Natrona County, Wyoming - The whole text, 1923 (part 14 of 15)

The migration to the Oregon Country was begun in 1840 and continued until 1843, after which only a few scattering parties wended their way to the new country in the Far West until the Mormons started on their pilgrimage in 1847; the California gold seekers traveled over the same route from Independence and branched off to California at Fort Hall in 1849-50, but in 1852 the greatest rush of homeseekers to the Oregon Country took place that the world has ever known.

Bancroft says that "in 1841 passed the forts the first deliberate emigration to Oregon and California of men, women and children - fifteen in number. These were Joel P. Walker, wife, sister, three sons and two daughters; Burrows, wife and child; Warfield,wife and child, and one Nichols. The same year passed Bidwell's California company. Mrs. Kelsey was the only woman in the Bidwell party, and arrived in California a little later than Mrs. Walker, though the Walker company went by the way of Oregon, In 1842 Elija White's

Oregon company of 112 men, women and children and a train of eighteen great Pennsylvania wagons, cattle, packmules and horses. Bouideau was in charge of Fort Laramie at that time and gave the emigrants timely advice and assistance, although they grumbled much at the price of provisions in the mountains. The trappers had done the same before them . . . In 1843 passed the fur company's posts an army of occupation destined for the Columbia river, consisting of 1,000 men, women and children, with draft cattle, herds of cows and horses, farming implements and household goods. After this, things were never to be as they were aforetime in the hunting grounds of the Rocky mountains. The beaver were all but exterminated ; few trappers remained ; the Indians were, if not more hostile, at least better armed and more dangerous; immigration westward increased; the state of Deseret was planted on our border; and in a few years gold was discovered in California, after which the great highway became like a vast human river, dividing the continent in twain, and bearing on its bosom what argosies of human hopes, alas! how often wrecked."

The question has often been asked: "Who laid out the Oregon Trail?" and it may be truthfully answered that nobody knows. There is not a single name or date or event that can be traced or given credit for the history of the beginning of the old Trail. It was just a natural highway, which followed the line of the least resistance from Independence, Missouri, to Vancouver, Oregon. The routes along the water courses were the paths which were first made by the buffalo and the elk and the other wild animals; these paths were followed by the Indians, then the fur trappers and traders, then the missionaries and explorers, and then the homeseekers and prospectors. The slowly moving wagon trains, with their ox teams, measuring their weary steps, the men, women and children huddling in the shelter of the white-topped wagons with hope in their breasts and care on their faces, traveling on and on for days and weeks and months, through the pelting rains in the early spring, through the sweltering sun in the summer months and through the biting snow storms in the fall of the year from 1840 until 1869, were the ones who made the Trail, but they did not lay it out. The thousands of wagons and the tens of thousands of horses and oxen wore a pathway in many places several hundred feet in width, stretching for miles and miles across the plains, and today, after more than fifty years since the Trail was abandoned, there are many places along the route more than twenty feet deep, the earth having been ground out by the tires of the wagons and the feet of the horses and cattle, and afterwards the pulverized soil was blown out by the winds. The starting point of the Oregon Trail and the

Santa Fe Trail was the same. The two trails pursued the same course for forty-one miles, then they forked, the Santa Fe heading in a southwesterly direction and the Oregon Trail to the northwest. At the forks of the roads, where the town of Gardner, Kansas, now stands, was a sign board pointing to the northwest with the simple lettering: " Road to Oregon. " That sign board today would be worth its weight in gold to any historical society, but like the thousands of other landmarks along the route that were made by the hand of man, they are lost and gone forever, and only the marks created by the hand of God, like Emigrant Gap, Independence Rock, Devil's Gate and many others, are still standing and will forever remain unchanged.

Brigham Young, with his company of Mormons, consisting of 144 men, three women and two children, camped on or near the ground where the city of Casper is now situated on June 12-13, 1847. Besides the men, women and children, the train consisted of seventy-two wagons, sixty-six oxen, eighty-nine horses, fifty-two mules, nineteen cows and seventeen dogs. An invoice of the provisions when they started on their journey showed 1,228 pounds of flour, 865 pounds of meat, 296 pounds of beans, 2,869 pounds of corn, 50 pounds of garden seed, and many other articles too numerous to be listed here.

