The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 29, July 1925 - April, 1926 Page: 205
330 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
From Texas to California in 1849
destitute- Our company afforded them all the releif in their
power- An unfortunate accident occured the day after we left
the crossing- Capt Thorn46 of the Dragoons, a private & two
Mexicans whilst crossing the River upset, their Boat, and were all
drowned- This circumstance placed a damper upon the feelings
of the Company-and with sadened hearts and empty stomachs
they are now pushing for the settlements beyond the desert-
There are several tribes of Indians in this vicinity, all of which
are now friendly to the Americans-although previous to the ar-
rival of the troops they were hostile and committed some depre-
dations upon the emigrants- The Umos [Yumas] and Kuchans
are the two most numerous tribes- They are genually tall ath-
lettic men, and withal the finest looking Indians that I have ever
seen- their horses seem to be of a superior breed, large & well
formed-and at this time are in fine order- These Indians seem
to have no definate idea of the use or value of money- yet their
love of the stuff exceeds their ignorance of its importance. The
morning of the 16th Oct. we left the crossing and proceeded four-
teen miles down the River, at which point the road leaves the
Colorado47 and enters upon that dread and imposing barrier to the
New El Dorado-the Desert-
17th. Traveled fifteen miles and camped at the "first well"
[Cooke's Wells]-road heavy-no grass but plenty of Musquite
Beans--
18th. Left the well at 3 0. C. in the evening- traveled six
miles through a musquite flat--and then entered upon the great
sand ridge- rolled on at the rate of 1- miles to the hour until
1 0. C. P. M. at daylight the mules were again in the Collar
and the train moving ahead, on on we rolled, hour after hour
passed by- Not a tree, a sprig of grass or a living creature to
be seen- not an incident to disturb the dull monotony of the
scene- throughout the day the sun shone hot and scorching,
glimmering upon the sand, like heat from a furnace, at sundown
we passed the ridge, and camped at a Lagoon [Alamo Mocho] in
the valley making the distance from the Well twenty seven miles.
"Captain Herman Thorn was escorting Colonel Collier from Independence,
Missouri, to his new post in California.
47The Gila flows northward into the Colorado, and the latter stream
then flows west for some ten or fifteen miles, before turning south again.
The Southern Emigrant Road runs along the northern bank.205
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 29, July 1925 - April, 1926, periodical, 1926; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117141/m1/225/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.