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In Loving Memory of
My Father
William C. Lobenstine

That those of us who follow after
may honor and love his memory and
live worthy of his name

This book does not in any sense purport to bea biography. Often during Father's lifetime, onour long walks together or during long quietevenings at home, he would tell of his earlylife, repeating over and over certain incidentswhich had impressed him deeply and so—whenafter he had gone we found among hispapers two closely written diaries bound incalf, telling of his trip to California and thereturn from there—it seemed most natural towork over these diaries, to try to make out theirclosely penciled pages and, when that wasdone, with as few changes as possible, to publishthese, together with a brief sketch of hisearly life and a few explanatory notes, for hisfamily, friends, and any others who may beinterested in these early experiences of one whocame seeking the best in this country.

The construction has been left unchangedand is very suggestive of the German, whilethe use of words, if at times inaccurate andsomewhat flowery, is remarkable when oneconsiders that but three years before he hadcome to this country an immigrant boy, knowingno English whatever. He was constantlyreading, both books and the daily papers (hasspoken often of how, later on, he took theNew York Tribune to study the editorials byHorace Greeley), and then trying to use thenew words which he found—doubtless keepinghis diary partly for that purpose. On thewhole it would seem that he has succeeded inmaking his thoughts remarkably clear. Someof these are very characteristic of him as weknew him in later years—but in religious mattershe had reacted from the despotism of astrong established church and of a narrow-mindedbigotry without as yet knowing thedeep personal religious experience which wasafterwards his. As to his political views—itis hard to believe that they were written in1852 when they might equally well have beenexpressed at any time since 1914.

Christian Lobenstine or William C. Lobenstine,as he called himself later on in thiscountry, was born in Eisfeld, Dukedom ofMeiningen, on November eighth, eighteen hundredand thirty-one. He was the youngest inhis family. The others were Theodore, Caroline,Frederic, Bernard, Dorothea, Georgia, andHenry. They were the children of JohanneAndreas and of Elizabeth Lobenstein.

His father and older brothers were tannersand also farmers. Of the brothers, Theodore,the eldest, seems to have been the most lovable,always kind to his younger brothers and sisters.Father always spoke very affectionately of him.Frederic, on the other hand, the first of theboys to come to this country, was stern andrather arbitrary to the other members of thefamily. These, and Henry who also came tothis country, together with his father and hismother, whose gentleness and care he neverforgot, were the only ones of whom he everspoke.

The earliest known incident of his life, andone to which he often referred, came when hewas about seven years old. He, with otherchildren, was playing by a stream near the tannery,and he fell in. It was early spring andthe waters were swollen by melting snows sothat he was carried down stream very rapidly.His friends ran along the banks with grapplinghooks trying in vain to reach him. Finally,however, the stream ran under a bridge andhere Theodore ran out and with one of the greathooks used in handling hides in the tanyard,caught him by the buttonhole of his vest.He was unconscious but they were able tobring him to and carried him to an uncle whohad an inn near by. After a night's rest, theytook him home, none the worse for his adventure.

As he grew older he became ambitious fora good education and one day while workingin the fields with his father, mustered up courageto ask him to send him away to school,and won his consent. He studied three yearsand a half at the Real Gymnasium in Meiningen.His life was one of the simplest and hardest.He had an attic room with some townspeopleand ate his midday meal with them. His breakfastsand suppers consisted of a jug of waterand a big piece of the rye bread of the countrywith butter. Once in a while, his family wouldsend him down a ham. He kept his cot at thewindow so that he might be awakened by thefirst rays of the rising sun and begin to study,for he always worked hard for what he got andwas an earnest, faithful student rather than abrilliant one. He kept, however, on the highestbench all the way through common school andalso ranked well in the gymnasium.

After leaving school, he studied for nearly ayear with a country doctor, a relative of his,going about with him and assisting in manyways, but developed no liking for the professionand so gave it up and, together with hisbrother Henry, decided to come to Americawhither Frederic had already gone. This wasin eighteen hundred and forty-nine, when anew spirit was abroad in Germany and whenpeople looked to this country both as a land offreedom and also as a place where one couldalmost literally pick up gold and silver on thestreets. At that time it was the rule in Meiningenthat upon emigrating, you forfeited all rightsand claims upon that Government and beforeleaving he went to the Castle and signed papersgiving up all rights of German citizenship.He left Germany with the definite idea ofsettling in the United States, making it hispermanent home and becoming a part of thisnew country. From the first, therefore, hechose to associate with Americans and to usethe English language rather than keep up hisGerman associations.

Coming to this country from Havre to NewYork on a sailing ship was a long and hard journeyof fifty-three days and by the end of thattime, what with the hardships and poor fare,many of the passengers were down with cholera.Father, among others, was taken to quarantine,which was a very different place from what itis now. While many were dying in the hospital—andhe was taken to the ward where all thevery worst cases were—he did not believe thathe was very ill or going to die. Watching whatwas going on he saw them take one patientafter another and dump them into a bath withoutchanging the water and finally they startedfor him. This was too much, and he jumped upand ran back into another ward where the lessserious cases were. Here they let him stayuntil he was able to leave the hospital. He hadexpected to find the people of this country livingin great ignorance, and came expecting toteach, but he was adaptable and finding thatsuch services were not required from him, ayoung immigrant lad, he quickly turned toother things.

He went first to Wheeling, where his brotherFrederic was in the leather business, and workedfor him about a year. Then he took to steamboatingon the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.During the next two years he was first cabinboy and later steward and had many storiesto tell of his various experiences. Once thesteamer upon which he was steward—througha mistake in signals—struck another amidshipsand cut her in two. Fortunately, the few passengerson board were saved, before she sank.Another time, as he went into the kitchen togive an order to the cook, that individual,more drunk than sober, proceeded to grab upa carving knife and run Father out of thekitchen. There was much gambling at pokeron these river steamers which Father saw constantly.Also much crooked work. One day aman left the table and asked another to takehis hand for a few moments. This fellow lostsome money and wished to repay it, but wasnot allowed to. So the others gradually drewhim into the game and cleaned him out. Anothertime a man gambled his all (he had come onboard with a good pile of money) and when helost he grabbed up his money bag, ran to thedeck of the steamer, and before any one couldstop him—jumped overboard. Whether hereached the shore no one knew. Probably,however, he was drowned in the turbid watersof the Mississippi. These incidents, togetherwith what he saw while in California, alwaysgave Father a strong prejudice against cards,which he associated almost inevitably withgambling and all its evils.

After two years of this life, he decided to seekhis fortune in the Far West, and his diary tellsmuch of these days. A few other details ofwhich he spoke may however be of interest.

The emigrant party as it started from Pittsburghconsisted of about forty men and tenwagons. They shipped their wagons down theMississippi and up the Missouri to St. Josephwhere they bought forty oxen. In Father'swagon was Captain Speers, a river pilot withwhom Father had worked while steamboating.He was a farmer's son who knew about cattle.There was also a business man named Loganfrom Allegheny City. He was a strong Christianman, the only one in the party who carried aBible and his life and death (for it was he whosedeath is mentioned in the diary) made a profoundimpression on Father. One evening asthey sat at supper, Logan put down his cupsaying, "I don't feel well," and went into histent to lie down. There was a doctor in theparty who did what he could, but the nextmorning at four Logan was dead—of cholera.They buried him there on the prairie, wrappedin a buffalo robe with a mound of stones overthe grave and sent the little Bible back to hiswife. On this whole trip Father was the cookfor his mess and he has always claimed that hemade a splendid one. The men of each wagonseem to have camped together and had theirown mess. When night came the ten wagonswere arranged in a circle—the tongue of oneagainst the back of the next—and after thecattle had been allowed to graze till midnight,they were corralled within this circle.

Father's mates while mining were CaptainSpeers, McElrey, and Evans. Their camp wasback in the mountains quite close to the borderof Nevada, with Sacramento as their nearestcity, where they went for supplies. Their claimwas located several hundred feet above thelevel of the creek, so in order to get water theyhad to go back into the mountains fifteen miles.They had a surveyor survey the line and thenthese four men, not one of whom was a mechanicand all but one town bred, went to work tobring down water. In the first place they builta dam. Then they brought the water down hilland in one place bridged a valley two hundredfeet wide. Their form of mining was calledgulch mining. They built flumes or long boxeswith enough fall for the water to run slowlyand into these they dumped the pay dirt. Thewater would wash away the earth while theystood and tossed out stones, etc. Finally, afterrunning through several boxes, the earth wasall washed away, leaving only the heavy gold,which was collected by quicksilver.

The men worked in this way for three years,making no strikes and averaging about fivedollars a day. Then Father and Speers soldout their claim and went to a large camp,Camp Secco, Dry Creek, it was called, and wentto merchandising. They bought mules and awagon and brought in from Sacramento theusual goods necessary to miners. After twoyears, the captain went home to his family.Father hired a man and kept on for anotheryear, after which he sold out and came away,having accumulated six thousand five hundreddollars, the beginning of his fortune. He was inCalifornia from eighteen fifty-two to eighteenfifty-eight. His mates were sober, hard-workingmen. They made no wonderful strikes and whatthey got was by hard work and perseverance.

There were many robbers and desperadoesabout, and Father made one dangerous trip.He had left the few schoolbooks that he hadcarried even out to California miles away withsome people he knew, and one day when it wasraining so that he could not work his claimdecided to go after them. He took a mule andon several occasions had to swim swollen creeks.Finally, night came on, and he was caught inthe hills alone where many a man had disappearednever to be seen again. However, afterwandering about for hours in the darkness andin growing terror, he reached his destinationat two o'clock in the morning.

Before leaving California in eighteen fifty-eighthe was naturalized in the San Franciscocourt and ever held his naturalization papersas one of his most prized possessions.

His diary tells of his return to the East andhis choice of Leavenworth for a home. Here hewent into the leather business as the one ofwhich he knew most and with his later life andbusiness success, we are all familiar.

Among the great many opinions expressedregarding usurpation of the government ordespotism, one attracted my attention andagreed so much with my own sentiment that Icould not but pay due merit to the moral truthof it. Despotism is despicable in its perpetratorand at all times a disgrace to human beings,depriving them perforce of their inalienablerights and their moral esteem for themselvesand bringing them down on common groundwith slaves. Although as just mentioned,despotism is at all times disgraceful to bothsides we ought to pity those beings more whogot their power as an inheritance than hatethem. Who would and can deny that the earlytrainings of men lay the foundations to theirfurther field of action? Therefore, when princesbecome the heirs of absolute governments,who can expect them to act differently than theSouthern man does to his slaves? The latter,who was brought up among the family of mankind,and has accepted principles common tothem, is much more to blame for his tyrannythan a sovereign who was raised alone isolatedfrom his fellowmen by a belief in his divine[Pg 4]origin and who never imagined, therefore, norever dreamed of the least equality with mankind.If Napoleon was great as conqueror, hewas equally despicable for the misuse he madeof the confidence entrusted in him by the people,and instead of perfecting the rights andliberties of the nation, he cheated them of thesevery objects given to his care and usurped thegovernment. Napoleon knew how to play thedeceiver well enough to keep the people in theirhappy dreams. He knew how to flatter themby giving them all visible power, but he showedby his future way of action that he only playedthe hypocrite and that his outward course onlyserved him to attain his inward higher objectwhich was nothing short of grasping the nationand enslaving his own countrymen, as all othernations, which were possible for him, he conquered.Looking back from the point we startedand considering once more both hereditary despotsand usurpated despots, so will we certainlynot think so hard of one who has got that powerby inheritance, or who was raised from infancyto this sole object of keeping the people down,in poverty, and slavery, as of a usurpator, whohas imbibed principles of liberty and equality,sympathises with his brothers, and becomesthen their flatterer, and by abuse of his mentalfaculties and moral sentiments, with a happychange of circumstances, their master and commander.

It is the great political question at present,if America is bound by the treaties with theforeign sovereigns to abstain from helping thepoor, downtrodden and oppressed people ofthose countries to their attainments of their inalienablerights. It is true that at the time whenour constitution was made, our forefathers orrather their representatives in Congress, madea contract with the European princes to observeneutrality in their affairs, and declared thereforeit to be the duty of this government forits own dignity as well as for the honor of thenation not to send any help to Europe, but to befree from doing such an illegal act. Americabeing, however, the most liberal, and by thatthe most powerful government in the world, ifit is her duty to stick to the act which our forefathershave made, there is still the other side ofthe argument to consider, to arrive to a properresult. Justice is the first law of nature and asall of us expect to get justice done from ourneighbors, and especially the government wehave chosen out of our minds, so humanity demandsto see our brothers, however distant,equalized in the same way. The consistent lawor the laws on which societies are framed, andreared up to developed bodies, are of variouskinds, devised principally by our philanthropistsand philosophers and legislators, for the best ofthe parties concerned. Their origin, however,being of human intellect and moral sentiment,[Pg 6]can be only as following out very narrow sources,limited in their consistency with human happiness.Laws which are the most beneficial influenceupon a society under certain circumstancesand times, may be quite the opposite, withanother united body, under different physicaland moral conditions. Times and circumstances,therefore, cannot be suited to laws, but thelatter need to be in a harmonizing cooperationwith the former. If, therefore, our forefathersmade laws or what is the same, the Constitution,they could not at that time, establish ordevise such as should stand for all times butonly for themselves and for their own generation.If Washington, John Adams or Jefferson,made treaties with foreign despots, it was forvarious causes arising out of their own at thattime yet feebly maintained independence. Buttimes have changed, out of that spark of freedomwhich fell among the population of this continenthas come a powerful government, illuminating,with its might, the whole world, andwhose physical powers are sufficient to crushall enemies to dust and raise downtrodden,oppressed and dishumanized mankind and brothersup to their by nature determined positionof equality and fraternity. As maintained before,the exhausted position of America, whichonly could follow so great and sacrificing astruggle as that of the war of independence,obliged our forefathers to make friendly treaties[Pg 7]with the foreign powers, to avoid if possibleanother blow upon their rights and libertiesmaintained so gloriously with England. Butwhat is our strength at this moment? Are westill so feeble? Still so dependent on beingswho are the scourge of mankind and deface theearth with cruelty and tyranny? We all certainlywill say no. All will say America is nomore dependent on anybody but themselvesand nature's laws. Politics and love to liveforced legislators to treat friendly with despotsand now this voice of justice and humanitycalls them to throw off this so long maintainedmask of amity to tyrannical systems and todeclare themselves at once for mankind andfellowmen. The voice of nature is mighty andomnipotent. She calls us up out of our dreamlikeindifference to honorable participation inthe fate of our fellowmen and makes it our dutyto stand in defense of her laws on this planetand home of intellectual creatures. Let us throwoff then our fastidious way of action and exertone and all of us the strength both physical andmoral, for universal happiness and so lay bythis the road to world's perfection.

