Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-11-13

|
shown by the trees. The heads of the
dead mules were boiled for soup, aid
when horse became so reduced that
good grass would not save him, he
was killed for food. OF the 104 mules
and horses with which we started from
the dalles, only about twenty-five or
thirty five survived the journey.
Without dwelling on the harrow
ing details, suffice it to say that on the
| 9th OF March we struck Rio de los
/ Americanos-th river of the Ameri-
cans-which joined the Sacramento
river about two miles below, and felt
ourselves among our countrymen.
We arrived at the house of Capt. SUIT
ter, who had emigrated from the
western part of Missouri in 1888 8, and
| founded the first settlement in the
valley on large grant of land which
he obtained from the Mexican govern
ment. saw there Capt. Suffer and
Gen. Bidwell. z. B. Redding and
Samuel j. Hensley among the prom
inent Americans
I'VE left Suffers fort and went
south to the San Joaquin valley, and
thence to Walkers pass and going
due south till we struck the old Mexi-
can trail for Taos, iii New Mexico.
We followed the trail till We got to a
place on the Rio Virgen river, where
the Indians killed one of our men,
Baptiste Tabeau, an old Missouriap.
We camped next day south of Utah
lake, leaving the Mexican trail. aud
passed by the noted place called Unita,
crossing the Green river and journey
ing up the north side of the Grande
river to the North and South parks,
back to the present city of Denver,
then followed down to Bent fort on
the Arkansas. We then come down
to the head of the Smoky Hill fork to
Westpolt and, taking boats on the
Missouri, came down to st. Louis"
Speaking of the expedition, Mr.
Wright does not seem to e1tertain the
greatest admiration for Fremont
From the dalles the expedition was a
fool hardy one. MIR. Alexander
Cooley, young man from ST. Louis,
was employed as the hunter of the ex.
peditiou. He is now living in Cali
fornia He killed most of the meat
for the party, while Kit Carson, who
has been so much lauded as a hunter,
only killed about six butfaloes during
the entire trip Mr.. Preuss was the
naturalist and botanist of the expedi-
ton. 'Just before we got into Cali
iornia," says Mr. Wright, "Preuss
was lost, and was four days out, and
Fremont didn't stop to hunt him up. "
Francis Badeau, while crossing the
Sewer river, accidentally shot him
self in the eye while pulling out his
gun. We buried him on the river
bank in a hole, and Fremont declined
to come out of his tent to see him
buried.
Mr.. Wrights subsequent history
may be quickly disposed of, though
full of interesting anecdote and adj
venture. IL 1S47 he left ST. Louis
again and made the overland journey
to Oregon via Fort Hall. AT Fort
Bridger he first heard of the outbreak
of the war between the United States
and Mexico. He remained one win
ter in Oregon and then returned to
st. Louis. In 1S46 he took charge of
merchants train as wagon master,
from Independence, Mo-, to
chihuahua, old Mexico. He returned
from Chihuahua to Santa Fe, New
Mexico, in December, 184S, and then
took charge of another train from
Santa Fe to Chihuahua. While at Ell
Paso, on the Mexican border, he first
heard of the great gold discovery in
California, in January, 1S49. He
went on to Chihuahua with his teams,
and returned to Santa Fe, he joined a
company for California. He passed
through Arizona to Stockton, Cal,
and from there went into the southern
GOLD mines, where he remained some
years. He returned to st. Louis in
1858, and in 1854 went back TO Cali
fornia with stock of cattle, and re-
manned there twenty-four years and
six months before coming back to st.
Louis. arriving here ia 1878
He then went back to California,
and, settling at Sacramento, he re.
manned there ever since until his pres
ent visit to st. Louis
Mr.. Wright is a compact, brisk look
ing man, of medium stature and in the
apparent enjoyment of good health
One would hardly think on seeing
him that he had passed through so
many perils and endured the ha rdshies
which the men of hardy constitutions
and indomltable courage had TO pass
through in those pioneer expeditions
across the plains With the exception
of some trouble with his vocal organs
Mr.. Wright seems to be free from the
infrmities usually entailed by early
exposure. He expects to remain here
two or three months before returning
to California
The Dairy in Denmark.
From lecture delivered in London
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