Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-11-13
THE PATHFINDERS.
Interesting "Reminiscences of Sur
vfyor of the Famous Fremont tx
peditfon,

! AJdl., anu Mlltt are Ot a Slb 10 OF.
! Louis, their native town. 1t is many
wears since Mr.. Wright revisited st.
Louis, and he now comes rather on
his bridal tour, having, after long
/ life OF single blessedness filed with
advantages taken to himself a help
mate, at the mature age of 70 years.
Mr.. Wright, in his early adventure
and exploration over the plains and
across the Rocky mountains several
times at period when that great
region was occupied by hunters and
trappers, and infested by wild Indians
and savage beasts, endured hardships
and suffered privations unknown to
men of the present day. A simple
narrative of his adventures OF the
/ PLANES would fill volume To a
Republican reporter he recounted the
following hastv sketch Of his wan
behring's across the vast domain be
tween the borders of Missouri and the
/ Pacific coast, now traversed by rail
roads and blessed with the ad vancing
tide of civilization.
In the spriag of 1S43 he joined Col.
John @. Fremont on the second eX-
ploring expedition TO Oregon and
north California, and was with the
( great Pathfinder the succeeding win
/ ter, when trying to find path out of
4 the Sierra Nevada, or Snowy noun
tains, but, owing to the great depth
of the snow, was bewildered and on
/ the verge of starvation, being forced
to eat mule and dog meat to prolong
1 life. The expedition left the little
town of Kansas, now Kansas City, on
| the Missouri frontier. about the end
of May with a force amounting TO
| thirty nine men, generally armed
with Halls carbines and q brass
twelve pound howltzer from the
United States arsenal at St Louis.
The camp equipage and provisions
were transported IN twelve carts,
drawn each by two mules, and a light
coored wagon for the Instruments
The story of at march has been
published in the official documents,
and it is only necessary 10 mention
briefly its general com Sc.
Mr.. Wright says the expedition
went up the Smoky Hill fork of the
Kansas or Kaw river to the head
waters of the Arkansas, passing over
the spot where Denver is now located,
and arriving at ST, Nrain's fort on the
4th of Jaly, where they were joined
by Kit Carson, the noted scout. Nov
ing forward the expedition divided,
Fremont leading portion of the par
| ty in an attempt to find a pass through
a spur in the mountains made by the
| Cache-a-la Poudre river. The other
portion of the party, going via Fort
Laramie, followed the old emigrant
| trail in Oregon, and rejoined Ere
mont's party at Fort Hall on the Snake
river, a post then belonging to the
Hudson Bay company. Fremont had
attempted TO make the pass through
which the Union Pacific now goes,
but was disappointed His course led
him along the Great Salt Lake and the
Green river valley, then in the terri
tory of Mexico.
From Fort Hall the expedition fol
lowed the emigramt trail to Walla
| Walla, at its junction with the Col
umbia river, and from there they went
down to the dalles of the Columbia.
From the dalles, Fremont with
selected party went down in a canoe
to Fort Vancouver to obtain provis-
ions and supplies for the winter jour
ney.
On the 25th of November, 1913, the
expedition left camp at the dalles on
the return trip, with a supply of pro
Visions Cor three months, consisting
principally of -four, peas and ia. low,
the latter being used in cooking, and
some beef cattle. They had l04 mules
and horses, for the sustenance of
which they relied on the grass which
| they should find, and the soft, porous
wood The route contemplated TO be
| taken by Fremont on the homeward
| Journey was new one. lie designed
taking a great circuit to the south and
| southwest, and the exploration of the
! great basin between the Rocky noun
tains and the Sierre Nevada. But, as
the event turneI out, he was prevented
| from the complete execution Of this
plan. and after having made some
progress upon it, as he says, was
'forcsd by desert plans and mountain
ranges and deep SHOWS far TO the south
and near TO the Pacific ocean, and
along the western base of the Sierra
Nevada. where indeed a new and
ample field for exploration opened be-
fore us The expedition followed
south along the valley of fall river,
and the eastern base of the Cascade
range to the Klamoth lake, from
which three rivers go in three direc-
] tions-oue west TO the ocean, another
north to the Columbia, and third
south to California Mr., Wright
says, that after travelling south to AZ
degrees north latitude, to a region
then belonging to Mexico, the inten-
ton was to come due east from kla-
moth lake to the states. But they
were caught in snow storm and had
to beat their way down through the
eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada
when we got down toward Carson
river we changed our course for Sut-
ter's fort. where Sacramento now
stands We continued west and cross
ed the Sierra Nevadas iii the month of
I LTob,,ar,. 1904 Il di1nff rain "a NJ