Left Wheeling on SteamerMessenger for Pittsburgh,April twentieth. Exodus to California.

The tide of emigration for California sweptme along in its progress for the same reason asthousands of others—to appropriate moneyenough by a few years' hard toil, to secure afuture independency. When first the idea ofa movement to the West took possession of me,I was wavering in the choice between Californiaand Oregon and gave finally preference toOregon on account of securing a homestead atthe arrival there and to judge from the lastnews of the diggings better wages than in thelatter. From an inability to make up a certaincomplement of immigrants I had to give up theproject and go to California. I left subsequentlyPittsburgh on the SteamerParis, passing Wheelingwithout seeing my brother, and arrivedafter a week's journey down to the mouth ofthe Ohio River and from Cairo up the Mississippito St. Louis.

The Ohio River is formed by the confluenceof the Monongahela and the Allegheny at Pittsburgh,[Pg 12]the formation of which place is alluvialbottom carried down from the mountains inprevious ages. It has along its shores some of thefinest agricultural country as well as numberlesscities and towns, among which we count thefollowing as the largest and where the mostbusiness is carried on: Wheeling, Virginia,Marietta, Ohio, Cincinnati, Louisville, Evansville,etc. Besides these, being all places wheremanufacture of all kinds is carried on, I mentionfrom its great obstruction to navigation, ratherthan its cosmogenic character, the Falls ofLouisville, with the nature of which I am, however,too little acquainted to give particulars.A canal, which was built years ago, to overcomethis obstacle, is of so little dimensions that thelarger boats can not pass through and thereforethis has always been a drawback to Ohio navigationand a hindrance to more progress for theCity of Louisville. Several requests have latelybeen made from several states to Congress forthe construction of a new canal large enough tolet boats of large dimensions pass at any timeconveniently. The hills running alongside theriver beginning at its source generally slopedown to its shores, having in many places veryfertile tracts for agriculture. This mountainchain proceeds most of the time in a paralleldirection with the river down to about one hundredand fifty to two hundred miles below thefalls where they gradually descend to a level[Pg 13]covered with luxurious vegetation in some placeswhile marshes extend over a considerable partof it. The confluence of the Ohio and Mississippiis at Cairo, built on a vast swampy and unhealthydesert which, but for its low level,would be the central place of the United States,for merchants, around which they would gatherand from whose midst the greatest movementswould emerge and be controlled. This being,however, a natural difficulty, which no humanskill can ameliorate, that centralizing point hasto move higher up the river to St. Louis. Thislatter place has within the last twenty yearsincreased remarkably and is at present themetropolis of the West and will undoubtedlyincrease in importance in a ratio parallel withthe civilization of California and Oregon. Bythe present tide of emigration to the lattercountries the amount of business is very muchincreased. In consequence of this a great manyimprovements have been made, consisting inbuilding a large number of new expensive housesfor merchants and manufacturers which betrayto every stranger at the first look the impressionof a great and industrial city.

Leaving St. Louis on the SteamerEl Paso, weproceeded up the Mississippi twenty mileswhere we left this river to follow the course ofanother great river, the Missouri. This has inits main features a great resemblance to theMississippi, having a chain of mountains parallel[Pg 14]to both its shores and being sown with numberlessislands like the former, the most of themnothing but sand carried down from the RockyMountains. The hills, however, instead of breakingoff abruptly as on the Mississippi are generallysloping gradually at a height of sixty orseventy feet, toward the river bed. The countryalong the shores is comparatively little cultivated,the constantly washing power of thewater keeping back any active efforts for agriculturalimprovements. A great number ofquite respectable towns are met with along theriver, as Alton, Washington, Jefferson, Booneville,Lexington, Independence (starting pointfor California, Oregon and Texas) then, Kansasand last St. Joseph. The Kansas River comingfrom the West, separates Missouri from theIndian Territory, the latter still peopled bythe Indians as their last and only resting placein this country. The history of this greatfamily of the human race teaches us the constantprogress and retreat in the pursuit ofnature's laws, the eternal relation of all thingsexisting. This once so numerous family of redmen were the sole possessors of America, overwhich they had extended in all directions, andseveral tribes had reached a high state of civilizationwhen the country first was discovered,but as other families analogous to their own(Hindus and Malays), they retrograded bysome aberration of the laws of nature and fell[Pg 15]back into moral darkness and gradual disappearancefrom the face of the earth. The redmen, once the masters of this vast land, had togive up their homes to give room to its presentinhabitants and who knows how soon an inevitableNemesis will strike out their existence fromthe Book of Nations?

This territory consists of mostly fertile prairieland, of an undulating appearance offering mostbeautiful fields to the observer of nature'sbeauties. After six days' journey we arrivedat St. Joseph, Missouri. After our landing wasmade, a most active business took place at thewharf for a few hours arising from the deliveryof freight to its respective owners. Having receivedour little property we put it in ourwagons and camped out about a half mile abovethe town in a valley surrounded by hills andcorn fields and except for a few cold rainy dayswe had a good encampment and passed the timewe were there in making preparation for our longjourney.

We left camp the third day of May to proceedon our journey further West, and after afew hours traveling not obstructed by difficultieswith our teams nor bad roads, we arrivedat Duncan's Ferry where emigrants for the Westleave the United States and cross over to theIndian Territory. The ferry being badly attendedto by its owners travelers were obliged tostop here rather longer than would be necessary[Pg 16]if things were put in better condition with bettermen there to take care of it. We got acrossthe river, however, after a thirty-six hour detentionand put our foot on Indian ground themorning of the fifth, went on five miles, where,meeting good wood and water, we struck ourcamp and stopped until the next morning.

May sixth. The quiet of the night from thefifth to the sixth was interrupted by the heavyrolling of thunder, and its darkness by flashesof lightning. Towards morning we had a veryheavy rain, which, although it put the roads ina rather bad condition, helped the vegetationconsiderably, and therefore, was of some advantageto our procedure. On the morning ofthe sixth we started on our journey, and afterpassing a river which is difficult to cross weascended for the first time the plateau this sideof the Missouri. After having got up to a heightof about fifty feet above the level of the MissouriRiver, a magnificent scene was displayed toour view, resembling very much my nativecountry—Germany. The whole ground isprairie land, running off in slight undulationsto the horizon and bounded in its Easternprogress by the bed of the Missouri and themountain chains on the left.

Nature is in this territory following its gradualprogress and offers a vast land for cultivation tothe natives of this and other continents. Thecivilization of this territory and Oregon will[Pg 17]raise America to its pinnacle of perfection, bothin wealth and moral efficiency. California andthe Western shore of Oregon will become acentralizing place for business progress fromwhich knowledge will spread out a beacon lightto all nations.

We traveled this day about ten miles North-westwardfrom our last encampment and aboutfifteen miles from St. Joseph. Our team gotalong very well and could have traveled severalmiles more but for driving our cattle as littleas possible the first few days, to let them gatherall the strength possible. We encamped at theleft of the road where we met with plenty ofwood and water and off to the right with pasturefor our cattle.

On the morning of the seventh after havingfed our oxen and taken some refreshment ourselveswe started for our further journey. Aboutone-half mile from Camp we passed the Creek,on its upward ascent; passing on about a milefurther we arrived at Wolf Creek, across whichthe Indians have struck a bridge, for the crossingof which they charge the emigrants a highprice. It is, however, a great convenience tothe latter, the creek being about thirty feet wideand from three to four feet deep. The Indians,who built the bridge, have put up their campthere. This side of the creek I ascended severalhills, and after traveling about five miles arrivedat the Mission. This is an Indian settlement,[Pg 18]where the Indians are taught the principlesof Christianity. It consists of a few loghuts, one of which contains stores where severalof our traveling companions stopped andbought articles necessary on our journey.

After leaving the Mission we went on aboutthirteen miles further, meeting within this distancewith several springs and after passinganother creek we went up to the next hill andput up quarters for the night. This evening webought a pony from some of the emigrants,which, although not of immediate necessity forthe journey, is a very convenient thing to itsowners.

On the morning of the eighth I mounted thepony and rode ahead for a few miles. I mentionthis as being rather something great, being thefirst riding ever I did. Crossed about threemiles from our last encampment—Buffalo Creek—wherethe Indians again charge toll for crossingand drove on this side the creek about twelvemiles, meeting the grave of a deceased emigrant,on which lay a live dog, probably the onlyfaithful servant to his master, howling away andpaying the last tokens of sympathy to him whowas resting there in a lonely grave. We stoppedat the left of the road till morning, where wecalculated to lay over Sunday. However,not finding good pasture for our cattle,we left there about eleven o'clock and proceededforwards about eight miles where we[Pg 19]unyoked our teams and put up for the night.

May the tenth. We started early in themorning, proceeding Southwest on our road.Although the sky was clear at daylight, it cloudedover toward noon and we had one of the hardstorms frequent on the plains and exposing theemigrants to discomfort and contagious diseases.Having driven off from the road expectingto find water and wood in a Southwesterlydirection, about two miles off, we finally met,after having been wet all through, a creek borderedby plenty of timber, where we put upour encampment. These were some of the mostdiscouraging moments we had since our start—arisingfrom the wet and cold of the weather,and only moral courage can at this momentprevent moral depression. A man that hadcome around with us from Pittsburgh and displayedto us the most gentlemanly behaviour,having started with a sick family of eight littlechildren from St. Joseph, and kept with us upto this night, keeping up under all difficulties,was obliged, on account of his wife getting sick,a woman of the greatest energy ever met with,to turn back to the States. After having driedourselves, we took a good night's rest and startedwith new vigor the next morning on our journey.We had no difficulty getting along untilabout three o'clock P.M.

About this time we arrived at a creek calledMehemahah. The descent to the water is very[Pg 20]steep and muddy, however of no great difficulty,compared to what is on the other side.Here, after passing the rapid stream, the waterup to the wagon beds, we had to wade throughsome of the greatest mud holes ever met withbefore. Several of the teams got stuck on theother side. By increasing, however, the force,they finally got out and cleared the road forus to pass. After having proceeded about threemiles on this side of the Mehemahah we stoppedfor the night.

It is Wednesday to-day, the twelfth day ofMay, and we have safely arrived at this sideof the Big Blue River. This is a very nice streamand bordered with willow, elm and walnut andsome of the oak found on the hills. We crossedthe river the next day having but little difficulty,the river being low and the roads good. Astarting house is to be found at the ferry thisside of the river where emigrants can get whatis most necessary on the journey. The countryWestward of the Blue becomes very hilly, whichwith the rivulets and streams between presentsa beautiful scene. The Blue River is about onehundred fifty miles from St. Joseph and supposedto be about one-half the distance to FortKearney. We have traveled since our fording ofthat stream about thirty-five miles and are atthe present encamped somewhere in the neighborhoodof Little Blue. The weather set in extremelycold and stormy about midnight and[Pg 21]not having sufficient bed clothing nearly frozeme to death. After having got up and taken ourmorning refreshments, we went on to our presentplace of encampment. The just mentionedstormy and extremely cold weather continuedthroughout the day, which, with the dust raisedoff the roads, made traveling very disagreeableand difficult.

On Sunday last we got in sight of the LittleBlue in a Southerly direction from our presentroute. We did not, however, come to its banksbefore Tuesday the eighteenth day, and passedup an extremely hilly country for about twenty-fivemiles and left this river for the Platte.

We didn't leave the banks of Little Blue untilthis afternoon, Tuesday, the twentieth, themisstatement previously mentioned arising fromthe unauthenticity of the guide we took therespective distances from. The parallel distancewe made along the shores of this river must havebeen about fifty to sixty miles. It is a verybeautiful stream, much more elevated in itsbeauty by the barrenness of the surroundingcountry. Its water is, when at a medium stage,very clear and of very good taste. On our passageup the river we got in view of severalprairie inhabitants as wolves, chickens and severalmiles off the river, antelopes and singlespecimens of buffalo.

The weather of to-day, although it was verypleasant and favorable to our journey, caused[Pg 22]by its continued dryness a dearth of grass andby this, loss in the strength of our cattle. WhileI am writing these remarks a change of weatherhas taken place, which likely will make an improvementin the growth of the vegetation.The health of our company has been, since ourstart, in a good condition and although a numberof deaths, partly of cholera morbus andsmallpox happened among the emigrants, allof us are still enjoying our vigorous health andin general are in a good spirited mood. The frequentchange, however, from hot days to dampcold nights is sufficient to undermine the stoutestconstitution. How, therefore, we will in futurethis great gift of nature—health—preserve, isnot to be fixed as a definite fact. Be it, however,understood, that a careful observance of physiologicallaws can abate diseases to a considerableextent.

May the twenty-first. We are now encampedabout six miles Northwards of the Little Blue,and although late in the day we have on accountof the rainy and stormy weather, not as yet decamped.

May the twenty-third. It is Sunday to-dayand the great bright luminary of the day ispeeping over the horizon in its full splendor,and eternal youthfulness animating the wholecreation and endowing it with new strength andvigor. The remark so frequently referred toby Christians that the sublime beauty displayed[Pg 23]by the sun proved the existence of a God, wasmade to me last night by a Universalist. True,the beauty is grand and sublime, but it is sowithout divinity connected with it. It is notsomething beyond nature but a planetary phenomenonfollowing the great arrangements, thegreat and eternal laws of Mother Nature. Noreasonable man will doubt the existence of agreat incomprehensible principle which pervadesthroughout all nature, but this principleis nothing separated from the universe but isthe great whole itself which can exist only allin all and not other ways which always was,always is and always will be, although thingsmay be subjected to great changes.

