Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1892-02-25
THE FAMOUS DEATH VALLEY
A Feature of the Great American Deser
in California.

A Feature of the Great American Desert
in California.
The most fatally famous part OF
the Great American Desert is Death
Valley, in California. There is on
all the globe no other spot more for
bidding, more desolate, more deadly.
1t is concentration of the horrors
of that whole hideous area: and it
has bitter history.
One of the most interesting and
graphic stories | ever listened to
was that related to me several years
ago, by one of the survivors of the
famous Death Valley party of 1915
the Rev J. w. Brier, an aged Meth
odist clergyman now living in Cali
fornia. A party of five hundred emf
grants started on the last day of Sep
tember, lS49. from the southern end
of Utah to cross the desert to the
(then new mines of California. There
were one hundred and five canvas
topped wagons, drawn by sturdy
oxen, beside which trudged the
shaggy men. rifle in hand. while
under the canvas awnings rode the
women and children. In a short
time there was division of opinion as
to the proper route across that path
less waste in front; and next day five
wagons and their people went east to
Santa Fe whence there were dim
Mexican trails to Los Angeles), and
the rest plunged boldly into the des-
ert. The party which went by way of
Santa Fe reached California in De
cember, after vast sufferings. The
larger company travelled in comfort
for a few days until they reached
about where Phoebe now is. Then
they entered the Land of Thirst; and
for more than three months wandered
lost in that realm of horror. 1t was
almost impossible to get wagons
through country furroWed with
canyons: SO they soon abandoned their
vehicles, packing what they could
upon the backs Of the oxen. They
struggled on to glittering lakes, only
to find them deadly poison, or but d
mirage on barren sands. Now and
then wee spring in the mountains
gave them new life. One by one the
oxen dropped, day by day the scanty
flour ran lower. Nine young men
who separated from the rest, being
stalWart and unencumbered with
families, reached Death Valley ahead
of the others, and were lost. Their
bones were found many years later by
Governor Blaisdeil and his surveyors,
who gave Death Valley it's name.
The valley lies in Inyo County, and
is about one hundred and fifty miles
long. In width it tapers from
three miles at its southern end to
thirty at the northern. 1t is over
two hundred feet below the level of
the sea. The main party crossed it
at about the middle, where it is but
Il few miles wide, but suffered
frightfully there. Day by day some
of their number sank upon the burn
ing sands never to rise. The suryiv-
ors were to weak too help the fallen.
The strongest of the whole party
was nervous little Mrs. Brier, who
had come to Colorado an invalid, and
who shared with her boys of 4, 7, and
8 years of age that Undesirable
tramp of 900 miles. For the last
three weeks she had had to lift her
athletic husband from the ground ev-
cry morning, and steady him few
moments before he could stand. She
gave help to wasted giants any one of
whom, a few months before, could
have lifted her with one hand.
At last the few survivors crossed
the range which shuts off that most
dreadful of deserts from the garden
of the world, and were tenderly
nurSed to health at the hacienda, or
ranch house, of courtly Spaniard.
Mr.. Brier had lost one hundred pounds
in weight, and the others were thin
in proportion. When | saw him last
he was a hale old man of seventy-t1ve,
cheerful and active, but with strange
burrows in his face to tell of those by
gone sufferings. His heroic little
wife was still living. and the boys,
who had had such a bitter experience
as perhaps no other boys ever sur
vived, are now stalwart men. st.
Nicholas.