Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1901-04-18
AN OVERLAND TRIP ~
~ TO RNIA

the valley l only SldItu lntIc l'hS
enough to wind up our affairs and
started back to the Mariposa coun-
try alone. This was about the lst
of January, 1879. ! had been in
some pretty tough looking places,
but this trip will never forget. |
left Pajaro early in the morning,
riding big mule. crossed the
Coast Range and without mishap
arrived at San Jose that night and
stopped at the home of Il friend.
The next morning | started and
passed the old San Jose mission
and on thru Livermore 5 pass and
stopped with some ranchmen IN
the southern edge of the San Joa-
Quin valley. The next day it rain
ed all day but kept on and arrlv-
ed at Stockton about night. The
fourth day out | got into Chinese
Camp, a great mining town. Here
| met an old friend, The next
morning he was going to Sonora,
another mining town about fifteen
miles away, and asked me to 60
along with him. SO we SaddIcd
up and were soon on the road.
We got there about noon and after
dinner started for home. We had
not gone far when we came to
where the road forkcd, and he
stoppcd and asked me if had cv-
er seen the big trees, and rs | had
not he said that we could go by
and see them and then get home
in good time SO we went. | had
heard much of the big trees and
was glad of an opportunity of see
! ing them as | had not believed the
story, and | find that many people
yet will shake their heads at some
of the California stories But the
story of the Calavaras big trees is
true. The largest one of the group
had been cut down, the stump lev
clcd off and saloon built ON it
and the body or top of the log had
been dressed eff and Il tcn-pin al
lev on it; and there was enough of
the log left to add on two more
tcn-pin alleys. This tree was call
ed the monarch of the forest. The
stump measured elghty-onc feet i'll
circumference.
After staying "A few days at Chi
ncsc Camp | started alone over IA
wild and mountainous country to
join Dad in the diggingS at Carson
Creek. There was mere trail
not habitation for thirty or forty
miles, and to say that it was Il
lonely ride does not express it,
The first object that drew my
attention and broke the monotony
of the ride was the grcwsome sight
of a lot Of buzzardS picking the
carcass of dead Indian that had
been placed on IA kind of scatl'old
across the limbs of il tree that
stood near the trail AS | hadn t
lost any Indians | made no cnquir-
/ les as to where he was going, and
believing him to be ii good Indian,
| rode ON. | soon came to the top
of a low mountain and the trail
led up to big rock as large as a
good sized barn and Just opposite
stood big pine tree. There was
Just room to pass between them on
horseback. just as came between
them | saw three ugly, smoke be
grimcd SpaniardS sitting on THEN
horses behind the rock. AS it was
| known that this country was the
home of many Spanish outlaws
the sight of these ugly looking
fellows in this lonely place made
me think of all the bad things that
had ever done and made me wish
that | was back in old Missouri,
blowing corn. Whether they
meant to do me harm or not
don't know. | was well armed
with heavy revolvcrs, and as the
Spaniards are great towards the
sight of the pistols may have de-
TERED them so they let me pass
along; but the looks of them gave
me good scare anyway. ] was
not sure that they would not fol-
low me and | didn't let any grass
grow under my mules feet III GO
ing down that mountain.
rode on and on, and night ov-
ertook me without the slightest
sign of civilization. Finally |
came to what appeared to be Il lit
Tie YallcN and Just to the left Of the