We stopped in our camp a considerable partof the day, Orthodox Christians objecting toour movement. Calling, however, a meeting,and taking every single vote, the majority carriedthe motion for moving onwards. Havingarrived last night within three miles to FortKearney, we made this distance in about an hour'stime. The resemblance of this place to the civilizedworld awakened in us a great feeling ofhappiness thinking that although far, far off fromhome, out in a great desert, still enjoyment wasoffered to the onward moving emigrant. Thefort consists of five frame houses, two for theuse of the commanding officers, the rest for thesoldiers, all built in good style well answeringtheir respective purposes. Besides these buildings[Pg 24]is a church for the service of the Lord whichis frequented by soldiers, civilized Indians andpassing emigrants. About three miles above thefort, we lost, by the carelessness of one of themen, our pony. By the hardest kind of running,we recovered it again. Nothing of weight happenedthe next day. Having proceeded abouttwenty miles further up the river we stoppedfor the night.

Twenty-sixth. We are now about three hundredand fifty miles off St. Joseph, encampedalong the bank of the Platte here of about oneand one-half miles width and very shallow. Theriver is sown with small islands all of verymodern formation. They are generally over-grownwith cottonwoods, and some of the oakkind, frequented more or less by wild geese,crows and numerous birds of smaller kind. Justas I am writing these lines my attention isattracted by the sublimity of the sceneryaround us. The whole Western border of thehorizon is grandly beautified by the setting sunwhich, although out of sight, still leaves tracesof its grand and sublime beauty behind, paintingthe horizon with the most various colours. Itis getting darker and the far off peaks of a mountainchain which appears to follow a parallelcourse with the edges of the horizon graduallydisappear. Quiet and peace is spread all overnature's garden. Many a turbulent mind issilenced by this beautiful phenomenon, and[Pg 25]while yet gazing at it, is sunk in the arms ofthe God of Sleep, Morpheus.

May the twenty-ninth, morning at fiveo'clock. We have traveled since my last noteswere put down forty miles through a very barrenmountainous country, grass being very scarceand water of inferior character, having in itdissolved some alkali substances. The secondday or May twenty-eighth, inserting first thatthe day before we passed several creeks, meetinga most splendid spring at the last, we struckthe bluffs near about the forks of the river. Thebluffs which I visited this day are mainlycomposed of sand, likely deposited there by thewind in latter times. The whole bottom alongthe Platte is mostly sand which in dry season onaccount of the violent winds which prevail here,nothing being here to break its force, is a greatinconvenience to travelers. The Platte riverbottom below and above Fort Kearney up towhere the road meets with the bluffs, is verylittle above the level of its waters, varying fromfive to fifteen feet above that, however, till whenyou strike the above mentioned point, its altitudeis about twenty-five feet.

We met on the latter part of our journeynumerous graves of emigrants who had finishedtheir course in nature's garden to adopt newform and shape suiting a different object innature. The deceased died mostly of cholera andsmallpox, more or less originating from an unhealthy[Pg 26]diet, bad water and exposure. Good careand observance of physiological laws, however,as I previously mentioned, can considerablyalleviate the diseases, if not keep them off altogether,from which cause then, I principallyaccount for the good state of our health.

We are now about crossing the river (theSouth fork of it) the forks of which we struck aday before this. The river runs in a Southwestdirection and is about half a mile wide and veryshallow, with quicksand in the bottom. Thefordage was of no difficulty to us, the river asfirst mentioned being very low, and havingarrived on its opposite side we pursued ourjourney in a West-Northwesterly directiontoward the Cedar Bluffs. After having the daybefore stopped about five o'clock at the rightof the road, where we met with fairly goodgrass and water, we traveled the next day,Sunday, the thirtieth, till we reached the pointwhere the road strikes the Bluffs which latterpoint is about twenty or twenty-five miles fromwhere we crossed the river. Stopped about teno'clock and encamped to rest ourselves and ourcattle for the remainder of the day, which bythe hard road and great heat of the past weekwas very much required to invigorate us for thefuture. I read several chapters of Byron, butmy mind being nearly down to zero on accountof the excessive heat, I could not concentratemy spirits enough to follow his violent imagination.[Pg 27]Next morning we started early for theBluffs. The passage of them was very hard onour teams, the weather being very hot and theroad being all sand, our wagons cut in very deepand therefore required the hardest pulling to getalong. We descended down the other side—aterrible steep road—having traveled about tenmiles over the hills and after proceeding tenmiles further we encamped nigh the river whirl-pool.Here was a good camping ground, dry andpleasant.

Tuesday we started for Ashes Hollow, beingabout eighteen miles from our starting place.The road led like the previous days throughvery sandy regions, the parallel running bluffsoffering from the sameness of appearance instratifications and composition very little attractionto the passing travelers. Two miles thisside Ashes Hollow, the road ascends a very steephill, about sixty feet above the level of the sea,being undoubtedly the hardest hill to pass overwe have met up to this on our journey. Afterhaving got up to its highest point, the roadgradually descends into the hollow which buildswith the former a square angle. This valley isabout two hundred feet wide, bordered withrocks and fine gravel in its hollow and timberedwith ash trees and some wild roses and grapes.A cool spring, unsurpassed in its water by anywe have met yet in this territory, is to be foundto the right of the creek about a mile from[Pg 28]where you first strike it. There we met a kind oftrading post where several articles for the remainderof the journey for a reasonable pricecan be got. We passed on about two milesfurther from where we left the latter and encampedfor the night (June second).

Monday, June 7th. Last week I neglected,not being at leisure in mornings or eveningsand too much downspirited at noon, to keep upmy journal with the events as I met them, butI shall try to recall in my memory the mainobjects met with. For two days after we leftAshes Hollow the roads were bad, being veryhard on our cattle as well as ourselves. We gotalong, however, as well as circumstances didpermit and after passing several creeks, hove onFriday last towards noon, in sight of CourthouseRocks, called so by emigrants from a supposedresemblance with the building of that name,but appearing to me, however, more like someancient castle than the object it is comparedwith. The rock is about eight miles off theroad, a very deceiving distance to the travelerwho thinks it only two or three miles off.

Proceeding further, having the Courthouseto our left, and the Platte at our right, thepinnacle of another rock got within the reach ofour eye. This is what is called a chimney rockfrom its great resemblance to some factory chimneys.Although nearly twenty miles away itcould distinctly be seen. We traveled on to[Pg 29]within about eight miles of it and encamped tothe right of the road, nigh the river bank. Thenext morning we started early. Some of ourcompany went on ahead to ascend the rock. Istayed with the wagon, being not very well onfoot, and proceeded slowly on our journey.Chimney rock is about, from its base to itsapex, four hundred feet high, consisting of a lowand second platform. Upon the latter is thechimney or shaft of the rock nearly one hundredfeet high. This rock is principally composed ofmarl and clay, intermixed with several strata ofwhite cement. Joining the chimney rock, rightabove it, I beheld a most beautiful sight, beinga section of rock of singular construction resemblingin its appearance very much some of thescenery along the Rhine. The whole consistedof five rocks, one approaching the form of anothersmaller chimney and giving with the rest amost grand view, just like an ancient fort ofthe feudal barons on an average steep ascendinghill, with cupola on the top assuming the formsof ruins. Had I the talent of a Byron or theskilled hand of a Raphael I might give an adequateidea of the landscape, but as I am, evencommon language is wanting to give an appropriatedescription. I thought it, however,romantic, and truly felt more than my tonguemay express. O what a pity it is to be deficientofBrain!

Towards evening we arrived at a trading[Pg 30]post, about eight miles before the pass of ScotchBluffs, and encamped here for the night.

Sunday, set out with a cloudy sky and rain.It soon, however, cleared up and turned into asunny day. We approached the Scotch Bluffs,which we saw the evening before golden in thelight of the setting sun, and our whole attentionwas attracted by the grandeur of the former, stillmore beautified by the surrounding country.The appearance of these sand hills, althoughfrom far off like solid rock, has a very accurateresemblance to a fortification or stronghold ofthe feudal barons of the middle age, of whichmany a reminder is yet to be met with along thebank of the Rhine. The rock itself is separatednearly at its middle, having a pass here aboutfifty to sixty feet wide, ascending at both sidesperpendicular to a height of three hundred tofour hundred feet. The passage through herewas only made possible in 1851 and is now preferredby nearly all the emigrants, cutting off apiece of eight miles from the old road. Wepassed through without any difficulty and afterhaving passed another blacksmith shop andtrading post, which are very numerous, protectionbeing secured to them by the militarydown at Fort Laramie, we encamped for thenight.

We arrived at Laramie on Tuesday evening,a day sooner than we calculated to get there.The Fort is situated on the Laramie River,[Pg 31]which joins with the Platte about two milesbelow the Fort and about one hundred yardsbelow the bridge for crossing of which we werecharged two hundred dollars. The countryaround the fort is of a pleasing aspect. The bluffswhich surround it slope off gradually downinto the valley, through which the river of thesame name winds in the most lovely curves,whose margins are timbered with a scatteredgrowth of cottonwood and brush of variouskinds. The Fort consists of several caserns forthe subordinate soldiers, a better building forthe captain, a powder and provision magazine,a hospital open to the broken-down travelerswho wish to stop there, a good store where allarticles a man wants in civilized countries oron the plains can be bought. The garrison disposedhere is of a small number—from fifty toone hundred and fifty, which number althoughsmall, is sufficient to keep down any unrulyspirit among the inhabitants of the soil. Aftergetting a few requisite articles, we started fromour encampment near the Fort for the blackhills, along which the road runs on towards theRocky Mountains.

The scenery, after passing the Fort and proceedinga few miles up the river, assumes quitea different aspect from that which we havepassed before the Fort. The monotony of theprairie land disappears, and a varied highlandscenery is offered to the traveler. The road leads[Pg 32]generally over the bluffs at an average height ofabout seventy to one hundred feet above the bedof the Platte and in advancing approachessometimes towards the Southwestern mountainchain with the Laramie Peak, whose summit issix thousand feet above the sea and coveredwith snow throughout the greater part of theyear. This mountain can be seen at a distanceof one hundred miles. We have first sight of itat the Scotch Bluff, distant about that far fromit. Cones or little craters form the bulk of themountain and give it a romantic appearance.The Platte River above the Fort Laramie takesa different appearance from its lower course.The low fertile land through which it runs fornearly seven hundred to eight hundred miles toits mouth, is changed into a highland scene.Its course is rapid and cut through the solidgranite rocks which must have taken many acentury to open such passes and to such anextent as we met in this part of our journey.The beauty of the mountain chain is greatlyincreased by the scattered trees of cedar andpine and by the interruption of numerousstreams which are bordered with a most beautifulgrowth of cottonwoods and other trees.

June twelfth. We left the river about noonand ascended for the whole afternoon up thehighest bluffs on our advance. We got considerablymolested by the wind which blew rightin our faces and darkened them with sand.[Pg 33]Meeting a spring up near the highest point ofascent we stopped for the night. Next morningstarted for the descent. The Blackhill roadcomes in from where the road commences takingdown to the bottom. We passed the LePondsRiver, at the foot of the bluffs, a very nice stream,beautifully treed with cottonwood. About fourmiles forwards on the road we passed anothercreek called by its red bank, Red Bank. Thewhole country around is a red stratified rock ofthe same kind—being iron ore.

June fourteenth. We drove about ten milesto-day, passed several new graves, and crossedthree small creeks. Toward evening we encampedtwo miles up the Little Deer Creek torest our cattle, as well as ourselves, and preparefor ascending the Rocky Mountains. I readseveral pages of geology treating of the differentclasses of rocks, their respective composition,position and the circumstances under whichthe process of protrusion and stratification tookplace.

The fifteenth. Some of our men killed variouskinds of game on the bluffs with which we quiteprepared us a feast adequate to all luxuries weever had at home.

June the sixteenth. We took a new startthis morning for the future of our journey.Leaving Little Deer Creek, we struck, afterhaving met with the main road, the river,along the banks of which we passed all day and[Pg 34]towards evening encamped within reach of it.We passed Big Deer Creek about noon; thecountry around, although the stream is of quietromantic beauty, is very barren, offering butlittle pasture to the emigrants' teams.

June the seventeenth. This morning westarted for the ferry, twenty-seven miles aboveBig Deer Creek. We arrived at the river aboutnoon and got across again three or four o'clockin the afternoon, where we left the other sidefor the bluffs and encamped about four milesonwards on the road from the Platte. Theferry at this place is carried on with flat boatswhich are fastened to ropes spread across theriver. The current carries them from one shoreto the other. The following day we started veryearly in the morning, ascended RattlesnakeHills, very rocky, and pursued our journey thisday through an extremely barren section ofcountry, the soil being mainly sand without anygood water and grass. At Willow Springstwenty-six miles above the Platte ferry we arrivedtowards evening and put up for the night.

Not having any grass at all we started veryearly next morning intending to stop whereverany pasture could be found. Meeting the objectof our wishes, we grazed the cattle for severalhours. Ponds with alkali water being about,several of our cattle got to drink, and shortlyafter our start, several got to be very sick, thealkali beginning to operate. We gave some of[Pg 35]them fat bacon and some vinegar to neutralizethe alkali, which had the best wished effects.

The country passed over to-day is very sandyand dry, offering nothing hardly to the passingemigrants. The hills which range along thispart are called Blue Hills, probably from thegrowth of pines with which they are planted.

Sunday, June the twentieth. Proceeding onwards,we came to the Indian Dance Rock,called so by Colonel Fremont in 1847. This rockis a huge pile of granite about half a mile incircumference and one hundred-fifty feet high.Its sides are decorated with numerous names ofemigrants who passed them since '49. The roadleads to the left of the rock along the river andcrosses it about one and one-half miles from thesaid rock. Five miles onwards, passing over avery sandy road, we arrived at Devil's Gate, aprecipice between the perpendicular walls ofwhich the Sweetwater passed. This is undoubtedlythe most interesting sight to the attentivetraveler, made so by the profound deepnessof the pass and the stratæ of ancient rocks laidopen to the view of the naturalist. The rockshere are piled up in a strange chaos, consistingof primary (hypogene) rocks turned up on theiredges in a nearly perpendicular position, intermixedwith others in a horizontal and verticalposition. The descent of this rock is, on accountof its steepness, very difficult and connectedwith considerable danger. Too great precaution[Pg 36]can't be taken by explorers. The river undergoesa fall of nearly ten or twelve feet, the waterrunning very rapidly in its onward bound course.The road from here leads more or less along theriver for twenty-five miles, where it separates intwo, one crossing the river and the other takesover the bluffs. This latter road is extremelysandy and as heavy a pull for cattle as any partof the road we have passed. Teams that havenot been taken proper care of, generally arelessened here by several of them breaking downby fatigue and feebleness.

