Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1850-03-21
LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.

Fethefman, son Of Mr.. Basar Fetherman of
this county, who is known to many of oul
citizens, will doubtless prove interesting tc
many Of our readers:
CALIFORNIA, FEATHER RIVER Jan. 10, 1850
DEAR PARENTS: II is long time since
last wrote to you The arrangements of Post
offices and mails are so bad that no letter can
be sent to the States with any degree of Ger.
tainty, but gentleman intends leaving here
for the States next Monday, therefore write
and send these lines with him to New Orleans
and have them male there. will endeavor
to give you short history of our travels from
Jerseyville here, and then of things as they
are in California. Our Teams left JerseyvilIe
Jesey CO., Illinois, on the 9th day of March
last, and arrived arSt. Joseph, Missouri, the
latter part Of the third week in April, the dis
tance being between three and folr hundred
miles. At St. Joseph we fully equipped our
selves, recruited our cattle, &C., till on the
5th day Of May when we crossed the Missou-
ri, and on the following day after amply sup.
plying ourselves with all the necessaries oil
subsistence and good teams, viz: two good
wagons with four yoke of good young cattle
TO each, l400 pounds Of flour, 800 pounds oi
Bacon, one sack Of Coffee, one of Sugar, fifty
lbs. of rice, one sack Of dried fruit, SaIaratus,
&c. &c. Also good supply of ammunition,
one gun to man, one good cutting weapon,
and together one Keg of Powder, being now
fitted out and bye the bye with good young
horse also. We left the bank Of the Missouri
early in the morning, (March 6th) seven OF
US in number, viz: James Whittock, VIM.
Bridges, John Arnspiger, Andrew Arnspiger
Abf'm. Howser, James Pering and myself
each paying an equal part of the outfit. The
first days travel was short, only about eight
miles, owi ing to the road being very bad, in
fact it was worse than any part we afterwards
travelled over for 800 miles, here we struck
up our tent, grazed our cattle, prepared our
supper, &c. About O'Clock we tied up our
oxen, spread our Buffalo Robes and quilts,
and were soon wrapped in sleep. On the fol-
lowing morning we turned loose our cattle TO
Craze, during that time We prepared and ate
breakfast, then got up our cattle and in a
short time were again on the way for the FL
rado of the west, during this days travel we
overlook some more teams from Jersey CO..
Illinois and on the morning ofthe Sth, we con-
nected ourselves with that company, adopted
our Constitution, elected our officers &c. On
the following day we had the misfortune to
loose one Of our men, James Whitlock, who
died Of the cholera. BY this time grass was
coming plenty, the road beng excellent our
cattle fresh and strong, and the whole com.
pany consisting Of about eighteen teams and
sixty persons. Everything now went on well
the train moving along at an average of IS
miles day, with the exception of Sunday
when we generally laid over. after having
travelled in this way about ten days, we were
fairly among the Pawnee Indians, the Buifa-
10, Antelope, and the Wolf, on the 93d of May
we reached Fort Childs, here we saw the
first house since we left st Joseph, a distance
of three hundred miles but the country is lev
Il and the soil extremely rich, producing ex-
;ellent grass, and is we'll walered by the
Blues and their tributaries. Fort Childs is
situated at the head of grand Island, fourteen
niles above where we first struck the Nebras-
IA or Platte River. 1t is a new place, contains
few sod houses and few military men,
from Fort Childs we followed up the Platte
S far as Fort Sarimie distance ofthree hun
red miles from Fort Childs About one hun.
red and ten miles up the river it forks, one
allied the South and the other the North, we
ollowed the South fork about twenty miles
nd then crossed that branch and struck for
Ish Hollow From Fort Larimie may he seen
lany of the wonders of the world, especially
ne wonderful and curiously shaped bluffs
ounding the valley on both sides. will
i've You brief description of one of these
lufs as recorded it in my Journal and will
escribe the rest at some other time, the OBJ
ct | shall describe is usually called the
ourt House from its resemblance. About
yo hundred and twenty five miles above {
ort Childs, and about s miles to the left of :