The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-01-01
THOMAS F, THOMAS
AND BROTHERS MADE
The TRIP IN 1849
WALKED ACROSS THE PLAINS
SAW THOUSANDS OF BUFFALO
AND INDIANS
Sacramento Was Then A City u
Tents-Returned BY Way or
neutrality-suspicious.
Interesting

i Interesting
! Lovers of adventure can find few
more interesting stories Of the early
pioneer days than those OF me Call
furnia gold rush OF 1919 which are re
lated by Thomas +. Thomas wheel,
ing'S sole survivor or the thousands
who flocked 10 California To dig their
fortunes from the earth more than
siyIy-SCven years ago:
/ Seated in the library at the home
Of his niece. Mrs. II. +. Jones, No: 2h'
South Front street. Island, Mr.. Thorn
AZ provided an extremely interesting
hour for an Intcllgencer reporter 10
whom he related a few OF his eXpcf-
fences in crossing the continent IN
quest Of a share Of the newly diSCOf-
cred gold. -:
i With a party of about fifty Wheel
ing people. scarcely any Of whose
names he can now recall, Thomas f.;
Thomas and two brothers, Edward and
Phillip, started on April ]. lS49, for
California to cast their lot with the
thousands of gold seekers then flock
inc to he Pacific slope. The Wheel
ing party went by boat 10 ST. Louis
and ST. Joseph. Missouri. then set out
on foot from 81. Joseph 10 cross tue
plains.
we set out 10 walk from st. lo'
across the plains" Mr.. Thomas told
the reporter. We made our way On
foot all the way across the pl ain. OK
teams drew heavy wagons bearing
what food we needed TO cat and nur
few pieces Of equipment and cloth
ing No horse or mule had ever made
the "trip. Not even Il dog had crossed
those plains. Strange as It may seem
in continuous days Of walking, man
can outwalk dog.
We struck the Platte river at Fort
Carney. Kansas, and from there wen,
IN TO Larimee, and followed the OH
Oregon trail through the pass. which
theT told us was the safest route, 10
Fort Hull in Oregon. From Fort Hull.
on the Snake River We started sou' h
10 the headwaterS Of the 81. Mary S
river, the Humboldt. and thence TO the
Sierra Nevada mountains.
|; I'VE made our way across the
mountains, and abont the first OF
September We struck the Feather
river At Mormon Island. where gold
was first discovered. We stayed there
short while. then went down 10 Sac
ramenro City. California. There was
not a house At Sacramento City; II
was all a city nf tents.
ARRIVING in California. each man
sci out to look for gold for himself
My brothers and | finally look claim
on Dry Greek. about twenty-five miles
from Sacramento. We stayed there
about three months.
i, Millions of Buffalo.
|! THAT trip was made so long ago
that can remember but few OF its
incidents. One thing thai | never
will forget, however, was the herds
Of buffalo which We SAW going north
as We wendell our way across the
plains. There were thousands and
thousands Of them and We saw sev-
eral StampedeS where great herds Of
buffalo would be frightened and 90
plunging and believing i'll Il maddened
mass until they plunged into the river.
We were not in danger from the
stampedeS. however. as the herds
were 20 immense and made 50 much
noise that we could hear them coming
miles away, soon enough TO get our
Of their way.
Its pity that those great herds
Of buffalo have been killed oif--shOr
down by men who went out there just
TO see how many they could kill.
Indians Were Friendly
/ We passed any number OF Indians
as We passed through the plains We
saw many tribes. particularly The
Sioux. hui they were all friendly To
us. All they seemed III want was
whiskey and soap. WhiSkey was The
first thing they asked Tor.
Zone day We met Il party u! about
fifty Indians starting OH on The WAL.
path. but they didn't modest us They
didn't have any beard and | thought:
What in the world arr all those
SQuaws doing? ! soon learned that
they were men going Out In war. We
never saw any Of their battles.
We did. though. see several uf
! their war dances. It was a cruel. re-
lvOlting sight to sag rhuS" big Indians
= dancing there with ScalpS hanging III
their belts. II WAS plain To be- seen
that they had killed old men. women
land children AS we'll as warriors and
taken their ScalpS. II made me- feel
! Ilk" getting my rifle and shooting
those men who's" belts We're decnrairrl
with the Sralps of their viCtimS.
! One Thing W. observed about rhoS,.
! Indians. They wert a. savage aud
-. low as We could imagine. and the
., had no idea Of virtue. We were fro.
! quenIly invited In pariak" of their
| tHaStS.
Golden Opportunity
The California gold find furnished
u golden opportunity for strong. rE"r-
GetlC y0un" men. AZ they told T..
There. fifty thousand nf The sirOngrS'.
most adventurous and energetic men
, of III" continent llnck"d 10 California
for gold.
I fhere yoll took your pan and Went
! 10 tn" 'ligGineS.' dug a painful If
gravel and carried il III y stream ia
| wash il \ nInful Dr Gravel wuu!d