Traveling onwards we struck the river andpassed along it for two miles where we ascendedthe bluffs again. Viewing the surroundingcountry, we discovered on the edges of thehorizon a very large snow clad mountain, itssummit nearly hid in the clouds, and its sidesshining in a bedazzling luster.

June the twenty-third. Rain setting inthrough the night, we were obliged to take avery early start. The alkali, with which theground was covered, being dissolved by thewater, might, if drunk by the cattle, have somevery serious effect. Passing the bluffs, nothingof note happened, and after fourteen milestraveling, we arrived at the river banks, wherewe stopped to feed our cattle and took our ownrepast. Pasture being very gloomy here, weleft for our afternoon's journey. After crossingthe river we ascended a very steep hill, very[Pg 37]stony and barren ground, the road leadingdown towards the river, where it turns at nearlya square angle, and ascends another very steephill. The descent here is very rapid and slopesoff into the Sweetwater Valley. Pursuing ourcourse upwards, we met with some good pasturewhere we stopped and encamped for the night.

June the twenty-fifth. Having enjoyed agood night's rest and taken a good repast, westarted with our cattle pretty well filled for thebluffs. This mountain, or rather tableland,about three to four hundred feet above thelevel of the river or six to seven thousand feetabove the level of the sea, is principally composedof aqueous rocks of tertiary formation,sand and gravel, which are turned up here invertical position, the upturned edges givingevidence of volcanic action. The road over thisrock, of course, is very stony and hard, difficultto pass over for the cattle. We struck a branchof the Sweetwater this side the bluffs, aboutfifteen miles from where we ascended them.The weather to-day is very unpleasant, heavyand cold showers drenching us several times.Meeting with no grass up to our usual stoppingtime, we drove on till late trying to make theriver, where we expected to meet with some goodpasture. At our arrival there we found theprospects as poor as previously met with.Stopped, however, and the next morning crossedfor the last time the Sweetwater.

The weather to-day, although the road ledus through hills covered with snow, was fairand warm, and the contrast or change it wasfrom yesterday, made the travelers the moresensitive to it. We arrived at the South passabout noon and stopped to take dinner at thePacific Springs. The pass goes through the mountaingradually so that when the traveler arrivesat this point he hardly feels satisfied with thereality. The country along here is extremelypoor. No grass, and even good water is scarce.The road ascends again this side the springs,and continues hilly for about eighteen miles,when it separates in two branches, the Mormonroad going off in a South, Southwest, the Californiaroad in a nearly due West direction. Ourwagons arriving at the fork, struck without anyprevious consultation with the company, theMormon road. Proceeding onwards we fordedthe Little Sandy, nine miles off the fork andeight and one-half miles further onwards theBig Sandy—both pleasant streams with a lovelygrowth of willows and cottonwood. We encampedthis side the bank of the latter streamwhere there was good pasture for our cattleand all necessaries for our own comfort.

June twenty-sixth. This day being Sunday andone man in our company being sick and in ratherpoor condition to travel, we stayed all day andrecruited ourselves and our oxen. Nothing happenedthroughout the day except that several[Pg 39]of the Snake Indians caught squirrels about ourneighborhood and paid us a short visit. Towardsevening, read several passages out of the Bibleand argued about the vulgar sentiment andlanguage used in many places.

Monday morning, started stout and hearty onour journey and have just arrived again afterpassing over about eighteen miles of highland tothe Big Sandy. There we strike this stream for thelast time and are making now for Green River,ten miles further onwards. About five milesfrom our starting point the road forks. Theupper road is called Kiney's cut off and joinswith Sapplett's cut off. The lower branchstrikes the Green River, which is on account ofits extreme swiftness very hard to cross. Thefording of this river is, by a good ferry carriedon by Mormons, very much facilitated. Emigrantscrossing here at the beginning of theCalifornia emigration had a great deal of troubleto get their stock across—numbers of them losttheir lives and stock both.

Green River leads into the Rocky Mountainsand numerous tributaries are flowing into it onits Southwesterly course where it pours itswaters into the Colorado. The river is aboutone hundred and fifty yards wide and considerablydeep; its water is very cold from itssnowy origin and runs at the rate of five toeight miles an hour. We forded the river onthe morning of the twenty-ninth and followed[Pg 40]down along its banks for eight miles in a Southeasterndirection. Took then the bluffs andtraveled on Southwards for about five mileswhere we encamped near a branch of the riverwith plenty of grass. Although snow clad mountainsbordered the horizon in the South theweather was extremely warm and what made itstill more burdensome were the myriads ofmosquitoes which molested us very much, yesextremely so.

Next morning we traveled onwards five milesfrom our last camping ground and crossed abranch of the Green River, on the other side ofwhich we took the bluffs, descending severaltimes into valleys where the river pursued hisocean-bound course. After striking the riverthe last time about ten miles from where wepassed the branch we ascended again and traveledon in a Southwest direction. Meeting asmall stream of water here about five milesdistant from where we left the river, we encampedfor the night.

July first. Left this encampment after havingput in a horrible night with mosquitoes, boundfor Fort Bridger, twenty miles from this spot.The road along this distance is hilly and stony,pasture and water scarce, scenery poor up towhere we have sight of the Fort which is locatedin a beautiful valley and named for this reasonthe Garden of the Mountains. From here theroad gradually ascends a ridge and on the latter,[Pg 41]about five miles this side the Fort, we encampedfor the night. Cedar trees growingspontaneously here, we had plenty wood forcooking use and good pasture for the cattle.

The road from now covers very hilly countryover high ridges and deep valleys with verysteep ascents and descents, therefore very hardfor our teams. Proceeding onwards we met somemost lovely and beautiful sights of naturalbeauty and but the hum of rural life would benecessary to make it a second Eden. To givean adequate idea of the beauty of this countrynone but a Byron or some other passionatewriter can do. I, however, add that the highgoing sea appears to have the most resemblanceto this interrupted bottom. The soil whichcovers the most of these mountains is very spontaneous(fertile), the most so in the bottoms.The mountains themselves are a deposit of water,the greatest number of them lately by theirabrupt form and to my view are gravity rocks,cemented together by some binding matter.The formations of many of these rocks offerquite a picturesque view as we pass by. Cavesand tunnels of all shapes are carved into themby the dissolving power of water. Towardsnoon to-day after having passed many ups anddowns, we arrived at the highest point betweenthe States and Salt Lake. The height of thisridge is seven thousand, seven hundred feetabove the level of the sea and is the dividing[Pg 42]ridge between the Colorado and the water ofthe great basin. From this point on we descendedmore or less and having arrived in the valleywe traveled on about sixteen miles to the SulphurSprings where we encamped for the night.

Next day our road continued over the sameinterrupted ground. About two miles from ourlast camp forwards on the road we arrived atBear River which we crossed with some difficultyand went on to Echo Creek meeting on our roadsome Indians who traded us venison for powderand beads. Here we stopped for the nightand after we got our breakfast next morning,July the fourth, we followed the river downtwenty miles, crossing it seventeen times inthis distance. This valley along which theroad leads is very narrow bordered on both sideswith high mountains of gravelly compositionclosely cemented together. The valley runs ina nearly Southern direction and runs on to whereEcho Creek joins the Webber River, a streamabout the size of Bear River. We crossed theriver Sunday towards evening and went onwardsseveral miles of nearly steady descent from thetop of a hill which we had previously ascendedto a creek along which we traveled about twelvemiles crossing it thirteen times—crossings verybad. After we had the last crossing we commencedto climb a very difficult ascent. Atthe top of the latter, four miles from the baseto the high point, the road leads down hill[Pg 43]again. Echo Creek which heads on this side ofthe mountains runs on to the city. The roadleads alongside of it, crossing it some twentytimes. We traveled on till three o'clock whenwe struck the foot of a mountain three miles thisside of town and encamped for the night.

The Salt Lake Valley is built by high mountainswhose summits reach into the clouds,forming with its craggy sides a picturesque and,joined with the beauty of the valley, a lovelyscene. The valley is thirty miles wide andsome seventy-five to one hundred miles long.Within its mountainous enclosure it containssome of the most fertile and beautiful countryever looked on by men. The Salt Lake whichstretches along the Valley on the North side helpsto beautify the scene. Beside this is the townitself which is laid out in practical lots consistingin a house and garden lot, the latter for agriculturalpurposes. The houses, about one thousandin number, are built of mud, dried in thesun and are in every way like the houses in theStates. The people to the number of about sixthousand living in the city and about four thousandin different counties of the valley areMormons. Although their creed contains agreat many foolish things, they have in some oftheir social arrangements the advantage over usand the traveler passing through Salt LakeValley and seeing everything working harmoniouslytogether as nature itself cannot help but[Pg 44]think them, more so, if he looks upon the cropswhich nature spontaneously produces here, ahappy and nearly independent people. One ofthe precepts of their faith, Polygamy, althoughgenerally used as a reproach to them, I personallyadmit as a true natural one, being consistentwith nature. Having supplied ourselveswith a few more necessaries for the remainderof the trip and some little repairing done to ourteams, we left the city intending to stop at somegood pasture place in the valley. On the roadwhich runs on along through town towards theNorth we met with the Hot Spring at the leftof the road. This Spring comes out of the surroundingmountains, being of nearly boilingheat and containing in it diluted a high percentageof sulphur.

The weather to-day is very hot and oppressive,being the more burdensome on account ofmy not being well, having previously been weakenedby sickness. Eight miles from here, tothe left we espied good grass and a stream ofwater, where we encamped and stopped there forthe next two days. While lying here I took sickagain, being a relapse of my former illness ofdysentery. In applying though some of Dr.Dickson's pills and some other strong mixturebesides this, I stopped it and I am fully convincedto-day that by paying a little precautionto diet I shall get well and strong again.

We left our camp on Saturday, the tenth day[Pg 45]of July, traveling along a high mountain rangethrough the valley for about sixteen miles,crossing in this distance several small creeksbordered with willows and aspens. A great partof the country is well cultivated and loadedwith a heavy crop of wheat, some corn andluxurious meadows, the latter rivalling any Iever saw before in any country. This eveningwe encamped at a small streamlet about twenty-fivemiles from the city. Grass very scarce, allother things however easy to be got. Fromhouses being about here, we had plenty of milkand butter.

Sunday the eleventh. Started late, many ofthe company having not got used to our formerspeedy proceeding yet. Drove over somesandy roads through desert country to theWebber river, which we had crossed just a weekago in its upper course. The river being in alow state, we forded it ourselves without anydifficulty and stopped three miles on the otherside of it, where we caught up with a wagonof our company that had left us at the city.

Monday, July the twelfth. This morning theroad led through brush and high grass onto asecond bank along which we travelled the wholeday, passing numerous farms on the lower sideof the road and crossing several creeks in thelatter part of the day. To the right of the roadruns a mountain chain about one thousand toone thousand five hundred feet above the level[Pg 46]of the lake, its sides as well as summit ornamentedwith a lovely growth of cedars and some ofits crevices filled with snow. This evening westruck camp three miles this side of GrazingCreek where we laid till next morning to proceedno further on our journey.

This day, the road crossed several creeks, thefirst, Grazing, and five miles onward from this,Box Elder—further on, several small creeks andsprings so that we had abundance of water allday. At Box Elder, we left the settlement, andpursued our course again on the Desert whereour former contest with hardships and privationsbegan from now on for the remainingjourney. We traveled to-day twenty milesfrom Willow Creek and encamped at a Springfive miles this side of Bear River. This stream wecrossed next day early in the morning payingfour hundred dollars ferriage and proceeded onwards.From here we had as hard times as weever saw on the plains arising from our want ofgood water for thirty-six miles which lattercircumstance with the extreme heat was veryhard on us and the cattle. We arrived at theend of the above mentioned distance about noonthe next day at Hensols Spring where westopped and refreshed ourselves with some goodcold water. The road along this distance leadsover a very hilly and dry country which onthis latter account disappoints the chokingemigrant extremely, expecting at every roll to[Pg 47]have in sight some fountain to revive the exhaustedenergies.

Six miles further we struck Deep Creek,running on the North side of the valley untilwhere the road strikes the valley, where itturns toward the South and about six milesdownward it sinks in the ground. At this place,called Deep Creek Sink we arrived next dayand our cattle being worked down and theirfeet being sore, the company again decided tostay here and rest them as well as recruit ourselvessomewhat.

July sixteenth. We left our last encampmentat the sink and proceeded downwards for thePilot Springs where we intended to water thecattle. The country begins here to get poorer,pasture becoming extremely scarce now, hardlyto be found on creeks and around slews and thenonly a good way up or down stream.

Seventeen miles from Deep Creek Sink atsome Springs in the side of a hill we met withgood pasture and although still early in theday, we stopped there and lay till morning.Cedar trees and sage bushes are all the vegetationto be seen in this region and the journeyon this account is monotonous and tiresome.The road from here takes over a hill from whichcan be seen for the last time the Salt Lake withits blue waters and its mountain high islandswhich with the surrounding hills offers quite apicturesque view to the observer.

About eight miles from Mountain Springsonwards we came to Stony Creek, a mountainstream whose water is more or less made up ofmelted snow and ice and is very cold, thereforevery much relished by travelers. From StonyCreek to the Casus Creek, distant about eightmiles, the country continues very poor havingnothing but wild sage and cedars on the bluffs.Casus Creek is a small stream bordered likeall the creeks in this country with willows, thelatter from the thick bunches in which theystand, a hiding place to the Indians. Pasturealong this Creek is plenty, therefore good campinghere. The road follows up the Creek abouteight miles and crosses it in this distance threetimes, the middle ford being considerable mirywhen we passed.

Leaving Casus Creek the road ascends graduallytowards a high situated point about fivemiles, where it joins with the cut off roads, threehundred and seventy miles West from the forksof the main road.