This train started for Salt Lake from "Winter Quarters," where Florence, Nebraska, is now situated, on April 8, 1847. ^ In the party there were mechanics of all kinds, farmers, engineers, school teachers, merchants, doctors, and men of other professions. The previous year a party of six men had made an exploration of the Far West to select a place for the Mormons, who had practically been driven out of their headquarters at Nauvoo, Illinois. These six men spent more than a month in the Salt Lake valley, and in the fall returned with maps, a description of the soil and the climate and general conditions. Upon their recommendation. Salt Lake was decided upon as their "promised land."

The camp rules adopted for the train before starting over the Trail, provided that there should be bugle sound at 5 o'clock each morning, when all should arise and pray, attend the teams, get breakfast, and be ready to travel at 7 o'clock. All must start and keep together. Each extra man must travel on the off side of his team with a loaded gun on his shoulder. All guns and pistols must be kept in perfect order. Each driver must have his gun placed so he could get it at a moment's warning. The camp should travel in close order and no man should leave camp for a distance of more than twenty rods. No one would be indulged in idleness. The cannon should bring up the rear and the company guard attend to it, traveling with the gun.

The camp would halt one hour for dinner at noon; when the camp halted for the night, all wagons were to be drawn in a circle and the horses secured inside the circle. The bugle was to be sounded at 8:30, when every man was to be at his wagon to pray, and all fires must be put out.

The train encountered rain and snow storms for the first few weeks, but the people experienced no real hardships then. They found plenty of game along the road which furnished them with excitement as well as meat to eat. After being out about a month some of the men indulged in dancing, playing cards and checkers, gambling, swearing at each other and some had quarreled, all of which was breeding discontent and hampered the progress of the train. Brighani Young tolerated this in silence until he reached a point about twentyfour miles east of Fort Laramie where, on the morning of May 29, he assembled the members of the train in a semi-circle around him and gave them a lecture, and among other things he said: "There are several men in camp who do not belong to the church. I am a man who will stand up for them and protect them in their rights; but they shall not trample on the rights of others. If they set up their heads and seek to introduce iniquity into this camp, I swear to them they shall never go back to tell the tale; I will leave them where they will be safe. If they want to return they can now have the privilege of doing so before we go farther.

"I am one of the last to ask my brethren to enter into a solemn covenant, but if they will not enter into a solemn convenant to put away their iniquity, and turn to the Lord and serve Him, and acknowledge and honor His name, I want them to take their wagons and turn back, for I shall not go any farther under this state of things. Now, let every man repent of his weakness, of his follies, of his meanness, and every kind of wickedness, and stop swearing. ... I tell you if you do not stop it, you shall be cursed by the Almighty, and shall dwindle away and be damned. Such things shall not be suffered in this camp."

The high priests, the bishops, the seventies, the elders, and the brethren of the twelve were then called forward and they all said they were willing to covenant to turn to the Lord with all their hearts, to repent of their follies and to cease from all their evils. Those who were not members of the church agreed not to trample on the rights of the church, to refrain from blasphemy and to conduct themselves well. After the lecture, the covenants and the promises everybody felt better, and the train proceeded on its westward journey.

fort, where they found a small party of Mormons from Pueblo waiting to accompany them to Salt Lake. From Fort Laramie a delegation was sent out on the road toward Pueblo to meet another train of Mormons and guide them on their way.

The first division of the main train arrived at the river crossing about three miles east from where Casper is now situated on June 1 1. This crossing was near where the W. T. Evans ranch is now located. The Reshaw bridge was afterwards built at this point. Arrangements were made with the ferryman to take some of the wagons across the river, but many in the first division and nearly all in the divisions that closely followed, came farther west to the spot about where Casper is located and camped over Sunday, which was June 13. Some of the party went to the mountains and killed a grizzly bear and three cubs, and on the plains before they reached the mountains, they killed three buffaloes and two antelope. Tw^o of the men who started for the mountains at about 5 o'clock in the evening, thinking they could go there and back by 8 o'clock, did not return until 1 1 o'clock, the distance being more than twice that which they expected.

Monday morning, June 14, the men commenced ferrying their provisions across the river at a point where the Platte bridge was afterwards built, about one and one-half miles west from Casper, but the current was so strong it was considered unsafe to take the provisions over in a raft, and accordingly, a rope was strung across the stream and two wagons were lashed together, then fastened to the rope, and then an attempt was made to float them across, but when the wheels of the wagon struck the sand on the opposite side, the current was so strong one of the wagons was rolled over and considerable damage was done. Four wagons were then lashed together abreast with poles strung on the sides and on the ends and in this manner they succeeded in getting across without accident. The men worked from Monday morning until Friday morning before all the wagons, stock and provisions were gotten across the river. The weather was very cold and a gale of wind prevailed from the southwest during the entire time the party was engaged in crossing the stream. A number of men were delegated to remain at the river to assist the others across the stream who were expected along in a few days.

