Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1849-05-31
miscellaneous.
From the Missouri Republican.
CALIFORNIANISM IN THE
WEST,

Iii, no, for California! say, stranger,
whittier bound "To California" Not
with your family? yes" Do you ex-
pect to get there with that old mare and
colt, and those poor, weak oxen, and that
old rickety wagon? "Why, reckon so"
Where did you come irom2 "Hiwassee
District, Tennessee was fetched up in
Bunkum, North Carolina; but when grew
up l moved to Hiwassee and married, but
never could get ahead there, aud when |
heard tell Of the California country, and
gold to be picked up there, sold out my
improvements and took this wagon and team
in payment, packed up our duds, and are on
our way there. You know that Fortunes
blind there's no telling the luck of lou
sy calf, SO thought it might be my good
fortune to get some of the gold as well as
any Others"
But SIR, your team cannot get there
You will neither find grass, grain, nor food
for them or yourselves on the plains. 1t is
long dreary road no houses, no wood :;
and it will be two months yet before there
will be grass enough to fill those oxen and
beasts on the whole route; and, further,
when the grass is up near the settlements it
Is long time alter before any of account
will be up beyond, and the further you go
| the worse.
"Well, I'll stop awhie-turn in, and
work till it grows"
But where will you work. There is no.
body to hire, or work to do-what then .
You are too far advanced to return, YOU
cannot go ahead, and you are in a dreary
desert country, without wood, water, or a.
ny thing to eat, with wife and children
dren looking up to you for relief and sup
port; your team exhausted and become food
for wolves, and before long yourself and
family will follow your team. Thus ends
the mad career of Hiwassee pioneer and
family
Next comes company of young men
from some Eastern city, with fine appear
ance, strength aud talent, yet unacquanted
with the life of an old campagner, unused
to lie on the ground, cooking, and thou
sand other little Incidents attending long,
monotonous dreary march. lit a few nights
pain seizes hold of you in every bone, mus
Gle, and part, and you feel scarcely able to
move; yet the time has come to be up and
moving aheac, another days Journey. Hunt
up your oxen, yoke them, pack in your fix.
ms, and gee-wo-haw, Buck, Bright, get a.
long you Brindle, what are you about, old
Bawler! Zip, you dog, HE up--lend a
hand here, John, Jake, Josh, for these darn
ed horses can't bud &c an inch. While 9TH
ers are rolling on in the distance, YOU are
stalled in the mud-hole-broke an axle.
tongue-something out of hx-away you
tug, sweat, fret, aud tear up the ground, but
all to no effect; your steers won't pull
one has sore neck, another lame; one
gives out, and none to put in his place, and
you are in bad fix.
Methinks see, about the Goth of April
1e49, thousand wagons spreading out from
Independence and ST. Joseph, on the road
towards Fort Laramie, with some three OF
four thousand emigrants-men, women and
chlldren-all vending their way to the gold
regions OF the Sacramento, straining every
nerve and urging on their teams to their
greatest speed, in order to be the first to ar
rive; the grass thiny scattered here and
there, and in spots and places few and far
between; the ground yet cold, the waters
high, aud still further ahead, the SHOWS Of
the past winter unthawed In yonder creek
some dozen wagons, horses, mules and OK.
en-, all tangled up in the harness; wagons
broken, lame and crippled animals-alli in a
perfect Jam-old men frisking about, chill
dreh squalling, men raving, roaring, ours
ing and swearing about their bad luck A
iii'le ahead appears portentous black
cloud, the lightning flashing, thunders roar
ing, peal alter peal the RAIN begins to de-
scend, the wind blows thicker and faster
falls the watery element; the whole canopy
OF Heaven becomes blackened and darker
grows; the creeks swell, the water rolls and
pours down rivers run, where few hours
before, all was seemingly dry. Your goods
are wet, your wagon covers shivered; tat
tered, and torn to threads; your clothes all
wet, and without tent, house, or shelter.
stand up aud sleep, and let it rain. Your
ca',ie' horses and mules discontinued, snort
and snuff the breeze; fly the picquet. and
away they go horses aud mules without !
rider, oxen without wagon, pell neil. over
hill aud dale, far away,