Coming up towards the summit of the hill wehove in sight of the City Rocks, being numerousrocks of all sizes and shapes piled up so on theslope of a mountain towards North West whichresembled in appearance a city at a distancebuilt on the side of a hill. From here the roaddescends down into a valley about five or sixmiles long with several small creeks which were,however, dry when we passed them. Ascending[Pg 49]the hills on the West side of the valley we metwith some water to the left, running downparallel with the road, and traveling on a milefurther struck its head, consisting of severalgood cold springs. Next morning we startedon our road which on account of many slidingrocks was very difficult and extremely hard oncattle. These hills are called Gooth CreekMountains, running along a stream called thesame name. Their forms and shapes are veryvarious and mostly composed of aqueous rocksin parallel stratas. Five miles traveling overthis interrupted ground brought us into theGooth Creek Valley which we followed upeighteen miles—the roads good and grass plenty.The valley along the upper course of the GoothCreek narrows; the mountains forming thevalley are steep and composed of some granulargravel. Small sharp edged rocks are scatteredall along the road and are very hard on cattles'feet.

At the head of Gooth Creek we met a goodspring coming out from under the rocks. Thewater is cold and the weather being very hotwe relished it very much. From here the roadleaves the Gooth Creek Valley and continuesover a mountainous, rocky and very barrencountry to the Rock Spring Valley. At the headof it to the right are several cold springs cominglike the one spring at the head of Gooth Creekfrom under a rocky ledge. Grass around this[Pg 50]spring is little or none. Following the road,however, for about four miles further, grassbecame plentiful and more so toward the headof the valley. Crossing several ridges, we descendedinto Thousand Spring Valley, so calledin consequence of the numerous Springs someof very high temperature; others are mere coldwells of considerable depth. The road leadshere along the valley ten miles and pasture wasreal good.

July the twenty-fourth. Friend and companionLogan died this morning at five o'clock.Logan, a partner in our team, took sick very suddenlyabout noon this day about two milesthis side Hot Springs. Driving on some fewmiles after noon, the disease came on in a veryserious manner so that we were obliged to stopand camp. His strength failed rapidly andcramps in all his parts caused him very aggravatingpains. Getting worse and worse andmedical help having no effect on him we finallyconcluded that although unsuspected and howeversudden he would go home to his Father.Living on till sunrise next day, he died aboutfive o'clock in the morning after a sickness ofseventeen hours. This then is human life—tolive, to eat, to propagate and die. We, from thiseventful place which we left after interring thedeceased, proceeded over a long ridge which,sloping upon the other side and ascending again,gradually descended, taking us a stretch of[Pg 51]twenty miles into the Humbolt Valley, themountains of the same name being in viewcovered with the everlasting snows. We followeddown the valley about eighteen milesand camped on the North Branch of Mary'sRiver about three miles from where we forded it.

July twenty-sixth. The road from the fordof the North Branch runs along a beautifulvalley to where it joins the South Fork ofMary's River, twenty miles below the abovementioned point. Grass along this valley ismore plentiful than any other place we foundalong the whole route. The water, although notvery cool, is good. From the junction of thetwo forks, another valley commences, the riverfollowing it down for twenty-eight miles. Atthis point the road leaves the river for thebluffs after having previously come to theforks of the road, crossed the river four timeswithin six miles and followed it down aboutten miles further to a small tributary of Mary'sRiver.

From here when we started early next morning,we had to travel over a section of mountainspretty steep and stony. Descending onthe other side of these hills we met with severalgood springs on the road side and finally aftera tedious forenoon's drive we struck the riveragain twenty miles from where we left it last.The roads along here being very sandy and somany teams passing ours it raises any amount[Pg 52]of dust which is very disagreeable to emigrantsand hard on cattle. We followed the river forfour miles when, finding good grass, we campedfor the night. Twenty miles further down streamthe main road takes to the right over the bluffs,another road crosses the river and follows downon the South side. The latter road is preferredin low water, being the best and shortest aswell as having most grass on this side of Humbolt.About forty miles onwards where weforded the stream it—the road—takes up overa rough hill leaving the river at the ascent andcoming to it again at the descent, about twomiles distant.

August the second. From this point the roadtakes over a hill about five miles long when itdescends into the valley again. Pasture alonghere is poor, the bottom being mostly over-grownwith sage. Although grass is scarce, forthe whole journey the careful emigrants canalways find sufficient feed for their cattle.

The road follows down the valley in a paralleldirection with the river for about twenty mileswhere it turns on an obtuse angle and runs offin a Southwest direction. Here the road takesover low sandy hills and along the banks ofthe river alternately. Twenty miles from ourstarting point, we encamped on the riverbanks.

August the fifth. Ascended a hill about one-halfmile on from our camp, pretty steep and[Pg 53]sandy. The road continues this way all alongfor about twenty miles more where it takesthe bluffs for eighteen miles through a sandydesert about three or four miles parallel withthe river. In the evening after a hard day'sdrive, we struck the river but did not meet withany grass which our starved animals badlyneeded. The following day we ascended thebluffs again for another eighteen miles deserthaving no grass nor water for the teams. Leaving,however, the main road and taking towardsthe river we got near enough to water our cattle,after which we drove on about four miles furtherand struck the river again finding tolerablegood grass. Next day we started for the meadowsand sink of Humbolt River. The distanceto the former being about fifteen miles, roadsbad, both sandy and hilly, no grass between,river handy enough in some places to waterthe stock.

Saturday evening we arrived at the meadows,our teams weakened from want of grass andseveral days' hard pulling. From here to theedge of the desert it is about twenty-five mileswhich we made in three days, recruiting ourstock, making grass and taking on water.

Thursday afternoon, about three o'clock, westarted with seven head of cattle and one horse,all of them in fair condition, for the desert—adistance of forty miles without water and grass,hilly and sandy roads. Thousands of dead cattle[Pg 54]were lying along this road which had gone outat the previous emigration. One of our oxengave out, detaining us for several hours. Slayingthe latter however, we arrived safe althougha very close call at Carson River. Here peoplefrom California have put up their shops, havingliquor and fixtures for sale for the emigrantsat high prices. Grass being scarce here westarted up the river about five miles. Beingabout camping time and our cattle very tiredwe stopped for the night.

From here we started the next morning havingabout five miles ahead a desert of thirteenmiles. Before we started into the latter, westopped and fed the teams for a few hours,then started on the said desert and the footers,among which I was, traveled up along the river,being higher and more pleasant than the mainroad. At the point where the latter strikes theriver again we found good company which inducedus to stop for the night, grass for ourstock being plenty. From here the road takesover the bluffs, being sandy again as the daybefore and the country as poor as the deserts.Twelve miles' traveling took us to the riverwhere we stopped and nooned. From here theroad gets to be stony and sidling, hard onwagons and teams, leading over undulatingground all along. About twenty-five milesfurther ahead the road takes over a hill, aperfect desert. To the left of this is mining[Pg 55]carried on in a Canyon. Although it does notpay as well as some mines in California, stillit allows fair wages to the diggers. Some ofus, among them myself, would have stoppedand dug here but for certain bondages whichwe could not get rid of without injuring ourpecuniary interest.

The distance here from the river to it againis thirteen miles, roads tolerably good. In theafternoon of this day (Sunday) we traveledover another sandy plain to the river, eightmiles, where we camped over night and startedMonday morning all hearty and well. Duringthe day's travel we passed a good many tradingposts, crossing numerous mountain streamswith good cold water. Grass along here isplenty so that stock as well as men do well inthis valley. Another day's travel will take usto the foot of the Canyon which we ascend totake us to Hope Valley. To-day at noon wearrived within a few miles of the Canyon wherewe stopped for noon. Leaving this place weintend to ascend the ravine in the afternoon.

We took into the Canyon on the morning ofthe eighteenth and ascending it we met theworst road on the whole route being bothrocky and steep and extremely hard on cattleand wagons. The whole Canyon is sown withrocks (metamorphic species) thrown there inchaos by volcanic eruption and offers to thetravelers with its steep pine clad mountains[Pg 56]one of those grand scenes of nature which areonly met with in mountainous or volcaniccountries. Five or eight miles of the hardesttraveling brought us into Hope Valley at theother side of the Canyon which we followed upto where the road takes the hills again andfinding at this point some excellent pasture weencamped.

We left our last night's camp where we sufferedconsiderably by the cold and started toascend the first of the mountains of the Nevada.The ascent is gradual for several miles till theroad comes to red rock where it takes a suddenascent for about one-half mile being very steepand rocky and undoubtedly constitutes withthe yesterday's passed Canyon the greater partof the elephant which will be finished tomorrowby the steepest and highest ascent of the SierraNevada. Up this mountain we doubled teamsand our wagons being light we arrived safelyat the summit about seven thousand feet abovethe level of the sea. Grass being scarce here wedescended about four miles on the other side ofthe mountain into a valley where we found somegood feed along the lake shore.

August twentieth. Started for the ascent ofthe last and highest mountain of the SierraNevada, taking first over a mountain of fivehundred to one thousand feet in height whichbrought us to the foot of the last mountain,we began our ascent, but though it was very[Pg 57]stony and high, we had less difficulty in passingover it than the one we ascended the daybefore. I myself arrived at the summit aboutten o'clock where I disposed of our horse whichhad caused me a good deal of trouble. This doneI took a view of the country around me. Ialways fancied to myself that the beauties ofthe mountainous countries were grand andsublime but never could I fully imagine sucha vast and chaotic beautiful scene as I foundhere. The whole mountains are made up ofmetamorphic rocks, thrown here by volcaniccauses. The mountains which extend aroundyou, standing at the summit to the edge ofthe horizon are interrupted by alpine valleysfilled with beautiful meadows and lakes ofcold mountain water which help to make thegrand scene of the mountains lovely and ruralto the observer.

We passed over the summit and drove onthis day over mountain ridges and encampedat night at about the same level as we traveledover in the afternoon, finding some grass andwater on the mountain side.

The following day took up the fork of theroad, the one to the right taking to Hangtown,the left hand one to Volcano. The distancefrom the fork to the latter place is about thirty-fivemiles, very hilly and extremely dusty, grassand water scarce—from ten to twenty milesapart in the valleys.

We arrived at Volcano August twenty-thirdand sold our stock the next day for the sum ofthree hundred dollars, making my share withour previous receipt for horse and one yoke ofcattle, eighty-seven dollars and subtracting thisfrom the whole of my expense leaves me ninetydollars debit to the journey.

At Volcano is the first mining district metthis side the Nevada and provisions being tolerablecheap and some of the digging middlingfavourable some five of us concluded to stayhere a while and try our luck.

Sunday, August twenty-ninth. We went towork the second day from our arrival and sunka shaft from ten to twelve feet deep at whichdepth we struck a lead paying us about eightto ten cents to the ton. Water which we happenedto strike got to be very troublesome,keeping us back considerably in our proceedingto get out the pay dirt for washing. All we earnedup to the present is about four dollars. Wecalculate however to make more next week ifwe keep on at work steady and keep our health.[1]

Several weeks have elapsed since closing mylast journal to the present date of this entry,and longer still this interval might have beenbut for sickness, which keeps me from my dailytask and compels me to pass the hours of ennuiand solitude by such means as circumstancesafford. Among these means, reading is my favoriteoccupation if the subject of it is attractiveand pleasing and one main reason that my diaryis not more regularly kept is because it is easierto read the productions of others' minds thanto make efforts for a similar purpose ourselves.The efforts I am going to make are not to becompared to the writing of fictitious works, norstill less scientific essays but are simply to notedown the most important occurrences of mycareer—a few abrupt ideas of my own and othermen and some remarks upon the political andmoral affairs of the world.

Well then, to begin. I am at present as alreadystated, compelled by sickness to stop inthe house for an uncertain period of time which,however, I ardently hope may not fetter me[Pg 62]like the criminal to his cell longer than naturemay possibly require to heal the diseased partof my body. This is a sore ankle, caused by therubbing of the seams of a boot, which, as undoubtedlya muscle or nerve was hurt, affectsthe whole system and gives me a good deal ofpain. These things will, however, always happenand always by our own fault or carelessness—atleast this is my case. Having this convictionone must try to take it as patiently as possible.

Although rain in April is rather a rarity, still,we had several showers within the last weekor so and a very wet night and forenoon to-day.This is a great benefit to the country, both tothe vegetable and auriferous world. The formerit animates while the water channels which itswells assist the miner in procuring the latter—ore.I have been tolerable successful for thelast three months, averaging about five dollarsper day with prospects of continuing so as longas may be water for our supply. The troubledstate of our company has temporarily subsided.Which fact is more to be ascribed to the justmentioned success than to an alleviation ofthe antagonistic elements prevailing among us.This however is not looked for by myself, nordoes it matter any in this case what the causeis, as long as the effect is good.

Monday morning, May first, eighteen fifty-four.The merry blooming month of May hasarrived and nature, shaking off the drowsiness[Pg 63]of Winter appears in all its beauty andsplendor. A carpet of verdure variegated bythe innumerable hues and shades of myriadsof flowers, shrubs and trees, spreads over thecrust of reanimated Mother Earth—which scenery,combined with the beautiful sky of a Californiaheaven, grants a sublime sight to thebeholder and admirer of the garden of nature.In gazing upon these fields, hills and dales,all in their bloom and vernal beauty; upon thepure sky that overspreads and adds to theirgrandeur—the mind gradually loses itself inmeditation and deep thought. Minor objectslose their hold upon us and higher, noblersentiments take their place. In such sacredmoments the empire of the mind reigns and wetruly live. The grand and wonderful effect ofa great unknown first cause meets us at everyside—and while admiring the former we wonderat the magnitude and goodness of the latter.We try to penetrate the darkness which veilsthat unknown from our sight and behold theprima facie—till now only known by its reflections.Besides this desire to find and look uponthe omnipotent, other thoughts and imagesrise before our mind's eye. While looking atsome green and blooming spot, moments ofthe past or rather, recollections associatedwith those gone-by hours, those bloomingfields, crowd in. We think of the innocent joysof those playfellows that loved us, of a kind[Pg 64]Mother that received us when we, flushed andexhausted arrived home to refresh and rest ourselves,who would lay her hand upon our foreheadto dry the perspiration and brush asideour hair to restore our infant beauty, and, withthose benign eyes looking upon us, wouldwith her lips which always were so fond ofkissing—express her fears that we would over-heatourselves and take sick. I would begin tocry and promise to be more careful in the future.Yes, these are recollections which will cheerthe darkest and increase the fullness of thehappiest moments of our life.

