Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-01-20

The Covctrmsut TRAN ~ 1853. Nhtth
wss Marked bt aumsn Homes.
An interested visitor wa. b. y g
Moore of Decatur Ills. fithorof Mr.
McCabc Moore am attorney Of Kansas
City. Kan It was not tho first visit Of
d. Moore to kunas City. or rather To
the place whcto the city now stands
In 1919. when he was just twenty
two be- was stricken with the gold
fever and started across the coufiuent
to California lie came up the river
from St. Louis on the steamboat
Belle Creole and landed somewhere
about the foot OF Main street. no
thinks but the contour OF the city
seems 20 changed that he can hardly
be- SURF
II was IN April and there had been
no rains. and the whole country was
bare aud brown He proceeded to
Independence then the chief outfit
ting point for the west. aud bought
oxen. WAGONS and various supplies
for the long overland trip II began
10 rain Ia a day or two and the party
Of forty waited something like two
weeks Tor the iuass TO start growing
before It started on the peril0us jour
noy across tho almost untrnvci-ed
plains In May they took up their
liuo Of march
Wo-tport was then a hamlet and
Kansas City yet unborn There was
n thick settlement all along both
sides OF tho rivers. but they were
mostly Indians. aud b. Moore says
that Of all good places on earth TO
avoid ~ a site for great city these
two sites at the Kaws mouth were
the best II was rocky. billy rugged
and forest covered. undesirable In
every way They started west over
the old government route south II
Westport, pausinr ut Usage Mission,
aud kept south OF the Knw until they
reached Topeka Somewhere near
there they crossed the Kaw and went
ON over the old government trail.
later known ~ the Santa Flo trail
At that timo It bal been used only
by the government. few people hav.
ing been yontucsome enough 20
brave the pcrils Of n route through
sandy waste, and plains 80 lone and
wcarisomc," as described by Coro
nado IN his account OF his travels
over ii, with hostile Indians on every
hand The doctor was Gvc long.
drcary months in making tho trip
from independence 10 san Francisco
When up IN the Sweet Water valley
the party divided, part going another
route. leaving DR. Moore with a
party OF five TO mako the remainder
of the trip Whom they werc fitting
out at Independence something was
said about guides. An old French
man. who had led many "argosios NJ
sea" upon the plains said faccuously
"Guidc' You hat guido enough.
Watch 10 bones boy point to way
pour
"Wo found Il litcplly 50. said tho
doctor Many people paid guides
fifty d1Nnr4 month and expenses to
show them tho way over u trail so
widc aud well dehncd that a blind
man could follow 1t, and all along its
deep worn r7lts were tho bones OF
horses and oxen, and humps OF
ground where human beings had
fallen victims TO heat cold, thirst
and famine It was really a trail
through the valley Of death.
In following the tyul we were
taken nearly 800 miles cut Of our
way The government trail was laid
out FOR the purpose Of reaching i,s
forts, and not rs q direct route to
California. Years later n moro direct
route was laid out. We had ninety
miles Of desert TO pass through in
Idaho, and that was our hardest
travel. The vast eXpanse Of alkal
desert afforded no water. and not a
green thing appeared on It's whole
surface. Kansas City Star