El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-06-20


red while 1 was hunting, and the boys
got crazy over it, L among them. W.
didn't know where in the world White
Pine was, and somehow got notion i
was up in Idaho. So we formed a party
of which was guide, though l did no.
know any more of the land than any o.
the others. When we got 10 Idaho
we decided that White Pine must be
in Nevada, so we took the trail dowr
the Snail River, passed the railroad al
Humboldt Wells. and finally wound uI
at White Pine. There We had to work
| terribly hard to make wages, and l tir.
ed of that in three or four mOnths. Sc
1 sold out my provisions and left for
Idaho with only 500 in my clothes out
| of $500 1 bad taken into the place.
mined and pr0spected placers along
the Salmon, Wood and Boise rivers for
the following two or three years, hunt
ing and trapping in the winter time.
| cit was in the winter of 1862 that l
drifted into Salt Lake City. L work.
ed around in mining camps near there,
and a year later l got leaded-shot in
Bingham Canon. When 1 left the
hospital heard of a party bound for
the San Juan country ia Colorado.
not know exactly wnere the San
Juan country was, but it was in Colo
RADIO and that was enough for me. l
told the leader 1 was from Colorado
and knew the Breckenridge country,
so, by paying than S25 and agreeing to
look after the horses, they agreed to
take me along as guide. There were
twenty men in the party, all ignorant
and all poor. In fact 1 was the only
man in the party who had q decent
suit of clothes.
I'VE started early in January, 1874,
taking Johnson's old trail up tae Jor-
dan, where his wagon train was burn
ed by the Mormons. After we crossed
the Wahsstch Mountains, provisions
began 70 grow scarce, snow fell heavi-
~, and the boys began to grum BILE.
We could see no game. That struck
me as queer, but 1 supposed the
Indians had chased it further into the
mount aims. Finally our rations gave
out entirely, and we had to su bsist on
horse feed. We would take barley,
sift it by tossing in pans and boil It In
to a sort of soup.
I'VE hurried along as rapidly as pos
sible. On the banks of the Green
River we XII led a badger, which we
cooked up with the horse feed. We
struck the Green River about the lake
where it joins the Grands. We had to
cat the ice and make q raft TO get the
wagons across. l hadn't landmark
then to go by, but after day and
half wandering we came to an Indian
trail marked by the signs of tent tri
pods ss they dragged through the
snow. Following this we made fine
thought the most OF our troubles
over.
VISIT FROM CHEF OURAY.
"When camped on the Grande
party of about fifty bucks, headed by
0l6 of
got some idea of the lay of the land.
formed the project of moving up to-
ward Breckinridge, as near as we
could with the wagons and camp,
while L aud some others male snow
shoes and went to Breckenridge.
There we could get food for the others
and return.
1.-THE Indians skipped out. but Ouray
and advised us to camp up
the Dry Fork OF the Uncomphagre
River near his camp. He told me ]
could never make Breckenridge on
account OF the deep snow. Staying
near him we could buy all the pro-
visions we needed. In the spring he
would lead us to the Los Pinos
agency.
The other boys looked at it in that
light, SO we moved up to Dry Fork,
put up comfortable shacks of brush
duQ ed' OOWu, prepared TO wall Tor
spring. Ouray's camp was three miles
above us among the cedars in the hills.
From the Indians we supplied ourselves
with meat, flour and coffee at most ex-
D rbitap prices.
After awhile some of the boys got
restless and wanted to press toward |
to the Los Pinos agency whence civil
lization could be reached. Ouray |
made map on the ground showing |
Two ways of reaching the agency |
The longest one was the lower trail |
up the Gunnison to the camp where |
The herders of government cattle stay
I'd. That was where the present city of |
Iunnison lie. The cattle, you know,
we're kept for killing and distribution |
among the Indians semi-aunually.
This trail was eighty miles long. The |
'horter trail WAS forty miles, but much
more dangerous.
swell, Lottsen eiser, George Driv-
n and three other men started up the
over trail and-shsll tell you their