the Black Rock Desert. Some
choice! Both trails become even worse, with worn out animals, and deadly.
Pleasants commented, "After due consideration and much discussion regarding the
merits and demerits of the two routes, we decided in favor of the Oregon Trail."
If one were to take a critical look at suffering on the trails to California and
Oregon, perhaps you would come to the conclusion that the ones to suffer the
most were the oxen, mules and, in fewer cases, horses that dragged the heavy
wagons day after day. Even though many of the owners developed a genuine
affection for their beasts of burden, much as a dog is to today's pet owners,
there was often little they could do to lessen their agony. They were essential
to the survival of the owners.
Pleasants goes on to say, "All that afternoon and night our train crawled slowly
on across this silent barren waste, and then just as the day was breaking, we
reached Rabbit Springs. Here was only a weak flow of water, but we managed to
replenish our water casks and give to each head of stock one gallon."
What an understatement!
Rabbit Springs is the last stop for water before entering the Black Rock Desert,
and as J. Goldborough Bruff described it at about the same time, "Road powder
blinding & chocking one. Afternoon the road branched around a bluff to the
right; where, in 200 yards I found, near an orange colored clay spur, a well, or
tank of water, and a crowd of thirsty men and animals surrounding it. A few
yards to the left of this another similar hole, filled up with a dead ox, his
hind-quarters & legs only sticking out above ground. Dead oxen thick about here,
and stench suffocating. The road here sweeps around westerly, a few hundred
yards, then SW-descending very gradually, to a level white clay hill, beat
perfectly bare of everything but dust, carcasses, and relics of used up wagons,
&c, by innumerable travelers and camps."
With that imprinted on your mind, I'll close this session of the trip with the
Pleasant Hill Train and continue it in my next column.
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