May nineteenth, eighteen fifty-four. I amwell once more, enjoying the blessedness derivedfrom such a state. I have just returned after aday's work and having an hour to spare fromthis to dark I thought to dedicate the same toscrawl down a few lines in these memoirs.

Although this is early May—the middle ofSpring, we have already the warmer days ofAugust and the ground which had hardly gota good soaking during Winter is dry now asever it gets in our Northern States. So withthe vegetables. The flora and fauna of thecountry, which have already seen their infancy—althoughnow everything is verdant andbudding—in but a short month more willpass away and the green will change to yellow,the bud to the ripened fruit and all nature puton the attire of mellow Fall, and be finally resuscitatedby deluges of rain which pour down[Pg 65]in Winter in this country. If ever by some naturalchange this country shall be blessed byseasonable rains through the Summer, it willundoubtedly exert a most beneficial influenceupon the soil of the land and make agriculturalbusiness more permanent and profitable andvastly benefit the mining community and makeliving itself more pleasant and comfortableon the shores of the Pacific. There is a certainfact which manifests itself in new settled countries—namely,that the amount of rain whichfalls every year increases in proportion to thecultivation and irrigation of the soil. At SaltLake, and so here, when settlers first arrivedrain was hardly known to fall but has increasedin amount every year since that period. Thisis a fact experience has taught us to hold truealthough its cause is hardly known.

The merry month of May has passed away;June holds reign over prairie, hills and dales.The weather in general is just warm enough tomake it pleasant to work—which in itself ispain enough without having it doubled by exposureto a scorching sun. A pleasant breezebeing wafted up from the smooth waters ofthe Pacific moderates the climate to a genialwarmth which only for want of sufficient rainwould be as beautiful as any person could wishfor. But from a want of this infinitely usefulelement at the proper season of the year, the[Pg 66]soil, otherwise fertile produces but little vegetation.July generally sees this dying off forwant of moisture. Still there are many fertilespots in the valleys watered by mountainstreams which intersect the country—headingin the snow clad mountains and pouring theiricy waters like veins into the heart of the countryto give vigor and health to the country intheir proximity. A traveler therefore can seein one day's journey and less both the buddingand refreshing Spring and the yellow Autumn,the former in the valleys, the latter in the higherparts of the land. It is on highlands that theselines are written—with a valley spread at thefoot of it, which extends to the Coast Rangeof mountains whose outlines I can plainly traceon the horizon and this minute its highestpeaks stand out in bold relief, illuminated bythe setting sun close upon their brow. Tenminutes more—they will hide it from viewwhere, in the pacific waters of the broad Oceanit will seek a resting place after its daily journeythrough the heavens, to rise with new splendorand magnificence in the morning. To manythousands who gaze upon the rising and settingof the sun its movement from East to West isstill a great mystery.

September twelfth, eighteen fifty-four. Overthree months have passed since I made my lastentry in this journal and not only have Ichanged my residence but my profession. I[Pg 67]have exchanged the miner for the confinementsof the Store Room to which I intend to adherein the future.

July and August passed in indolence andmental indifference. It is but a few days backthat I left off mining and find myself nowcomfortably seated in my store writing thesenotes. This place—French Hill—is within one-halfmile of Camp Secco which was destroyedby fire about three weeks ago, which howeverby the enterprise of its inhabitants is rapidlybuilding up and this time is an improved place.The place of present residence is rapidly springingup into a little village as yet namelessfrom its recent date and gives fair promisetowards a prosperous business. That this maybe the case is my earnest wish, as I hope torealize if no unforeseen mishaps befall me—enoughto leave California for a better home farto the East.

February, eighteen fifty-five. Four monthshave passed away since I made the last notesbut although the above dates indicate theWinter season when in the Eastern States snowand frost are plenty, we still enjoy as beautifulwarm and dry weather as one can wish for—nosnow, nor cold chilly days but pleasant weatherin their place. As miners mainly depend uponthe rain to wash their dirt, hove up throughouta period of nine months, a failure of it in Winterwhen it isanxiously looked for is a great disappointment[Pg 68]to the miners all over the country.When mining is stopped, everything else isdull and depressed. We may have some rainyet for California presents such a strange instanceof change that it is hard to tell when itwill come. It is this morning cloudy and hasevery indication of rain. Three or four weeksof even moderate rain would furnish a greatdeal of water—the great commodity for theminer.

There appears to be at present a general depressionin business all over the country,money tight and provisions dear and laborscarce. Heavy failures happen almost dailyin the Atlantic Cities. Houses which enjoyedthe greatest public confidence and patronageare suspending payment, not being able to paytheir liabilities by a fearful amount. EvenPage and Bacon, one of the best and wealthiestbanking houses in the Union, has suspendedpayment which, however, is more ascribed tothe detention of gold shipments from Californiathan to deficiency of funds. The main causefor all this embarrassment in the money marketappears to lie in the heavy export of gold toEngland in exchange for English manufacturesand in the extravagance of our bankers, brokersand merchant princes in the last ten years.Nothing but a stoppage in the import of foreignmanufacture and a more industrious sort ofliving will save this country from bankruptcy.[Pg 69]Even here, the great source of wealth for thelast six years, the pressure is felt. Gold diggingsare getting scarcer all the time and as living isalmost as dear as in forty-nine and fifty whenit was easier to make an ounce than it is at thepresent day to make a dollar—it is easy to imaginehow oppressive the hard times must be.The business I am engaged in at the presentyields but a very small profit for everythingin the mercantile line is high in the market andas miners reap but a very scant harvest fortheir labor one has to sell just as low as admissible.Profits therefore are but small. Still,making a little is better than making nothingat all and as long as this can be done I intend tostop here.

March second. Again I pick up the pen tomake a few notes in this diary to keep the linksin the chain of events which happen in this dulllife of mine. While writing these lines the coolbreezes wafted from the broad Pacific stir thewarm air which was throughout the day oppressiveand in the hours of twilight grant comfortand ease to the inhabitants of hot climates.The weather now is already as hot as it evergets in the middle of the Summer at home. Yes—Ibelieve that the mercury is higher now thanit ever gets there. This being only March,when they at home have still snow storms andfrost, we have beautiful Spring and nature isalready attired in her sprightly dress of green[Pg 70]variegated with flowers of all hues and shapes.Trees assume their verdant garments and alongsideof streamlets adorn the garden of nature.Oh! nature, grand and beautiful art thou! Beautifulin every scene that meets our eye—thestreamlet which meanders through pleasantvalleys by picturesque hills ornamented byvines, with the contented peasant gatheringthe grapes. Mountains with their highestpeaks covered with everlasting snows meet ourlooks in the far off horizon and crown withsublimity the rural beauties of the hills andvales at their foot. Man himself feels strongerand of higher spirits in the Spring of the year,the purity of the air and the balmy smellwhich emanates from flowers, shrubs and treesexhilarate the soul and body of every animatedorganic being. In time all this changes to yellowas their life runs out and their vitality, theirsweet smell are dried up by the tropical heatof the South to rest and gather life and nutrimentanew from Mother Earth.

Man, too, undergoes this change that everythingin nature is subjected to. His life comparesfavourably with the changes in the vegetableworld. First, tender and weak he gainscare and attention, strength of body and mind.In the Springtime of life, his beauty is of thenoblest kind and life is constant happiness.As time rolls on his body and mind mature,he becomes wiser and abler and in this estate[Pg 71]of manhood acts and operates for himself andfellowmen. This is the most useful part ofman's career and as he grows older he loses thevigour he formerly possessed and at the end—inthe Winter of his life droops down, growsweaker and weaker until finally his career is runand he has to join Mother Earth again to servesome new purpose in the organization of nature.

There is one great invention which will everillumine the time between the Dark Ages andthe present epoch. An invention which is asremarkable for its intensity of light as theMiddle Ages for their impenetrable darknessand consequent superstition. This is the inventionof printing by John Gutenberg ofMetz in Germany in fourteen hundred and forty.By one sublime thought which struck the mindof a single man or more properly, by the divineinspiration of a single human being, benefits asgreat and incalculable were bestowed uponmankind as universal space itself is infinite andbeyond human calculation. Before that timeall learning was limited to one class—the Clergyof all countries, who had it in their power todevote time which was at their own disposalto literary pursuits, in which they had greatassistance in the manuscripts of former ages,therefore enjoyed already although to a limitedextent the blessings which the art of printingafterwards bestowed more universally upon themass of mankind.

We all know now that as much as man issuperior and master of all other animals, sois the intelligent and well informed, master ofthe ignorant and superstitious. The prieststherefore of former ages—since they possessedknowledge above the rest of mankind were toa great extent the masters and in consequenceruled with a stronger rod than ever any monarchruled his subject since printing and consequentknowledge became more diffused amongthe masses of mankind. When books, in consequenceof their cheapness became plentierand the masses became possessed of the same—lightbegan to penetrate the utter darknesswhich formerly reigned supreme in the mind ofman and in a comparatively short period oftime since the death of this inventor, the humanfamily has made a more rapid and greater progressin science and useful knowledge than wasmade in all time before that great event.

March twenty-eighth, eighteen hundred andfifty-eight. Left this day Camp Secco—where Ihad been stopping for three years doing business,such as groceries and miners' implements.My success has been pretty good—might howeverhave been better. Still I don't complain.Although I have not made as much as many aone has done in the same length of time, stillI am satisfied.

The time while there passed dully enoughwith me, arising from the want of desirable[Pg 73]company and the non-existence of any placesof amusement. I had lots of time to myselfand had I been so disposed, had I possesseddifferent mental stamina, force, energy andperseverance, I might easily have acquired astore of useful knowledge. But it is of no use a-croakingnow. The time has fled and in placeof enjoying at present a cultivated mind Ihardly realize ideas enough to make me sensiblethat I am an intelligent, animated being.And it always will be so with me. I think natureis more to blame for it than I myself. Had Ibeen endowed with Genius great, with even thepresent balance of mind I think I should havemade a great man. I tried once, years ago,to obtain a lofty position in science, laboredhard and long and what was the result? Amachine capable of a certain amount of laborlaid out for it. Nothing else. I had no thoughtnor ideas of my own of the least practical use.I had better then be satisfied. Although I mightpossess a great deal more, still I don't thinkthat it would materially benefit my happinesshere.

April twentieth, eighteen hundred and fifty-eight.This day at ten o'clock, I left the wharfof San Francisco on the steamboatGolden Agefor the Atlantic States—for my home in oldVirginia and my friends.

I came to this country on the twentieth dayof August eighteen hundred and fifty-two—[Pg 74]making the time that I have been here, fiveyears and eight months to a day. My successhere, if not what it might have been, stillyielded me a small capital—enough to startme in business most anywhere and consequentlyby proper management, diligence and industry,I shall be enabled to get along in this worldcomfortably. Had I mentally as well improvedas I did my pecuniary circumstances, I shouldbe well enough satisfied. This, however, is notthe case and for this reason and this reasonalone am I sorry that I ever came to California.Had I remained at home, associated as I waswith men of intelligence and in a pursuit wheremental effort was required I would now unquestionablybe a smarter if not equally asrich a man. My mind, although naturallysterile, by proper care and pains would havebeen cultivated; my taste beautified; my feelingsand sentiments ennobled. In short, Ibelieve that I would have been a wiser, better,and in consequence a happier man than I amnow. Still, courage, "faint heart," the futuremay even yet bestow on you content and happiness.

I am tracing these lines in the steerage onboard the steamer, looking through a port holeonto the wide dark blue ocean of the Pacific,which is laid before my eyes in every directionto the far off horizon. How monotonous itseems to me. There are no hills nor mountains[Pg 75]in the background of the vast rolling Pacificbefore me. No trees, bushes, plants of any kind;nor is there an animated being to be seen—unlessonce in a while a shark or whale willshow themselves to our greedy eyes which longfor something else than boundless waters.

There is something fearful in the fact thatthere is nothing between destruction and theocean tossed mariner but some frail planks whichhalf a dozen accidents may dislodge and sendhim to the deep bottom of the pitiless sea.Such is man in his wild career in pursuit ofwealth and power that he will entrust his life,his all, to a frail bark which the winds may tosson rocks and breakers from which there isno salvation. These things are painfully clearto me now that there is no escape from themand though I am not absolutely afraid, still Iknow that there are many chances which maydestroy us. Who knows—many a stout vesselwith passengers ever as sanguine of a safe voyageleft a safe haven never to reach the place oftheir destination. This may be our—yes, my—fate.Still I will hope for the best. Hope thatour voyage across the treacherous ocean maybe a safe one and carry us to a safe Port atPanama. We have thus far enjoyed fine weather,a calm sea, and I have enjoyed thus far tolerablegood health.

Distance from San Francisco to Panama,three thousand, two hundred and sixty-two miles.

Saturday, April twenty-fifth. The coast wasout of sight since the second morning and reappearedthis morning, running for miles almostlevel then suddenly turning abruptly intocraggy headlands, standing out grotesque inthe background of the otherwise monotonousocean. And this is certainly a great relief aftergazing day after day upon the same far extending,swaying, rippling ocean, with nothing forthe eye after exhausting the utmost power ofvision to rest on, but a hazy horizon touchingthe blue expanse of waters.

The weather has been, up to this, clear andpleasant, perhaps a little cold at first but nowreally very charming. The sea has been tolerablyquiet and smooth so we have had butlittle sickness on board—less than I expectedto see. How old I am getting though. Whilewriting this, my feet pain me which has beenthe case for the last four months. Also myteeth which are mostly decayed and even myenergies are dormant. I, who once set myselfthe great task of studying a profession—now canhardly even concentrate enough thought tonote down a few sensible ideas. Yes, I am surelygrown old very fast in the last three years.I can feel both in mind and body. The latteris invariably inclined to indolence. The formerto downright dormancy. Oh, could I regainthe play of my imagination, the buoyancy ofthought which I once possessed; could I possess[Pg 77]myself of ambition, pride, to stimulate me, allyet might be right and it is to have the formerforced upon me by circumstances more or lessthat I reseek the scenes of my former home,hoping that in the wild and exciting race therefor wealth and position I too may be rousedenough to take a share.

