The San Francisco call., 1908-11-29

uneven though rhyme and meter may
be. may thrill some heart with the no.
bility of the mission. Written to tha
music OF the Spanish cacnuchs. the
words are:
Take us to thy heart. o glorious
mother.
Lead US from the night into the day
Reconcile us. each one to his brother.
God of California, protect US, wa
pray"
In the light of this new movement
the following history Of pioneer
woman's crossing of the plains is time
ly and full OF new interest. 1t is given
in extracts from the diary of a woman,
both wife and mother and is told with
out exaggeration in the plain, straight
forward fashion of one who believed in
action more than in words. The diary
is that of Mrs. Margaret A. Frink, wife
of Ledyard Frink, and it has been
printed for family circulation. But it
is too strong too vivid a bit Of Cali
fornia history TO be relegated to the
sacred obscurity of a household god.
The title page is as follows:
JOURNAL
OF the Adventures of a Party of
California Gold Seekers
Under the Guidance of
Mr.. LEDYARD FRINK,
During a Journey across the plains
from Martinsville. Indiana. to Sac
ramento, California, from March 80
= 1850, to September Z, 1850.
From the Original Diary Of the
Trip Kept by
MRS. MARGARET A. FRINK.
The first mention of California in the
diary is: The exciting news coming
back from California of the delightful
climate and abundance of gold caused
us to resolve about December. 1S49,
that we would commence preparing to
cross the plains by the spring of
1880"
In an admirably equipped wagon the
Frinks started on March 80. No diff
culties were met wit beast of the Mis-
sissippi river. which was crossed at
Hannibal. Mo. April II. They were
then 377 miles from home. A second
entry reads:
Thursday, April s, We came tonight
to the house of a Mr.. Mckinney, called
Squire Mckinney. and were very hos
pitably welcomed. Mrs. Mckinney had
a nephew who went to California in
1S49. and she told me wonderful tales
Of the abundance of gold; that she
heard that they kept -four scoops to
scoop the gold out of the barrels that
they kept it in, and fhat you could soon
get all you needed for the rest of your
life"
An idea of the army that endured un-
told hardships that 1t might reach the
land of gold is given in naive entry
of May 20:
In the afternoon we came to the
junction of the emigrant road from st.
Joseph with our road about % miles be-
low Fort Kearney. Both roads were
thickly crowded with emigrants. 1t
was a grand spectacle when we came
for the first time in view of the vast
emigration army slowly winding its
way westward over the broad plain.
1T appeared to me that none of the
population had been left behind. And
when we drew nearer to the vast null
titude and saw them IN all manner of
vehicles and conveyances. on horseback
and on foot. all eagerly driving and
hurrying forward, / thought in my eX-
citement that IL one-tenth of these
teams and people got ahead of us there
would be nothing left in California
worth picking up. And we were not
yet two hundred miles from the Mis-
souri, river. The journey had only fair
ly commenced"
On May % there was a buffalo chase.
Some one brought us piece of buffalo
steak, so that we We're not without
share of the prize" wrote Mrs. Frink
That was along the Platte river.
On Tuesday, May %. the south fork of
the Platte river was crossed and the
party turned to follow the north fork
into the Rocky mountain country.
Mrs. Frinks description of crossing
the river is one of the vivid pages of
the book; a written monument to the
dangers that were faced and the cour-
age of the pioneers. She wrote:
"Of all the excitement that ever ex-