The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1850-05-23
From the Galens JefeFsonisn.
LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.
STOCKTON, SAN JOAQUIN RIvER, !
January q, 1850.

ofDec. last, after long and very wearisOme
journey Of nine months. Oh, how little did l
think what terrible trip ! had before me. me.
when left home; but suppose you would like
to hear some Of the particulars ofmv journey.
! Iwrose last from Fort Laramie. We proceed
| ed three hundred miles further, before the an
in,als began TO show that they felt the journey.
SO we Il speak Of emigran:s generally had to
commence to tighten the loads. We put our
clothes in sacks, and threw away our trunks
and one bib. Of pork. Ny wardrobe was split
up Tor hre wood; in fact, we put out every thing
that we thought we could spare; but we have
since found that il necessity says 50, people can
do with very little
We then proceeded very well till we came 10
| the Desert. There our real trouble commence
cd. We wsfe persuaded, a. the season was far
| advanced, to take new road which was repre-
fen,ed to he much shorter and better We af-
| tcfwards found the distance to be about 500
miles further, and such roads as none but a CAL
ifornan has ever seen. ! really think thefe
| were hours when the wheels scarcely touched
the ground on account Of rocks.
| You hare often heard Of the American Desert.
Where we crossed il, it was 10 miles wide, with
| no kind OF vegetation, except . few wild sage
plants which are 50 very bitter that no animal
will eat them. The most Of the wagons were
SO heavily laden, that they could not take SUI
6cient quantity Of hay. We had to take all we
could in the wagons, and travel through very
barren country for 100 miles before we really
struck the Desert, 80 that our animals re- quite
weak to commence with. We travelled day and
night-started on the Desert carly on Thursday
morning-abous four o'clock in the afternoon
we came 10 q well took in what water We could;
took some food, in great haste, watered the OK
en-, and pushed on. On Friday al noon, the cat
tie began 10 fail, and soon after, to drop down
nd die: for we got no water again till Saturday
nigh /, excep, from . sulphur spring, and very
little OF that. I had been quite sick the week
before and the Doctor said I must keep as quiet
as possible, and remain in the wagon; but the
oxen were % tired that had to take &C. my feet,
and walked from O'Clock until in the morn
ing, when the women were 20 worn out, that
the train had to stop till day break. A, the FIRST
streak Of dawn, we moved on, but before sun
rise, we found il was no use; the oxen could GO
no further with the wagons till they had food
and water. We fed them hard bread and -four,
to enable them to reach grass and water. which
was Z miles from where the wagons were LETT.
Part Of the men rent with the oxen, and the rest
took buckets, the women remaining TO guard the
wagons. The men with the buckets returned
about sundown; they could get no water but
from snls, boiling springs The weather was
quite warm, 20 the water wns still hot when It
come, hut it wns, without exception, the best
drink ever had. We had not had drop Of
wa,er for two days. It Would have made your
heart ache 20 hear ,he children cry for food and
drink, and, yet we did not dare to give them our
hard bread, or salt pork; for thar only made the
matter worse. On the third, fhe men with the
cattle returned. By travelling by right, and
resting b. day, the oten could soon perform their
usual tasks. SO YOU see we wcathered that storm
with much less loss than we expected. Many
OF the emgfan,s los, their entire teams, and were
forced 10 pack through; but our time had not
vet come. Many teams were desro ed on the
flumbolt river by the Indians shooting the oxen.
The last night Of August, our train encamped
and sent out the oxen with guard OF four men.
Ny husband was one Of them. After dark as
we were sitting around the camp FIRE, we were
startled BY cries Of "help," "rndians," umur-
d, =" "I am shot,, s'ihe tile are gone," &c.
Ever, nan sprnng for his gun. Albert was un-
armed. sent him his rife, and in less than
minutes, there was not man in camp. fou
may imagine wha, n night we women spent.
We had no fears Of Indiuns, for they are too
co~ardly TO attack camp. Tho wounded man
was brought in, and they recovered the cattle,
before daylight. suppose there was scarcely
auo:he train SO fortunate. But il was % som
disc. ,veYed, that the Iadians, to save themselves,
ief. the catiie--so we escaped again. Then
came the pass in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Il wns about S miles over. They divided the
loads a. equally % they could in the wagons, and
put t2 woke to each /: took long time TO get
over, a. the ascent was 20 steep we had TO let
the oxen rest every twescy three yards. We
succeeded in getting over very well. Asit grew
late in the season, the feed short and the cat
tie again began to fail. We found that we had
| another desert 10 crcss; but there was plenty OF
water, which we had learned TO appreciate, as
sure YOU. Our wagon had become the worse Of
The wear, and Albert had an opportunity 10 get
better one, BY adding another yoke 10 our OK
en- and 3 more tnento our company. So You see
] had enough IL see 10 my welfare. When we
were about 200 niesirom the settlement, II was
thought t,es. for bert u 70 ahead 10 procure
mules TO help us over i.t desert. lie started on
the 18th y! o. ,on loot. "A 6 Were 10 proceed
| as fas; as possible. ani he would meet us. We
proceeded yer. wei. I'll the ,nsi dav OF October,
when il coman need raining fer the first time IN
I months. W.eu III. ratas b'gin. they tall con.
TIM lily for The n, H or months, 60 mat our
prospects were now poor indeed. The lot OF
Nav we were to start on the desert. We had
plenty Of hay and water, and we expected 70 get
along we'll, but alas! when daylight came, We
found inches Of snow on the ground. All we
could do was to push ahead, hui we could make
no progress, ~ The roads were % full Of gnow
that the oxen would cut their feet on IT, When
they went through they would sink to tneir
shoulders in the mire. Il .ooA oil day 70 GO Or
miles. Il was snow under foot, and sleet over
head Dear little Emily kept in the wagon, anu
] walked beside il, expecting every moment 70
| see il overset.
think for ono week there was not dry
thread on me, and every thing in shs wagon was
perfectly saturated, and ] could not change 10,
clothes Ii would. Every thing was going from
| bad TO worse, and we could only struggle on, y
we our only way. And no Albert eame! !
Vas nearly frightened TO death fol fear the Indl.
ans had killed him. found out tatterwards ina!
| Il was full 40 bad with him as myself. he could
not get back nor forward. Tried TO keep up
nv courage, for il wosid do me no good to ne',
and would only worry .hs n.S ~sIs 81 h the
3d Of Nov. ws encamped At dark. II was very
cold, and 20. my supper and went to bed.
could have wrunc she bed clothes. Emily be-
gan to cry with eeid=-shat almost b,sas my
heay,, and I cried too. The dear child wound