April twenty-sixth. We passed Cape St.Lucas on the night of the twenty-fourth andran yesterday across the mouth of the Gulf ofCalifornia which I believe is here one hundredand sixty miles wide. While doing so we lostsight of the coast which, however, reappearedthis morning at daylight. The coast here presentsa succession of ridges rising higher backtowards the land—the whole, however, brokenup into abrupt peaks rising from four to fivehundred feet above the sea level. Occasionallya high cliff stands boldly out into the sea—itsfoot washed by the eternal breakers. The wholeof them are covered with a short low shrubberywhich is now colored in a reddish dress being inblossom at present.

After running down the coast about fiftymiles, we doubled a headland and turned intoa short bay at the East side of which is the villageof Mansenilla inhabited by Mexicans whounder supervision of Government officers carryon silver mining here. The appearance of everythinghere, the woods, houses and men wouldindicate that we are in a warmer climate, if[Pg 78]the weather did not. The people themselveswear clothing, as may be judged by its scantiness,to hide their nakedness rather than forprotection against the climate. Their color isslightly coppery, almost as much so as our CaliforniaIndians. Their houses too are morebuilt as a shelter from the tropical sun thanagainst the rigours of a cold country, theybeing the roughest, simplest kind of huts builtout of timber and brush. We lay here about anhour during which time we sent two passengersashore in one of our boats, while a number ofnatives in dugouts swarmed around the vessel,called out, I presume, more on account of thenovelty of our presence than any other notion.

We are now on our onward voyage, standingout to sea while the coast range of mountainsis still at our left. Yesterday being Sunday andhaving several soul savers on board we had ofcourse preaching—and enough of it—as muchas three times. I think were we all put throughthe same task every day for the next threemonths it would either make us the most orthodoxChristians or else disgusted with Christianity.The whole of them, the sermons,amounted to the same old rigmarole,—believeand be saved—disbelieve and you are doomedto hell and everlasting punishment.

We arrived at Acapulco this day, the twenty-eighthof April. This is a Spanish town, situatedon one of the best harbors on the Pacific[Pg 79]Coast. It forms a perfect elbow in shape andis therefore perfectly water locked and on thataccount offers safe mooring to vessels. Howstrange the contrast between a Spanish andan American town—the latter enjoying all thehealth and vigor and activity of youth, progress.In the former it is an eternal stand still,no activity of any kind, no display of the leastspirit or energy is to be met with here. Action,perpetual action, is the characteristic of theAmerican. The want of all life, of the leasthealthy action so necessary to the existence ofa people is to be found in Mexico. They, thepeople, are lazy, indolent by nature. All theyever strive for is to acquire enough of the simplestnecessaries of life and they are satisfiedif not happy. Toil is unknown to them andleisure is theirstatus quo. They show thisfact in everything—in the way they dress,wearing nothing but just enough to covertheir nakedness. Their homes are builded ofmud, covered with old fashioned tiles or withstraw, and present more the appearance offortified places than of dwellings. They (thehouses) most all have piazzas where the greaterportion of the inhabitants pass—in smokingand talking and sleeping—their days, yes, thegreater portion of their life. The streets aremade of sandstone slabs or else hewn in thesame as it lies. As there is never hardly anyrain here, and the town being built on solid[Pg 80]sandstone foundations, they are of course perfectlyclean which, as already intimated, isowing more to the nature of the site than tothe cleanliness and industry of the people.

The town is situated on the North West sideof the Bay and consists of several streets filledup by mud houses as already stated. Northfrom the town, about one-half mile distant,lies the fort on a slight elevation sloping onthe East toward the sea. The site is a very favourableone as it can command the harbor withits guns, having enough of the latter to sinkany vessel which may try to force its entrancein time of war. The fort itself is builded inthe shape of a square, with several embattlements.Its walls rise about thirty feet fromthe bottom of the trench which is of a depthof about ten feet and surrounds the whole.The entrance is afforded by a drawbridgethrough a door fronting the town. The soldiersare but a sorry set and I doubt, very little calculatedto do war time service. I judge theirbravery by the general character of the Mexicanpeople—which I know in the main to becowardly. I presume the soldiers—which areby the by, the most ragged set I have ever seen,having neither uniform nor even shoes, marchingand countermarching like a lot of beggarson the street with no military rearing whatever—willbe the same. If I am allowed to judgeMexico by this town of Acapulco—which has[Pg 81]all the advantage of a most favoured situationas seaport and in consequence is well fitted forcommerce, it is certainly a most neglected countryand with the resources it possesses both inmineral and agricultural wealth it cannot bedoubted but what it would soon in the handsof our people be one of the richest as well asloveliest countries in the world. This, however,seems to be its ultimate fate. Years may intervenebut it must most surely eventually giveway to the rapid strides of an onward movingcivilization. When that day will come—thatMexico shall add another star to our illustriouscountry—is not for me to say. I hope, however,for the sake of the Mexican people themselvesand for the sake of the numerous resources thecountry offers that it may soon come.

We left Acapulco Bay about five o'clock thisafternoon and stood out to sea. We are nowwithin three days of Panama, in fact nearer,but it will take three days to make it.

This is the first day of May. Lovely May hascome around once more and Spring with itsfine bracing breezes has set in. We are evennow within ten degrees of the Equator, enjoyingthe benefit of it in the Trades which blowfrom the South East. The next morning afterwe left Acapulco, I believe, we found ourselvesin the Gulf of Tehuantepeck which was tolerablerough. I was taken sea-sick, that mostterrible of all sicknesses. After three days'[Pg 82]suffering, I have gotten better. Still, even nowI feel the sensation of it in my throat. Still, Ithink that I have seen the worst of it. If so, Ishall not lament it, as I think it will secure megood health for a while.

Although in the tropics, we have enjoyed tillnow cool and extremely pleasant weather withbeautiful star and moonlight nights and thebright expanse of ocean round us, with our vessellike a thing of life moving along upon its bosom,and in the dark, at twilight before the moon isup, what splendid sight is revealed to the travellerof the sea. I mean the bright brilliantsparks and flashes which emit from the sprayingsheets which our cutwater sends off at bothsides of our vessel—caused by friction uponthe phosphorescent matter contained in thewater of the ocean.

May second. This morning the land, consistingof detached ranges of mountains, again camein sight, and now, five o'clock P.M. we areabreast of an island to the left. This isle isvery heavily timbered; the whole of it is amountain of about one hundred and fifty feethigh with a small point of level country at theEastern end of it.

May third. We came up to another islandthis morning, thickly covered with timber andvegetation of tropical growth. We kept nowin sight of land all the time, numbers of islandsbeing to our left and towards evening the Bay[Pg 83]of Panama came in sight. This Bay is of largedimensions and very secure, being well shelteredby islands and the main coast. We passedTobanga Island where the W. S. M. Companyhas a station where they repair and clean theirvessels when at Panama. We entered the Bayand dropped anchor twenty minutes past seveno'clock A.M. The next morning at four wetook the ferry boat for the wharfs, arrived there,took the cars across the Isthmus of Darien toAspinwall on the Gulf of Mexico. All the sectionof country we crossed over on the carsoffered a most beautiful sight. It is more or lessmountainous and covered with one emeraldsheet of thick and almost impenetrable highlyperfumed tropical vegetation. I could not discoverany trees nor plants of the moderate zones—allbeing the products of the tropics. Thiscountry, but for the extreme heat and themalaria it must necessarily create from itsnumerous swamps, would be almost a Paradiseto live in. If Americans should ever possess itand be able to live there, they in truth willmake it indeed what it seems intended for bynature—one of the loveliest spots the worldknows. Aspinwall is a new place and tracesits origin to the discovery of the gold minesin California and the subsequent travel acrossthe Isthmus. It is principally inhabited bynatives of Central America, some French andsome Americans. The latter, however, being the[Pg 84]only influential portion of the community.They have made it and named it what it isthis day. They own the railroad and a largedepot three hundred by one hundred feet, fireproof, and a very commodious dock for thehandling of the mail steamers and offices tocarry on their business.

We left the docks of Aspinwall about fouro'clock. The trip across the Isthmus occupiedabout five hours, so that we got to Aspinwallabout twelve and had from then till four at thelatter place.

May fifth.The Star of the West, the boat Iam now on, is not near as large nor as good aboat as the steamer on the other side. Still,if she only brings us safe to New York I shallbe satisfied well enough. I perceive by the latestNew York news that yellow fever broke out onthe U. S. S. frigateSusquehanna and at theCentral American Port of St. James. If I dreadanything, I dread that and I hope to God itwill not appear on board of this bark. If itshould be doomed to that, God only knowswhat its effect might be. I must hope for thebest. We are only about a week's sail fromNew York. Still, how uncertain is our arrivalthere considering the numerous accidents whichwe are apt to encounter, which may finish ourexistence before we once more set our feet onblessed Mother Earth.

Distance across the Isthmus from Panama[Pg 85]to Aspinwall on Navy Bay (Colon) forty-fivemiles. Distance to New York one thousandone hundred miles.

Another bright day has risen over the waterand a slight breeze stiffens our sails, carryingus homewards. I am still in bad health, mystomach being completely deranged and in consequencecan't enjoy the trip as well as I otherwisemight were I in good health.

The steamboatNew Grenada which startedone hour before us from Aspinwall has beenmore or less in sight since we left that Port andnow is about ten miles astern of us. Last eveningabout five o'clock P.M. we passed theisland of Providence to our right. This Islandlike all the rest I have seen on this trip is mountainousand thickly timbered. As there werefires on the coast I presume it must be inhabitedand there are undoubtedly spots on it undercultivation. All the country in these lowerlatitudes is very fertile, producing luxuriousgrowths of most all the tropical fruits.

Providence is about two hundred and fortymiles North East of North from Aspinwall. Thisbeing the course we have steered since we leftthere. Now we are steering due North.

May ninth. In the evening of the seventh wecame in sight of the lighthouse of Saint Antoine—theS. W. Cape of Cuba. This night and thenext day, the eighth, we cruised along side ofCuba for some three hundred miles. We came[Pg 86]opposite to Havana about five o'clock on theeighth. Havana is builded close to the shore,seemingly resting upon the water. The groundback of it is higher and portions of the townare builded there. The main city, however, isat the water's edge. Morro Castle, the fort atthe Harbor, is at the North East part of theCity. We sailed within about five miles ofthe City. The above were all the points Icould scan at this distance. Having struck theGulf Stream, the sea became rougher and I,in consequence, sick again and feel miserablewhile scribbling this. I have the more reasonto wish myself safe on shore at New York,having ascertained to-day the fact of the unseaworthinessof our boat. The Florida reefs—keys—camein sight this forenoon and are stillin sight. They are low lands, or rather areelevated reefs, thinly timbered and dreaded,on account of the reefs and rocks in the neighborhood,by the mariner.

We arrived on the night of Wednesday, Maytwelfth, in sight of the Long Island and SandyHook Lights and after having taken on a Pilotwe entered Sandy Hook and passing into NewYork Harbor arrived at the city about fiveo'clock in the morning of the thirteenth ofMay.

Here then I am in New York—the EmpireCity of America—the greatest commercial portin the American Continent and the World. Its[Pg 87]tonnage is larger than that of any other Portcity I believe in the World. While it is connectedby the Ocean with all Foreign Countries,it is likewise so with all the important citiesof the United States by railroads and steamboatconveyance.

I remained at New York till the twenty-firstinstant. During my stay here I visited thedifferent theaters. The Laura Keene on Broadwaywas the handsomest I had ever seen inAmerica, and what was still better, the actingwas equally good and, as the building, the bestI had ever the pleasure to see in this country.The Crystal Palace I saw from the outside only.The whole is built of iron. Its model is chasteand displays a good deal of art and beauty.The Palace is surrounded by an iron railingand between it and the building intervenes abeautiful green sward. East from the Palaceis the reservoir of the great Croton water workswhich supply the whole of New York withwater which is brought some twenty-five orthirty miles to this grand reservoir, built ofsolid masonry and occupying a large area ofground. From here the water is distributedover the whole city for drinking, culinary andmanufacturing purposes. Another place ofgreat celebrity, Barnum's Museum, of Americanwide fame, was also visited by me. Hereare stored in rich profusion treasures of the animalworld both of land and sea. Also a good[Pg 88]gathering of antiquities of almost all portionsof the world, and several statues of fame andrenown. Among them are the wax models ofthe Emperor of Russia, Joseph of Austria,Napoleon III and Queen Victoria of England,and last but not least Kossuth and NapoleonBonaparte and the notorious Mrs. Cunninghamin whose eyes passion and crime but greatbeauty is also written. Among the persons ofhigher renown is Mary the Mother of Jesus.Animals of all kinds and species are amassedhere in great variety too numerous to mention.They are mostly stuffed except numerous freshand salt water fishes which are kept alive hereenjoying their native element in large tanks.The large boa constrictor and another largesnake are also kept living here by means ofartificial heat supplied them. Among the antiquesare coins of centuries long since passed.American state documents of the last century,flags and arms of the Revolutionary and Indianwars. Among the latter a number of tomahawks,spears, battleaxes, etc. Curiosities from Chinaand Japan are also here in this greatmultumin parvo. Also a large metallurgical collectionwith minerals of all kinds. A Panorama withrepresentation of many beautiful scenes fromItaly, France and Austria is found here. Thepictures of the celebrated Generals and Statesmenof American History as those of celebratedmen and women of the present day adorn its[Pg 89]walls. The exposition in this Museum is sogrand and my survey of its treasures was soshort and superficial that I am not able torelate and specify them any plainer or withgreater accuracy. I was, however, well pleasedthe few hours I remained there and consideredthat time spent to exceeding great purpose.

New York has many beautiful buildings andthe Fifth Avenue is a street of palaces and inmy opinion compares favourably with any streetof any city in the World. Here reside the richestpeople in the city. None but nabobs beingable to exist in the air of this moneyed Americanaristocracy. If the insides of these dwellingsenjoy corresponding happiness with allthese luxurious surroundings is not for thepeople to know. Still, as nothing in this worldis all blessedness and sunshine, one may wellsuppose that too, in these grand dwellingswretchedness and heartburnings may be met.The great enterprise of New York at presentupon which succeeding ages will bestow allgratitude is the building of a grand Park wherethe thousands of this city—the rich, the poor,the highly born and lowly may pass momentsof pleasure and rest from the noise and turmoilof the city and acquire strength andcheerfulness for the hard tasks of every day life.

