|
To round out the discussion, here's Peter Burnett's wonderful letter:
The California Star & Californian, San Francisco
Nov. 8, 1848
Juba River Goldmines, Mr. Editor:
Knowing from information the interest you take in the prosperity of
California, I address this hasty communication to you for the purpose of
placing before your readers some intelligence that may be interesting to
them and to the public generally. I am one of the wagon party just arrived
from Oregon; and the success of our new enterprise has been such as to
afford us much gratification. You are no doubt aware of the fact, that our
wagons were the first ever brought through from Oregon to this country, and
that such a project has, until now been considered impracticable. I came to
Oregon in the fall of 1843, with the first wagons which penetrated to the
Dalles, and have had the good fortune to be one of the first party that
came with wagons from Oregon to California. When we were preparing to
start, we were aware of the uncertain issue of the attempt, and we prepared
ourselves to meet and overcome difficulties now impossible. Our train
consisted of some forty-six wagons and about one hundred and fifty men. We
were well provided with provisions, and means of every kind necessary to
enable us to accomplish the trip. We left Oregon City about the 10th of
September and reached the Valley of the Sacramento on the 25th October,
seven miles from Capt. Peter Lawson's [Lassen]. We followed Applegate's
Southern route from Fort Hall to Oregon until we came past the little
Klamet lake. We then turned to the right, passing on the east side of New
Year's lake, from which we bore south-east forty miles to the Sacramento,
laid down on most of the maps as Pitt river, at the point where we struck
this stream, we came across a wagon trail made by a party of Immigrants
from the United States, and conducted by Cap. Lawson as pilot. They had
passed about twenty-five days before us. We followed this trail until we
overtook this party in the California mountains, some forty miles from the
Sacramento valley. They had passed the summit of the mountains some
thirty-five miles without having had to make the mark of an axe or spade.
From the point at which we overtook the party the only obstruction to our
passage down the mountain was fallen timber and loose rock upon the
surface. Some ten or fifteen hands cut out the road in one day as far as
the timber extended - say fifteen miles - and did it as fast as the wagons
could follow. The loose rock was then the only remaining obstruction, most
of which we did not stop to remove, but made our way over them without any
greater difficulty than breaking down some two wagons out of fifty. Some
day or two before we overtook the emigrant party about one-half of them had
abandoned their wagons and started with their baggage packed upon their
oxen. We found the pass through the mountains one of the finest natural
passes in the world. The ascent and descent are very gradual and with a
little labor an excellent road could be made. All the labor we bestowed
upon the road could have been performed by about four men in the space of
three or four days. The worst part of the road from Oregon to California is
the pass through the Umpqua mountains, called the Kanyan, on Applegate's
route. We found the whole route very well supplied with grass and water. We
had one drive of thirty miles to make without water - one of twenty and one
of eighteen. Our party were exceedingly fortunate. We lost very few animals
- most, if not all of which, strayed off - and met with no material accident
on the way, except one young man was accidentally slightly wounded in the
hand, with a gun, and another was shot through the wrist with an Indian
arrow, in a little skirmish at New Year lake. The route for wagons is now
open, and the approaching year will witness the passage of many wagons from
Oregon to California. This route must prove of great benefit to parties of
emigrants from Oregon and from the United States.
PETER H. BURNETT.
|