The Ely miner., 1932-06-03

returned 10 his nome IN the AQlr0ndackS Wnere
for some time he was busy making photographs
Of the local heroes home from the war. At that
time he earned what was considered a munif-
cent sum- SO a week. But soon the wonder
lust asserted itself again and he decided to 90
west. He headed for Detroit but got only as
far as Chicago and then worked his way on to
Detroit by painting signs, teaching the art of
coloring photographs and picking up other odd
jobs. Eventually he got as far west as St
Joseph, Mo-. which was then the western
terminus of the railroad.
Here he secured job of driving OK teams
from Nebraska to Montana, bull whacking' as
il was called, for the wages Of $50 month. For
a year, 1866 to 1867, he was engaged in this
work, freightfng from Nebraska City on the
Missouri via Fort Kearney, Julesburg, Fort
Laramie and South Pass and to the valley Of
the Great Salt lake. Zone of the illustrations
above is recent painting Of Mr.. Jackson's made
from a sketch in 1866 showing how the wagon
trains forded the South Platte near Julesburg)
The following quotation from letter which
young Jackson wrote to his parents dated
"Great Salt Lake City, October 80, 1866" is
graphic pen picture Of the life Of a bullwhacker
in those days. 1.-The program Of days work
will give you some idea of the kind Of life
We have been leading. In the morning, just as
day is breaking and when sleep lies heaviest
upon US, the night watch makes the rounds,
Roll out! The bulls comingr As the tur-
bulent herd crowds into the corral / mentally
and sometimes quite audibly damn the bulls, but
there they and must get up. -.
'Shouldering one of the heavy yokes begin
looking for my old off-wheeler. 1t is hardly
light enough yet to distinguish objects clearly
and have some difficulty al first in telling one
OK from another. But / finally get my last
pointer yoked and having previously put the
who OrrO rhn fnvrr1 I drix 0r1rd Tho
other five yoke, connected with chains, and hitch
them on ahead. / ready to pull out, usually
just as the sun is appearing above the hori-
Zon. .
About ten O'Clock the train is corraed un-
yoking quickly done, and the cattle turned out
TO Craze in charge of herders, and We proceed
at once to get breakfast. The train is divided
into four messes the men taking turns at the
various duties. This is frequently accompanied
by a good deal of contentious wrangling be-
cause there are always shirkers that always
fail to do their share of the work The details
bring the wood and water. The COOKS for the
time being bake bread in the big dutch oven,
make two or three gallons of coffee slice up half
side Of bacon find it hardly necessary to shout
Grub piler for the whole mess is right there,
impatently waiting. Each one helps himself
with tin cup and plate and retiring to the shady
side Of wagon experiences for brief half
hour complete satisfaction.
THE afternoon drive sometimes brings US
into camp so that it is quite late by the time
get supper. One of the greatest difficulties in
cooking is the matter of providing fuel. Wood
is scarce and along most Of our route entirely
lacking. The only substitute available is buffalo
chips 1t makes an excellent fire for cooking
purposes when entirely dry, but when wet is
the meanest stuff imaginable to get along with.
trying the patience of the cooks to the ut
most
my heavy suppers with the great quantities
Of strong coffee that drink just before going to
bed frequently result in dreams that verge
Nightmares. AT first, when the novelty of my
adventure with its attendant work and worry
was uppermost In my mind had lurid dreams
almost every night and invariably they related
10 my team Of bulls. Sometimes / imagined
them out of control and about to plunge over a
great precipice- Wild with terror would tum-
bic out of my wagon in my desperate attempt to
head them of from destruction, only to be
yanked back by my bed fellow or brought to
my senses by the night watchman. Billy and
slept on buffalo robe with long shaggy hair.
On one occasion began tugging at this rode so
violently that 1 nearly threw Billy out Of the
wagon OF course he was in high dudgeon and
wanted to know what thought I was doing;
dreaming still, replied can't get my con-
founded leaders heads aroundr"
After year Of this work young Jackson de-
cided he wanted to start up In the business
which he knew best so he went to Omaha and
in 1868 he and his brother. who had come on
from the East set up a shop with a shingle
over the door which read jackson Brothers,
Photographers" This was the period when
Omaha was booming with activities connected
with the building OF the Union Pacific railroad.
Young Mr.. Jackson saw In the starting Of the
railroad wonderful chance for pictures. So he