Mexico Missouri message., 1901-02-07
AN OVERLAND TRIP ~
" TO CALIFORNIA.


lance of seventy miles, over II
tracklcss sand plain. We started
about three o'clock in the after
noon of August 10Th and travelled
all that night and all the next day
and the second night and until To-
o'clock the third day, when we
reached the Carson River. While
we were travelling slowly along, as
our OK teams were pretty well worn
out, we overlook what was left of
the fine train that passed us i'll the
Green River country, and they had
abandoned all their fine wagons
and only few of their horses
were left and they were reduced to
mere skeletons, and on these poor
animals were packed such things
of their outfit as they were able to
carry, and the girls that | spoke
of. together with the men, were
trudging along in the hot sand on
foot. | thought that we had seen
sights before we came to the des-
crt; we had seen but little cOmpar-
ed with what we saw here. When
we were about half way over we
began to see many abandoned
wagons, and the roadside was
strewn with dead horses, mules
and cattle. saw whole teams of
oxen with their yokcs on and still
hitched to the wagons, so overcome
with heat and thirst that they re-
fused to go farther and were left
10y their owners to die on the hot
sand. Horses were left with sad
dies and brides on and were either
shot or died worse death, that of
starvation and thirst. The many
animals that persisted on the des-
ert did not die in one season, but
were the losses of the three years
that the people had been crossing
since the discovery of gold. The
presence of salt in the atmosphere
so preserves the animals that they
may lie there for Years and then be
recognized by their owners.
As we were passing along, see
ing the dcSolation and suffering by
both man and beast, one of our
boys, who was the funny one of
the party, came limping along, be-
ing both tired and footsore, and
lust then there We're some little
donk,ys being driven along and
on locking at the forlOrn little an
imals with their over burdened
packs on their backs he said:
Boys,
"I'he desert it is h on cOrns,
VIII lie walking thru the sand
And drive jackass by the tail,
SO d-n this overland"
The utter abandon that was de-
picted i'll his countenance showed
that he meant what he said.
When the sun came up on the
morning of thethird day it seemed
to come up out Of Il sea of sand,
but when its rays fell on the ives
it seemed to open up Il new world
The giant Sierras were in sight
whose snow capped peaks SCENE,
to pierce the sky, and as we cam
nearer to the Carson River our al
most furnished teams took neN
life, aS their animal instinct toll,
them that water was near, and be
fore we reached the river hank W
3 had to unhitch them from the wag
, onS, else they would have gon
Q pell nell into the river, wagon
and all.
; From the hundreds of raggc,
: tents that were stretched alon
e the banks of Carson River and tn
i hustle and hurry of the people, til
J. place took the very appropriat
4 name of Rag Town. SO we wcr
q citizens Of Rag Town for sever;
e DAYS, while we rested our jade
a teams and nurscd our blistcrc
" feet.
g stayed in our old tent the mo,
: of the time, as | was not very we
. and. consequently, | did not Sc
e very much of the ragged city.
it was just sick for something to ca
> like we used to get at home. On
= provisions were old and stale an
E, none too clean, and to one in III
V condition not very appctlzln;
= There were some men here vii
d had come ont to meet the imigran
$ with provisions, and | went ov,
70 to their tent and in looking ov'
n their outtit SAW some little Shruul