The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1850-03-13
California Correspondence.


sure take this opportunity of writing to let you
, know about our journey and this country. We
left Council Bluffs on the 25th of May; the coun
l try is fine. We had plenty of feed and goot
level roads for distance, until we struck
: the North fork of Platte river, and then we hat
some hills to encounter, but the country is lcve
on the river for two and three miles in width ant
then is very hilly. After we travelled scvcra
, miles along the river we great many an
telope and shot number of them. Their meat
: is dry, but very sweet and tender. After we
f travelled several days to the middle fork of the
Platte, we come into the buffalo country, and
then we had fine sport in chasing thenl-as they
} crossed over the river we could head them as
they out of the water, and hide in the grass
and shoot them they run for the hills, ant
skin them, cut out the best of their meat, anc
pack it to the wagons then we would feast
we could see hundreds, the hills were black al
over with them. After we struck the South
fork of the Platte, there we saw papers stating
the Indians had killed man at that place. We
met many Indians, but they did not modest us
|
Fort Laramie, where met many of our friends
Uncle Sans boys were there, just ready to star,
for Oregon. We saw one of the officers, he
told us to follow them, they were going new
road across the Black Hills on account of feed
and said that on the other road there was no feed,
so we followed them until we come to Fort
Bridger, there we separated, we took the road tc
Salt Lake.
At Fort Bridgcr the country is very billy, as
the Rocky Mountains always are. was very
sick with the fever and thought should not live
to get to the Salt Lake, but got little better
and when we got there we stopped few days
While was there got so could walk about a
little. That part ofthe country is very dry, they
have to dig bitches to water their land. We had
not seen white man or woman until we got
here. There is great many Indians at Salt
Lake also. They have plenty ofhorses to trade
tor oxen or sell. When we left, we got guide
book for our journey on to California. We trav-
eled fifteen miles day we were then one
thousand and thirty miles, and had to travel nine
hundred miles to the valley of of the Sacramen-
to. We travelled to Mary's river two hundred
miles of the road is as level as you ever saw
from this we travelled to the sink of Mary s
river, which is two hundred miles in length ;
from there we took the great desert to Carson
river; there the country is rough and hlly
from there we struck the cannon which was six
miles long, it took all day to get through it, for
the road was very bad and we could not travel
fast. After that we saw the Sierra Nevada
Mountains ahead of us, they are high up in the
world-fve miles to the top-that was some
thing to climb. We got up after long time
and hard work then we expected to see the
valley ahead, but no, nothing but mountains and
hills as far as the eye could reach, and no feed
nor much water for sixty miles ahead of us, and
our cattle had none all day We had given up
all hopes Of getting our team through and tho
we must pack on our backs, but we stuck to and
fed our oxen on oak timber and kept them alive
until we struck the valley, then we were safe
and glad as any fellows you ever saw We ium-
ped up and screamed as loud as we could, for
then we were in the Gold Mines and ont of dan
ger We saw miners going in all directions
with their picks, shovels and pans on their backs
We asked them how far it was to the first town.
they said it was twelve miles. Next morning
we started for it and got there about three clock
in the afternoon; next morning we left for the
City at Suffers Fort, on the river which was
forty miles from the town we stopped at, we got
there in two days, all hands sick and tired out
hpttpr fp NJ
journey of five months on the plains. If any
one wants to know what hardshlps are let them
cross the plains, and then they will find out
Just tell our friends that talk Of coming across,
that they had better stay at home and not try it,
unless they want to nearly starve, get the sour
vey, the diarrhn, and every other kind of dis
ease you can mention; nearly famshed for wa
ter hot weather, dry weather, and dust for miles
so thick you can scarcely see. What fun it was
to look on the map, and trace out the road that
crosses the plains-Council Bluffs, Platte river,
Salt Lake, Mary river, Carson river and Goose
creek and the Mountains-morc fun to look at
than to travel. We got through with our team
and three yoke of oxen, laid in our provisions
before they raised, and hauled them to the mines
then we sold our team for five hundred dollars.
This is the greatest place for making money that
ever saw. If a man has little he can soon
become independent. have seen more money
here in one day than four horse team could
draw; and it is piled up in the gambling houses
one foot high, and six and seven feet long
The valley is. billy and barren most part of it,
but it is rich in gold which can be obtained by
hard work and the exposures of an Indian life,
Some people think they can come out here and
make money without work, but they soon find
out their mistake and return home man can
make money if he will work, at almost any thing.
am quite happy, even in this wild country
my health is very good and we have built our!
selves a very comfortable cabin on Weaver
Creek and have got to digging. make from
eight to twelve dollars day, and this is not con-
sidercd very good place. In the Spring we
expect to 60 up into the mountains to spend the
Summer, where we expect to do much better
1t is now ten o'clock at might've are all sitting
| around n rOod fro some rood;por oor,o %o1r,o.