Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-12-28

The first account we have of any
one travelling across this never DE
fogotton desert was in 1886 by the i'll
fHtCd Bonner party. They passed 70
the south OF the salt Lake. and
through where Gruntsville now stands
into Skull Valley. where they camped
for a few days at what Is known as
the Kanaka ranch. It was here that
a messenger overlook them from Jim
Bridger, begging them not to attempt
to go across the Desert but go around
to the north. This message they
needed not, but started across to the
round mountain known as Pilots Peak.
The atmosphere 10 SO clear and decep-
tive that It looked to them (as 1t does
now only few miles to the other
side. 1 am not certain but they may
have seen one Of those beautiful mirage
lakes that are SO often seen on clear
bright days AT all events they had
mostly OK teams, and 1t being ninety
miles, they We're on the road many
days and nights. The teams were UNI
hitched about twenty-five miles from
Pilots Peak and driven into water.
The people that went with them were
so exhausted that they lay down to
sleep. and the Indians stole their stock.
Other men came to see what had be-
come of their comrades. awoke them
and they went In search of the stock.
Some Of them they got back but enough
were lost to retard their travels. The
rest of the history of the Inflated
Bonner party is given in their being
belated and perishing in the Sierra
Nevada mountains.
Ever since 1916 people going to Cali
fornia have crossed this desert more
or less. Many years ago there was the
northern route explored, known as the
Goose Creek and Humboldt road, about
on the line of the Central Pacific rail-
road, but the Indians, being so bad,
many OF the small parties have, from
time to time, hazarded their lives going
across at various points of this valley
of death. The most noted was the
Hastings party of which there Is no
history left to tell the tale of their suf-
fsring. 1t seems that in the early SOS
n mountaineer by the name OF Hastings
was the guide of an emigrant train
that went south of the Great salt Lake.
They camped about the Kanaka ranch
some time recruiting their stock This
dnoe, they started across the Desert
to Pilots Peak, to the same point as
the Bonner party, and so close to the
Bonner road 1t Is wonder that they
could not have seen 1t. The only reason
that could be given is that both started
across in the night. In places the roads
are stlll visible. The stock giving out
for the want of water, had to be un-
hltched and driven to Pilots Peak.
Here the Indians fired on them, killing
many, but the emigrants, having good
guns. drove the Indians away. Some
of the emigrants went back after some
of their wagons. others left theirs.
They still stand where they were left,
still in good preservation except the
spokes near the ground have been
worn nearly off by the sand blowing
around them continually. The iron is
almost all rusted off by the salt action.
The Jokes and chains still lay where
they were dropped.
l have tried the Indians on several
occasions to tell me all about the fight,
but none of the older ones that could
tell will do SO, believing that they
would be punished yet. A younger one
| told me the Indians held the emf
grants for many days. When the feed
was all gone and some OF the stock
was stolen and the rest suffering, the
emigrants moved to the mountains
about twenty miles from Pilots Peak,
to a little spring In a pass now known
as Hastlng Pass, on the Deep Creek
and Toano road. Here they built Il
stone wall or fort against the granite
mountain, and made n desperate fight.
But the Indians had them surrounded
and in the night stampeded and stole
all their stock. From day to day the
Indians had nothing to do but to kill
any one that showed himself In sight.
Some were left to bury the rest-how
long they did live no one now living
does know. What these people SUI
fered no one can even imagine. much
less tell. and it was all for god!
Fred Barth told me when he crossed
many years ago. many of THESE trains
persisted for the want Of water, he and
some others saving themselves 10y
killing an OK and drinking his blood.
There is road now by Granite
mountain. In this mountain Is water.
making the drive forty miles on one
side and thirty-seven on the other
without water. Nothing but light rigs
or horse backs can travel that with
safety. and that only in the summer.
There is no place on earth where man
and beast want so much as they do
here. The air is fun of salt and alkali.
These and the heat make travel ardu-
Gus and almost intoierable.
We are often asked why people do
not 20 around. Howard Egan. BALI
Roberts. the Huntingtons myself and
few others, in the interest of the
| Overland Mail company, did explore
and make n road around the south OF
| the desert, but in wet times 1t is hard
to travel. In one place the road is
fifteen miles around and only -four
miles across. on the round road In
wet weather the ground has the APP
! pearance of bread before II is baked
| The Fish Spring sloughs, as the
| through road Is called, is the best, be-
| cause II Is shorter to water by fifteen
| miles, and about MS good as the other
| This Ia n case when man that takes
one viii wish he had taken the other
The mud Will take the paint off your
wagon, the color out of your clothing
and II will make a solid wheel SO you
! cannot see the smokes. crossed Il
once with a light wagon and foui
mules-no load except my wife, child
| and a sick man, Vt bod rainnd ard
when / got across the slourhs tht
/ mules stuck In the mud, the wager
| settled down to the bed and | had &c
unhtch the mules to save their lives
! There was but little on the road then
February, 1853. We ate what luncheon
we had and went to bed to keep from
! freezing. In the morning | started
l back To the mail station, four miles
and. when ! reached the sloughs
I found the ice not strong enough Il
hold me. They We're too wide TO jumI
so ! took my clothing off and put 4
on my head. crossed dressed. went tS
the station, got my coffee, salcratui
bread and bacon. got a little wood ant
went back by the same ferry that
had come With the wood ! warmed
mp the scnnty meal, fed my. people and
went to bed to keen from freezing.
on that day friendly Indian saw
our wagon stationary and came to us
We knew each other, and we We're 81
glad 10 sec him that we could not ex
press II. We gave him our meage
fare and he took note to Simpson
Springs. forty-five miles. for help
stuck. three times had 10 repeat M
trip TO the station with the sam,
modus opcrandi to get back befor,
succor came.