The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-13
Denver News.)

been made so often that it has passed
into history, but like many other state
ments not subjected to critical investi-
CATION, it has been proven to be I'M
true. Nearly a, quarter of a century
before Fremont entered upon his adj
venturous trip to the Pacific coast, a
little band of hardy men traversed
the southern route, in the midst of
hardships which would have deferred
even Fremont's spirit, and reached the
coast of California.
The leader of the little band was
Sylvester Pattie. The story is told in
a musty document which is the prop
erty of w. N Byers of this city. 1t
is a story which will bear repetition. 1t
sets forth in plain language the hard
ships of the early travellers who at
tempted to solve the mysteries OF the
west.
Sylvester Pattie was by birth a Vir-
ginian The death Of his wife changed
the current of his existence so COM
pletely that he determined upon an
entirely different course of life from
that to which he had been accustomed.
He entered upon a hunting and trading
expedition to the far west. The region
was at that time QS2D almost I'M.
known. The little that had been writ
ten concerning this vast area had at
tracted only q small circle of readers,
and the journey was almost as strange
an undertaking as though Pattle was
visiting another world. The son of
Pattie. a bright boy named James, who
was of fearless. and independent ma
ture, insisted upon accompanying his
father, and permission was hynally OBJ
tanned. The party, consisting of i've
persons, started from St. Louis,
crossed the Missouri river on the goth
of June and soon penetrated to the
heart of the wilderness. At the mill
tary post farthest removed from white
settlements, Pattie was forbidden by
the commander from trading with the
Indians This was a bitter disappoint-
ment. but learning that General Pratt
was on the head waters of the Platte
river preparing to start for Santa Fe
at the head Of a trading party, Pattie
decided to seek the general and accom-
pany him on the journey. Pratts
camp was reached in August and after
a few days rest, the entire party, now
numbering 116 men, began the over
land trip southwark to Santa Fe. In
the course of the journey along the
mountains, the party camped at the
mouth of a stream which the descrip-
ton proves to have been Cherry creek
where Denver is now located. The
mouth of Cherry creek was a favorite
camping place for Indians and trappers
ON account OF a large spring of clear,
cool water which flowed in a tnlckly
wooded spot in what is now known as
West Denver. There the war parties
of the Indians camped, and in the
trees were placed the remains of the
dead. as the Indians on the eastern
slope of the mountains never buried
their deceased, but placed them on
i,, tp under
the influence of wind, rain and sum-
The little army moved southwark,
crossed the divide east of Palmer lake,
passed on to the Arkansas river and
reached Santa Fe without special Incl
dent.
There their adventures began. On
the very night of their arrival news
reached Santa Fe of an attack by In
dams upon several wealthy families of
the country. The savages killed half
a score of defenseless people and car
ried into captivity five ladies, one of
whom was the wife of an American
who had lost his life in the fight. The
next morning Pattie and his men-he
was now leader of the party-Were i'll
vited to assist the government in pun
ishing the redskins. The Americans
gladly accepted the invitation, as they
felt that by so doing they would not
only be able to do humanity a service,
but would also revenge the death of a
countryman. The expedition was in a
large measure successful. The Indians,
with their captives marching at their
head, were surprised in a deffle of the
mountains and totally defeated but
not until they had murdered three of
the five prisoners. One of the women
who was rescued was the daughter of
the governor of Santa Fee She and
her father attempted in every way
possible to influence the adVenturer to
settle down at the capital, but the gov
ernor finally gave permission for Pat
tie TO trap upon the ella river, and he
departed with five of his companions.
They remained in the wilderness for
six months meeting with many hard
ships, engaging in frequent fights with
the Indians, but at last returning to
Santa Fe laden with furs. Pattie soon
tired of the quiet life in the city and
engaged with a small party to protect
one of the copper mines from the In
dams. Young Pattie, the son devel-
oped into a hunter Of uncommon abil-
ity. One day, in an encounter with a
grizzly bear, he escaped only by roll
ing over a precipice. He was confined
to his bed for several weeks, but no
sooner had he recovered than he pro-
posed to go to the old trapping grounds.
In this expedition he again narrowly
escaped with his life from an encoun-
ter with Indians. At the end of five
years the boy had grown to full man
hood and had fully resolved to follow
the life of a hunter and trapper. With
party of 80 the Patties started on an
other trapping expedition. This time
it was resolved to try their luck on
TIE banks of the Colorado river. After
the party had endured hardships Incl
dent to a barren country, in which lit
tie game could be found, dissensions
broke out and the larger number re-
turned to Santa Fe, while Pattie and
his son, with six others, determined to
proceed.
The decision of the little band indi-
Gates the daring of the men and the
love of adventure which apparently
controlled their lives. Had they fore
seen, even dimly, the dreadful dangers
which lay before them, the journey
would never have been undertaken. So
far as history relates, no white men
had ever trodden the vast region of
deserts and mountains to. which the
eyes of Pattie and his party were now
directed, except early Spanish expedi-
tons, which possibly penetrated as far
as southern Utah. in search of gold.
The elder Pattie was selected as cap
tain. and when each member of the
band had taken a solemn oath to stand
by his companions till death. The
movement toward the Colorado river
was entered upon. After many days
journey the mouth Of the CHA. where
it enters the Colorado. was reached.
Here the Adventures met with a band
of savages, who had cloth woven by
white men in their possession Pattie
inquired where thew got it. They re-
piled in California Soon after 200 of
the tribe swan the river, and their
actions so alarmed the traDpers that
the latter secretly loaded their pack
animals and. under cover of the night.
travelled 1e miles down fhe straa, M rrbe