page_title: Rose–Baley Party
section_title: Beale's Wagon Road
hierarchical_section_title: Rose–Baley Party / Beale's Wagon Road
caption_attribution_description: English: The Painted Desert, seen from Blue Mesa, Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona.
context_page_description: The Rose–Baley Party was the first European American emigrant wagon train to traverse the 35th parallel route known as Beale's Wagon Road, established by Edward Fitzgerald Beale, from Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico to the Colorado River near present-day Needles, California.
  In 1858, a wealthy businessman from Keosauqua, Iowa, Leonard John Rose, formed the party after hearing stories from gold miners returning from California. He subsequently financed a well-equipped wagon train that included twenty horses and two hundred head of purebred red Durham cattle. He also acquired four large covered wagons and three yoke of oxen to pull them each wagon. The Rose company left Iowa in early April, and in mid-May they were joined by the Baley company, led by a forty-four-year-old veteran of the Black Hawk War, Gillum Baley. Their combined outfits numbered twenty wagons, forty men, fifty to sixty women and children, and nearly five hundred head of cattle. John Udell, a 62-year-old Baptist minister kept a daily journal of the party's travels, recording the locations of their campsites, documenting their progress, and noting the availability of resources.
context_section_description: In Baley's opinion, Udell was right to be concerned about the road, and adds: "although Beale had taken a few wagons over the route, [in 1858 it] was little more than a survey trail marked only by faint wagon tracks, an occasional stone cairn, and perhaps a few axe blazes on trees." Portions of the road followed human and animal trails, and – although potable water was sporadically available – there were also long stretches called jornadas, where it was scarce. From the San Francisco Peaks to the Colorado River, vital resources were in short supply.
  Because Beale's Wagon Road crossed territory that consisted mainly of the Colorado Plateau's rocky high desert, the next water available to the Rose–Baley Party was at a spot named Jacob's Well, located 36 miles (58 km) west of Zuni Pueblo and 32 miles (51 km) west of their July 10 campsite. Accordingly, Baley notes that the emigrants were careful to not get lost between watering holes. Udell recorded that, after traveling for more than half a day, they rested and watered their stock at the well, which produced brackish but acceptable water. Later that evening, they trekked another 8 miles (13 km) to Navajo Springs, where they camped for the night and rested the next day.
  According to Udell's journal, after Navajo Springs the next available water was 40 miles (64 km) distant, at the Little Colorado River. In between was an area that is now home to Petrified Forest National Park, and several members of the party gathered souvenirs of petrified wood there. They reached the Little Colorado at a spot near present-day Holbrook, Arizona, on July 16, and although the river was brackish and underscored with quicksand, the emigrants were able to secure drinkable water by digging holes in the riverbank that allowed sediment to settle until the water was clear enough for consumption. Next, they followed the river 85 miles (137 km) to a location that Baley identified as Canyon Diablo.
  On July 18, Udell recorded that spirits were high amongst the Rose–Baley Party: "Our large company continue to be harmonious, friendly, and kind to each other ... General good health prevails ... Travel today, 10 miles (16 km), and 1,112 from the Missouri River." The Rose–Baley Party diverged from the Little Colorado River where it meets Canyon Diablo, near present-day Winslow, Arizona. Uncertain where the next source of clean water was, they decided to camp near the canyon, where they successfully hunted for game while searching for a fresh spring. By the late afternoon of July 24, Savedra returned to camp and reported that they had found water 17 miles (27 km) away at Walnut Creek, now part of Walnut Canyon National Monument. They immediately packed up their camp and left, as they were becoming accustomed to evening and night travel, which allowed them to refrain from exertion during the peak heat of the day. They covered 20 miles (32 km) on July 25 before stopping near a spring in the pine-covered foothills of Arizona's tallest mountains, the San Francisco Peaks, which can be seen for 100 miles (160 km) in most directions. The range's cool forests gave them a much-needed respite from the intense heat and aridity of the high plains desert.
  Baley notes that the Rose–Baley Party so enjoyed their camp, near present-day Flagstaff, Arizona, they decided to devote a few extra days to recuperation and sightseeing, and several members of the wagon train climbed Humphreys Peak, which at 12,633 feet is the highest point in Arizona. While climbing the mountain, they came across a large snowfield and were surprised to see snow and ice in late July. Before their descent, they entertained themselves by pushing a massive boulder down the mountainside. Up to this point, the emigrants had enjoyed a primitive but decent road, good small game hunting, and a consistent supply of water, grass, and wood. They had experienced what Baley described as "beautiful and interesting" scenery and encountered only friendly Native Americans; however, a drastic change in these conditions was imminent.
  According to Baley, on July 29 Savedr
caption: Painted desert and petrified logs seen from Blue Mesa, Petrified Forest National Park
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