Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-07-14
Correspondence Of the State Sentinel
An Overland Trip TO California

An Overland Trip TO California
FORr KKARxY, n T. Dune %. 1864.
ED. SESrISIL: An emigrant's outfit for the
Plains may be of interest to some of your read
ers. Ii certainly is to the man who fOots the
bill de must have sugar, molasses. coffee, tea,
rice, hominy, dried fruit. pickles, vinegar, can
dies, soap, whisky, -four, bacon, water casks and
stoves, TO say nothing OF a variety Of other mi
nor articles usually included in the bill, swelling
the sum total to double the estimates of guide
books. And l would advise him 10 provide mus
quito bars, for reasons apparent upon the faces,
arms and other exposed parts of the person OF
every member OF our party. Two different sorts
OF outfits will be purchased. dependent upon the
tastes OF buyer. The mace, used at home BY
the trough and tumble of life, will content
himself with necessaries, and will travel as con-
fortably and as rapidly as the person who strives
to carry with him the Injuries OF home. The
term outfit has become technical on the from
tier, and It's use avoids circumocution. Ii is the
emphatic word of posters and signs of traders at
the trading houses; aud before the yerdant emf
grant gets through the initials of its mysteries,
he will have brought home to him little prob
lem OF mathematics, Illustrating the powers of
depicting one mans pockets and filling anothers.
L would answer the question "What does one
need for the PlaiBs!" thus: What would you
provide for journey from Indiana to Missouri
distance to whatever Pacific State or Territory
the emgrant designs going increase supplies
proportionaly; add ropes to picket horses or
mules, il any are taken water casks, pickles and
dried fruit.
Nothing more is necessary, much more may
be added which will cucumber your wagons and
increase your troubles Especially avoid taking
with you fnical persons unused to hardships
with inflamed maginings concerning the wild
scenery of the country, the purity of its atmos
phere and the romance of camp life. Such per-
sons will enhance the annoyances of the party by
complaints of hardships Seeing little of those
airy creations of the yellow kivered" literature
to which their intellectual pursuits usually
confined, they experience a revulsion of spirits,
finding vent in maledictions, curses OF every
variety, tears and freaks OF obstinacy and nsub
ordination, wholly incompatible with the peace
and well being of the party. Bear in mind that
all the bad qualities Of person are developed in
camp life. The angel at home then sheds her
wings. leaving her petulence and other disagreed
BILE traits BADLY exposed The man of bland
manners elsewhere, here throws off the disguise
of polished life, and becomes as boisterous as a
New York politician aud turbulent u Turk.
The country from Omaha TO the crossing op-
posite kearny City, distance of 1877 miles, is
prairie, destitute of timber, except on the water
courses, and these of stinted and gnarled growth,
and in scanty patches, wholly inadequate to the
wants OF agriculture and dense settlement. The
road follows the course of the Platte river, and
Is the finest natural road in the world thus far
exceling any plank road The valley of the
Platte is rich without stint aud is rapidly settling
up with homestead claimants and squatters.
From Omaha to Fl. Kearny, the road is lined
with ranches, trading houses and farms, with two
Oh three towns of minor Importance. The houses
are Frequently built of sod, and generally Gov
cred with the same material Fences, except oc-
casonal post fences with three narrow pianks, are
unknown. Hogs are a rarity, and are kept IN
pens. Crops are. therefore. exposed to the dep
relations of such stock are permitted the free
dom Of the common; and whenever bullock,
horse mule of an emgrant strays upon a corn.
wheat or oats patch, he is Immediately seized by
the owner of the crop aud impounded 10 pound
kept by himself, that is to say, in any pen be
may have for his own convenience. Then comes
claim for damages, generally exceeding the
value of the entire crop. One fellow had twenty
four stalks OF corn nipped slightly, for which he
demanded five dollars Another asked $50 for
the damage done to about one half acre. and
actually received $50 As general thing these
ranchers and settlers are squatted along the route
for the purpose of skinning the emigrant and the
Legislature of Nebraska have lent essential as
sistance 10 the passage of a law permitting the
settler TO take up and impound any animals upon
his premises in private pound, and 10 keep him
there till damages and charges paid, TO be
ascertained at law. in tedious modes. rather than
endure which the emigrant will submit to extrsv-
agant extortion.
At the Loup Fork of Platte river, you are de
livered by the ferryman about half way across
the river on a bar. and have to make your way
thence to the opposite shore through quickssnds.
along a tortuous route, over which it required
eleven yoke Of oxen to pull wagon loaded with
3,OOO pounds Few persons complete the pas
sage without breakages Of wagons, harness, &c.
If a wagon stops but a moment it sinks TO the
hubs. To make a successful passage, four or
five drivers must walk in the water to their knees.
and so push forward the oxen by every known
device of the Jehu persuasion, that they shall
reach the landing without stopping. For this de-
lectabe privilege you are charged the modest
sum Of ST. so per wagon and one yoke Of cattle,
and % cents for each additional yoke Thanks
to the Nebraska Legislature who, in their zeal to
favor their constituents in their schemes Of plum
der, have imposed no just limits to ferry tolls
Here is presented the first instance known to
man of "ferry" delivering its victims in the
middle of a river with the consoatory injunction
from the disciple of Charon Ito be kerful. and
make the rest Of your WAY over" and then to
charge an exorbitant price for getting them in
the dilemma. Logs are thrown about midway
of the river at the point of bar to prevent the
water from spreading over so large surface as
to permit fording. for the obvious purpose of pro
noting the ferry owners interests.
In the neighborhood of Grand Island, ut and
in the vicinity of post Office called Grand Island
City, beyond Columbus. is a settlement of Ger
man Radicals of the Carl Shurz school They
ale squatters, and some of them cattle thieves
every emigrant who has unfortunately csmped
in that neighborhood will attest They have a
stray pen off the road containing over $50 head
of cattle, most of them escaped from emigrants.
These cattle-thugs stampede and steal cattle,
run them off TO hiding places Till the owner, wea-
~ of fruitless search. passes on. when they take
them to the stray pen where they soon accumu-
late enough charges to eat them up
Our party lost OK in this way in that neigh
borhood which has not yet been recovered.
For these reasons, and others of similar
character, these ranches and settlements are
serious annoyances to the emigrant who carries
his supplies with him. and depends upon grass for
food for his stock Indeed stock have TO be
herded night and day, when not on travel, from
Omaha to this point and the emigraDt. tired of
the exacting of impOrtunate squatters, rejoices
when be reaches this place. from whence he bids
good bye to houses and civilization
Fifty miles out from Omaha, the Pawnee
Indians, those Bedouins Of the plains, greet you,
clamorous for money, clothes. powder, shot,
food and whisky They compare favOrably with
Lazaroni of Italy. the Leperos of Mexico. in
professional begging They present all the
shades of the business, the limp, lame. halt,
blind and decrepit. men, women aud children.