Saturday morning, the 19th, the train proceeded on its journey and in the evening arrived at a "steep descent from a bluff and at the foot there is a ridge of sharp-pointed rocks running parallel with the road for nearly a quarter of a mile, leaving only a narrow space for the wagons to pass, and the road is very rough." This was Emigrant Gap, and the condition of the road has been not much improved the past seventy-five years.

Landmarks Of The Old Oregon Trail 44I

The train arrived at Sweetwater river about a mile east from Independence Rock, on June 21, the distance from the upper ferry on the Platte river being forty-nine miles. This country was described as having "many huge hills, or ridges, and masses of granite rock, all destitute of vegetation, and presenting a very wild and desolate as well as romantic appearance. Hundreds of persons who visited this rock (Independence) have painted their names there with different colored paint." The train did not camp at Independence Rock, but proceeded to Devil's Gate, near where they camped for the night.

The train traveled up the Sweetwater river and on the 26th crossed the South Pass. On the 28th, at 6 o'clock in the evening, they met Jim Bridger, who, with two companions, was going to Fort John (Laramie) from Fort Bridger. Brigham Young was anxious to secure information from Bridger concerning the Salt Lake valley and he ordered the train to halt and camp for the night. Bridger had the reputation of being the best informed guide in the Rocky Mountain country, but the Mormon leader evidently thought much less of him after the interview than he did before he met him, for in Egan's diary it is written: "It is impossible to form a correct idea from the very imperfect and irregular way in which he (Bridger) gave the description. From his conversation, I should not take him to be a man of truth, for in his description of the country he crossed himself a number of times, and it is my opinion that we cannot depend upon it until we see for ourselves." Bridger had nothing good to say about the Salt Lake region, but the Mormons were not inclined to change their purpose of making their homes in the Salt Lake valley and proceeded on their way. The first section of the train arrived at Salt Lake July 21, and on the 22d the main body arrived, but Brigham Young, who had been sick, did not arrive until the 24th. At first the Mormons were not favorably impressed with the Salt Lake valley, but Brigham Young assured his people that the soil was rich and when grain was planted it would grow. He explained how the crops could be irrigated and encouraged the men to select tracts of land and build homes for themselves. Although the season was late, some crops were put in and although the harvest in the fall was not as bountiful as it would have been had the seed been planted earlier, it proved that crops would grow, and the people felt greatly encouraged. Trains continued to come in during that summer and fall and when winter set in Salt Lake City boasted a population of 2,095.

"During the summer of 1848 a considerable amount of land was ploughed and potatoes and other crops planted. Every eflFort was made to produce enough to feed the people during the following winter. Just at the time when the crops were the most promising, milHons of crickets appeared and commenced to devour everything, and settlers saw starvation staring them in the face. Fortunately, gulls from the lake came and devoured the crickets, which was regarded as an act of Providence for the protection of the chosen people who had come to occupy the promised land.

"The years following brought large additions to the Mormon colony in Utah, and a number of counties were organized. The tireless head of the church kept agents not only in the eastern states, but in Europe, asking people to join the Mormon settlement and the church. Some of these people located around Fort Bridger, others along the North Platte, and at one time it was thought that the southwestern portion of Wyoming would become Mormon territory. Had not Brigham Young refused to acknowledge federal authority and forced the government to send Albert Sidney Johnston with five regiments out to subdue the Mormons, a portion of our state would undoubtedly have remained a part of Utah. This trouble with the Mormons induced the general government to reduce the size of their territory and accordingly Nevada was taken off the west, a considerable strip lying west of the mountains was put into Colorado, and a smaller portion makes up the southwest corner of Wyoming."^

The Mormons started across the "Great American desert" for their "land of promise" about five years previous to the time originally planned. When they were compelled to leave Nauvoo, Illinois, in the early spring of 1846, the procession consisted of about 2,000 wagons and 15,000 people. They proceeded across the state of Iowa, and on June 14, the advance guard, under the leadership of Brigham Young, arrived at the Missouri river, opposite to where Omaha is now located, where "Camp Israel" was established until a ferry boat could be built in which the people and the teams could be taken across the stream. An agreement was made between the Mormons and the Omaha Indians to the effect that the Mormons should be allowed to establish homes and farm the land for a period of five years, and it was here that "Winter Quarters" were located. Several hundred log cabins, and about one hundred sod houses and a large council house were erected by the Mormons, and mills and workshops were built and operated. Crops of grain were planted in the summer and harvested in the fall. On account of the industrial activity of the Mormons a great deal of the timber close at hand was consumed and the game was driven from the country. The Indians were dissatisfied with their bargain and made complaint to the authorities at Washington, and the Mormons were ordered to vacate the Omaha country.

