Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1896-08-06
ACROSS THE DEATH VALLEY
THREE HUNDRED WEARY NILES BY
TEAM

In California From Pahrump, Nevada to
Los Angeles California
In letter dated July "a. 1896, Geo
Altizer writes from Los Angeles as
follows:
Arrived here night before last. We
had an elegant trip. Not an accident
Of any kind. We left Pahrump. Ne
vada. at 4:So p. M Tuesday. July IA,
with an outfit that was simply remark
BILE: an old blackboard wagon that had
seen its best days. on which we had
fixed the frame Of an old buggy top
covered with muslin; an extension on
the rear tc carry hay; box on each
side which held two square 5-gallon
cans for water; tongue that was
wrapped with bull hide, and wheels
tlat were off OF different rigs. On top
of this beautifully carry-all we had
blankets, grun. hay, grain, and three
passengers. To pull the same we had
two ponies-one (mine) fine gray,
the other an old skate that was all
skin and bones. The other two men
rode ponies. With this outfit we
started across the Colorado desert.
Every one told US that we were tax
ing our lives in our hands as it was
almost impossible to cross the famous
Death Valley in July with good rig,
let alone trying to do so with an out
tit like ours.
Nevertheless, with the good wishes
of some and the bad predictions of
others, we set~forth on our uncertain
journey of three hundred miles in the
afternoon and arrived at Twenty Mile
spring at II o'clock the same night.
Here we camped for the night. After
a supper of fiapjaeks and bacon we lay
on our blankets and slept until IN
the morning. After breakfast of
bacon and tiapiacks wedroye to Fl Lees
ranch, arriving there at9 a. m We'd
/ nesday At in the afternoon we
started from Lees and drove to the
hex Mills, arriving there at II O'Clock
Wednesday night. We were a happy
crowd when we reached this Mill
just before reaching the Summit
we had given the horses all the water
there was in the large canteens. not
knowing that the small ones were
empty. We had all walked about 10
miles before reaching the Summit and
were rather tired: but it was too
steep to ride going down the mountain
into Death Valley. SO we had to walk.
OF course we got very thirsty and on
finding out that our water supply was
gone it seemed worse than ever.
The sun had set and q cloud was
over the moon as we started down.
We walked down the mountain about
three miles until we came to the road
that branches off to the mill. After
a walk of about three miles more the
mill was reached; but no water in
sight. l started out in search and
after about half hours hunt found a
small spring up in the rocks. To say
we were glad doesn't express it. After
eating and attending to our horses we
laid down for few hours.
We were up again at in the morn
ing and off for the worst of our jour
new at 5 O'Clock. The remainder of
the distance down the mountain, about
5 miles. was steady pull through a
bed of sand. We arrived at Saratoga
Springs in the lowest level of Death
Valley at $3.50 in the morning, watered
our horses and started up the noun
tain. Here we had a grade IA miles
long in which to rise 5000 feet. OF
course we all walked and can prom
Use YOU that there was no fun con-
nected with it. The horses were about
tuckered. but we managed to urge
them forward until we reached Cave
Springs at in the afternoon. Here
we found the most beautiful spot in
the desert:-a large enclosure of rocks
weighing thousands of tons and solid
stone wall a hundred feet high on all
sides except the roadway. In a cave
on one side was a beautiful under
ground spring with fine, pure. cold
water. In another cave you had to
go down some steep stone steps for
about thirty feet and here was still
colder water. After supper we laid
down on the rocks and slept until 2
O'Clock the next morning. when we
arose and in an hour started for Gaze
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