I left New York City on the twenty-firstinstant for Philadelphia—the Quaker City—whereI arrived at four o'clock P.M. This,[Pg 90]which I always supposed to be the handsomestcity in America, I am sorry that I am compelledto state, disappointed all my bright anticipationof its beauties. It is true, being considerablyexhausted by much traveling and havingmy thirst for sight-seeing considerably abatedat New York, I was not exactly in a conditionto receive grand and stunning impressions. HadI arrived here first, fresh from the mountainsof California instead of New York, Philadelphiamight have impressed me with feelings ofadmiration and satiated my desire to viewarchitectural and artistic beauties to its full.As it is—New York had the precedence in myvisit and with the remembrance of its grandeurfresh upon my mind, I am obliged to admitthat the City of Penn fell short in its treasuresof beauty of what I hoped and wished to find.Here, however, as is universally the case, areexceptions to be met. Only had I hoped theinverted to be the case—namely that beautiesmight be the rule and common appearance theexception. I refer to the Institution which willfor a far off future immortalize the name itbears—I mean Girard College. This is as far asI have knowledge, the handsomest and grace-fullestedifice in America. At the time of dayI went to visit it, I could not get admittance andmy view of it was in consequence indistinct fromthe walls and distance that intervened. Still,I saw enough fully to sustain the above opinion.[Pg 91]The edifice is large in size, surrounded by aportico ornamented by Corinthian Columns ofthe chastest workmanship. The material whichcomposes its grand walls is I believe, finemarble. This, the main edifice, has two additionalbuildings on each side—two for the maleand two for the female pupils. Beautifulgrounds, planted with handsome trees and flowerbeds intersected by gravel walks surround thebuildings. The whole again is enclosed by abig wall to keep the outer world from intrudingand marring the quiet and beauty within.Girard, the founder, once poor but rich inthought, energy, and perseverance, accumulatedby well applied industry and diligence a princelyfortune of which he the greater portion, $800,000,bestowed upon the orphans of Philadelphiain the most generous and useful way in this,the greatest American Orphan College. He,in his will forbade the introduction of anyreligion for educational purposes and also,the entrance of any of its apostles within thewalls. And who will blame him for this sweepingand, by many condemned as sinful, prescription?It was not the want of faith of the manin an all ruling Deity. No, but quite otherwise,his high regard for the same, which guided himin this action. Knowing as we all know of thegreat variety of religious communities, alldiffering with one another, yes, in many casescondemning one another, he thought well and[Pg 92]justly so to keep the infant mind free of thedifferent feuds and enmities of the different sects.His purpose was to give them an enlightenededucation, to acquaint their mind with facts,with events and their causes and effects—sothat when ripened and matured into men andwomen free from all prejudices, they mightthemselves be enabled by pure and cultivatedthought to form a just and enlightened opinionof their own about religion and its principlesand aim and purpose. Is it not better so tohave the mind of the to-man-grown boy andthe mind of the girl who has reached womanhoodunfettered by stubborn prejudices, perhapswith hatred against its fellow creatures,than to have it in its infancy so directed as tomake it almost impossible to allow them differentviews and opinions from those early implantedupon the infant mind? I approve themotive and can appreciate the intelligence andforesight of the mind of its originator. Honorand blessing be to him—Girard—one of thegreat benefactors of the poor.

From here I continued my journey by theP. C. R. R. via Harrisburg over the Alleghenysto Pittsburg, and from there took the steamerto Wheeling the home of my brother Fredericand his family. I parted from them, New Yeareighteen fifty-one and as I, in the Spring of thesame year, left for California from which Ihave only now returned, I had not seen them[Pg 93]since. My arrival seemed to give them greatpleasure and all subsequent appearances seemedto warrant the genuineness of their displayof affectionate feelings. I trust this may reallybe the case. That sincerity and not an un-noblermotive was at the bottom of the lavishedkindness. I know the value of atrue, sincere,noble affection andlove so that I am always proneto suspect its genuineness when too freely andplentifully offered. I still trust it may have beenreal in this case. Brother Henry who residesat Sunfish, Munro Co., Ohio, I also visited forfive or six days and passed the time right cheerfullywhilst there. Henry is an honest soul,true and sincere, incapable of deception. Bothbrothers wished me to remain with them andjoin them in business. Their wishes, however,I saw best to decline. I am certain that byseparation we can harbor more and better affectionbetween us. Then the place and its environsdid not suit my taste for a life longHome. Yesterday,Tuesday, the eighth of June, I bade themagain farewell and took on the steamerCourier,my departure for Cincinnati to go from therefurther West in search of a home. Ho, for theWest! Kind God, may ye will that I meet myanticipations and wishes. All I wish is a pleasant,yes a beautiful and healthy nook to livein, with a kind and loving wife to cheer me inthe battle of life and loving children to surroundand ease when once I journey the down hill[Pg 94]of life towards ???—the grave—dissolution—theend of man? In short, I wantLove in a Cottage.

I arrived at Cincinnati on the morning ofthe tenth instant and took up lodgings at theSpencer House, one of the best and of course,dearest hotels in the city. This place surpassedmy expectations which I had formed in regardto its industry, activity and wealth. Since mylast visit here in eighteen fifty-two, the townhas been greatly embellished by many beautifulbuildings, both private and public. Amongthe latter those which deserve mention are theCustom House, and Post Office, the Court Houseand many beautiful churches, amongst whichthe Catholic Cathedral is the handsomest. Besidesthis, many new hotels—all of them finehouses, as also many imposing business houseshave been erected of late years. The streets,at least in the main part of the town which Ionly ambulated, are laid out at right angles.Among those which run from the river, forminga right angle with the same, I noticedBroadway, Main, Sycamore, Walnut. Theseare intersected by the streets running parallelwith the river numbered One, Two, Three, Four,etc. In short Cincinnati, with a population of200,000 and still increasing, has all the appearanceof a thriving, wealthy, industrial and commercialcity, and fills the position of such in theUnited States. It is especially famous for themillions of hogs killed and packed here annually.[Pg 95]From here, in the shape of shoulders, baconand ham they are sent all over the United Statesand a large portion shipped via New Orleansto England. Opposite to Cincinnati, is New Port,Kentucky—also a thriving town. I stopped hereover night and left the eleventh at twelveo'clock on the steamerJacob Stratton, the firstand only low pressure boat I ever saw on theOhio, for Louisville, Kentucky. During lastnight it set in again raining and continued soall day—so that I had but little desire of beingoutside the cabin and consequently observedbut little of the scenery along the river toLouisville. There are a number of thrivingtowns along the river—the principal of whichis Madison, Indiana. The Big Miami riverdivides Ohio from Indiana. We lay over nightat Louisville. The next morning I and myrecently made acquaintance Mr. Charles N.Scram, went over the greater part of the city.Louisville belongs to Kentucky, situated on theOhio river at the head of the celebrated fallsof the Ohio. The latter are, except at highwater, an obstruction to navigation to overcomewhich the two-mile long canal was builtat enormous cost and boats go through itaround the falls and strike again the Ohiobelow. Louisville counts a population of sixtythousand inhabitants and is of both commercialand industrial importance. It has several finepublic buildings and the richness and beauty[Pg 96]and chastity of its many private buildingsbespeak at once the wealth and taste of itsoccupants. Its streets are wide and it rejoiceswith Cincinnati in Avenues of trees now coveredwith the richest of foliage.

We delayed here till noon of the twelfth,when we again took the steamerMoses McLellanfor St. Louis, Missouri. The rain still continuedto fall and the Ohio river, as all the riversthroughout the country, continues to rise. Theypromise to cause by their overflow an incalculableamount of damage to the crops in the bottomsthrough which they now roll their courseswith the wildest of turbulence. Last night, orrather, this morning, the rain has abated andthank God the sun once more radiates itsgenial beams. May it continue and its blessedwarmth may yet reclaim many otherwise lostacres of grain.

It is now Sunday, twelve o'clock and we havearrived three hundred and three miles fromLouisville, having still three hundred and sixteenmiles to St. Louis. We shall probably getthere tomorrow night. Thanks to my cursedmind, I have this last two days again beenoppressed with the blues, what it will ever endin I don't know, possibly in suicide. Why was Iever made or why was I not endowed with amind to make life desireful, pleasing and cheerfulinstead of the one I possess, which is incapableto create a world for itself and too dull[Pg 97]and selfish to enjoy that of others? However,there is no help except—what can't be curedmust be endured.

Cairo, at the junction of the Mississippi andOhio rivers, we reached Sunday evening. Theflood has desolated much of this lower country,destroying crops and homes and in fact allkinds of property it encountered in its sweepingcourse. Here it broke through the leveewhich had been builded at a cost of twelvemillions of dollars and overran the whole townexcept a portion on the highest part of the Ohiolevee. The damage is immense and general.All being sufferers by it, it is chance now whetherit will ever be rebuilded. Its locality is such thatit must always be at the mercy of the highfloods which occur in these upper rivers periodically.They may fail some years, but willonly when they do come be so much moreterrible in their destruction. We doubled thepoint and with a strong current against us,ran up stream. All the bottom along the riverwas covered with water, water, presenting onebright broad sheet of water variegated withforests of trees, in many places the roofs ofhomes being apparent only and many beingentirely under water.

We reached St. Louis Tuesday morning, thefifteenth instant. St. Louis is a stirring place,made so by its favourable location on the Mississippiriver. This river connects it with the[Pg 98]State of Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesotaand Kansas, and with all the country on thelower Mississippi—principally New Orleans.This place will in a short time rival any inlandtown in the Union and eventually become thenext largest city to New York. I stopped herealmost two days, left it on the seventeenth ofJune for the Northern part of Missouri andKansas. The trip up the Missouri is verytedious, the scenery being all the same all theway. Bluffs of little beauty and bottom landscovered with cottonwood. The river is verycrooked and very rapid in its course. On boththese accounts we made slow headway up narrowchutes, around innumerable bends, pastever so many towns and villages.

Sunday evening we got to Kansas City,Missouri. I laid over here the next day Monday,in order to see the place and find outsomething about its resources and prospects.While here I visited Wyandot on the Northside of Kansas River, the same side as KansasCity on the Missouri. This is a very new freestate settlement and although but of recentorigin has many fine houses, stores and hotels.Possessing a very good site for a city with agood landing, it will be in time, when theresources of Kansas are developed, a thrivingplace. Kansas City is built on a bluff risingfrom the river bank and expensive grading wasnecessary to secure an area for houses. From[Pg 99]here streets are made by excavating throughthe bluffs to the best part of the city which liesback of the bluffs. This addition is quite newbut springing up now very fast and will becomein time a large city.

I left Kansas City on Monday afternoon forLeavenworth and St. Joseph and reached thelatter place on the twenty-fourth instant. Ihad been here in eighteen fifty-two, on my wayto California. I remembered well enough itssite but the town has changed very much sincethat time, having at least four times increasedin its size and population. It is laid out inrectangular streets having on Second streetan open place for the market house. There arealready many fine buildings here and manymore going up. Property has greatly enhancedin value on account of its unrivalled location.I stayed here several days making enquiryand gaining information as to the resourcesof the place and its adaptability to my business.The prospects held out to me were fair enoughand I partly decided if I could not find a placesuiting still better to return here and establishmyself in business.

I left this town for Leavenworth, seventymiles South of St. Joseph on the Missouri River.This is in Kansas and although only threeyears old has already attained a size and enjoysa large and growing commerce which rivals manya town of ten times its age. It is at present the[Pg 100]key port to Kansas Territory. Most of thebusiness for the Territory is transacted here.Its location on the Missouri River secures itthe connection with St. Louis and through it bythe Grand Central Web of Railroads with allparts of the United States. The site for thetown is good and back some distance from theriver and right above the business part of thetown, up the River, beautiful.

This town holds out the same inducementsto me to start business here as St. Joseph. Itdoes now and I think always will lead St.Joseph in commercial importance and the factof being in a free State will probably turn thescale in its favor in my decision between thetwo places. Leavenworth City at present isyet only three years old and grown as suddenas it has, everyone putting up buildings onlystudying to make the least outlay practicablefor present purposes, the sanitary arrangementshave of consequence been neglected and thisI am satisfied in my mind will be the cause ofsevere sickness during this and the still comingscorching heat of Summer. This fact will probablykeep me off till Fall, when colder windswill purify the air from putrid exhalations.

I started on a short trip inland, to see somewhatmore of the Territory than its outskirts,on the last day of June. This is certainly alovely country to survey, bound to attract theadmiration of any one in whose heart the least[Pg 101]drop of human kindness is not forever driedup. A living sea is the truest picture I can giveof its appearance, the whole is a vast expanseof land, undulating, shifting, like the eternalthrowings of the Ocean. Here and there streamsmeandering along through some of its shallowcurves, fringed with trees, add to the sublimityof the scene. But for me to portray this partof nature's face is a useless task. I can feel thegrandeurs of it easier than to describe them.

After passing through the reservation of theDelaware, we crossed the Kansas River andarrived at Lawrence, the first town this side ofLeavenworth. I arrived just in time to hearof the acquittal of Jim Lame for the murder ofJennings. After a stay of an hour during whichI promenaded once or twice through the onlystreet which makes the present town, I tookthe stage for Topeka, twenty-five miles distance.I had the pleasure of enjoying a rightgood thorough jolting, making the trip one ofpunishment instead of pleasure. After a longand tedious ride of nine hours, passing throughTecompton and Tecomseh, we arrived at twoo'clock in the morning of the first of July inTopeka. I came here principally to buy hides,but could not find any here. This, like all theplaces here is quiet and at present very dull,being in fact at the lowest stage of commercialstagnation. I shall take the stage tomorrow attwo A.M. for Leavenworth City.

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Movatterモバイル変換

The Project Gutenberg eBook ofExtracts from the Diary of William C. Lobenstine, December 31, 1851-1858

Extracts from the Diary of
William C. Lobenstine
December 31, 1851-1858

FOREWORD

INTRODUCTION

I

II

III

Transcriber's Note:

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

Movatterモバイル変換

The Project Gutenberg eBook ofExtracts from the Diary of William C. Lobenstine, December 31, 1851-1858

Extracts from the Diary ofWilliam C. LobenstineDecember 31, 1851-1858

FOREWORD

INTRODUCTION

I

II

III

Transcriber's Note:

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

Extracts from the Diary of
William C. Lobenstine
December 31, 1851-1858