On January 14, 1847, Brigham Young appointed Oliver P. Gleason, George Chatelaine, Miles Bragg, J. P. Johnson, Solomon Silver and William Hall as a committee to proceed westward and select a site for a new settlement. This committee reached Fort Laramie in the early spring, and at that place they were advised to proceed to the Great Salt Lake valley.

At "Winter Quarters" preparations were being made to comply with the order from the Indian department to vacate the land upon which they had settled under an agreement with the Indians, and on April 8, Brigham Young and his party, as above mentioned, started over the long trail upon which thousands of his followers came in after years, and helped to build up one of the most prosperous countries in the west.

The Fremont Trail, the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail, the California Trail and the Overland Route from Independence, or Westport, to the Oregon Country from 1840 until 1862 were practically the same. About the only difference was in the names. It is estimated that if all the people who died along this Trail between the years of 1840 and 1869 were buried an equal distance apart there would be a grave at least every fourth of a mile of the entire 2,000 miles. It is estimated that more than 5,000 people died along this route in one year. While there were many deaths among the emigrants, the Mormons undoubtedly suffered the greatest loss, due mostly to hardships, exposure and being unprepared for the ordeal with either food or clothing or proper means of transportation. Many of the Mormons started out on the long journey on foot, dragging or pushing a handcart which contained all their earthly possessions, which of course included their clothing and means of sustenance. In one party in 1856, which was known as the "Handcart Brigade," there were more than 600 people, men, women and children, who started from Saint Joseph, Missouri, in the late summer months for Salt Lake City, and by the time they reached what is now Natrona county they were overtaken by the severe snow storms of early winter, and more than half of them died and were buried along the roadside.^

The Indians were responsible for a great many deaths among the emigrants. The lazy savages would go on the war path nearly every spring, leaving death and destruction in their path. Between the points where Casper is now located and the South Pass was the favorite "hunting ground" of the "noble red man." When there were no emigrants along the route to be robbed they attacked the mail coaches.

On account the Indian depredations along that part of the Trail then commonly called the North Platte and Sweetwater divisions, which included all that part of the route from what is now the extreme eastern part of Wyoming to South Pass, the Overland route was changed by the mail contractors in 1862, and the Trail up the North Platte river to the Sweetwater and across to South Pass was abandoned, and the new road switched off at North Platte, Nebraska, going in a southerly direction via Fort Sedgwick, Fort Collins, Fort Sanders, Fort Halleck, across the Laramie Plains, then due west through Bridger Pass, and again connected with the Oregon Trail at a point a few miles east from Fort Bridger.

When the change in this route was being made from the North Platte and Sweetwater course to the southern route, the rolling stock, horses and other property of the company was gathered at the station just above Devil's Gate. Company A, of the Eleventh Ohio cavalry, with Major O'Farrell in command, was the escort at the time. The first day the long train of coaches, wagons, horses and mules made eleven miles from the station where the property had been gathered. The route chosen was south from the Sweetwater station. In the evening a camp was selected where there was a fine spring of water and plenty of wood. Shortly after going into camp the officer in charge discovered that a number of the soldiers showed the effects of strong drink. The soldiers were doing escort duty for not only the stage company's property but a number of emigrants who had availed themselves of the opportunity for safe conduct. Orders were given to search all the wagons and if whiskey was found to destroy it. A barrel of whiskey was soon found in one of the wagons. It was rolled out, the head of the barrel was knocked in and the liquid was poured out on the ground. The spot where the whiskey was emptied was just above the spring, and what did not soak in the ground found its way to the spring. The soldiers and some of the others lost no time in rushing forward with cups, canteens, buckets, camp kettles and anything else that came handy to save what they could of the whiskey. Those who did not succeed in getting anything to scoop up the whiskey stamped their boot heels into the ground and caught the liquor in the hole, and lying down on their bellies drank what they could of it. It was not long until more than half the company commenced to show the effects of their overindulgence. One of the soldiers who had succeeded in filling his canteen as well as his stomach, assured the commanding officer that that was the finest spring he had ever seen and the best water he had ever drank. It was feared that the Indians would make an attack on the party that night, and there were scarcely enough sober men in camp to do guard duty. The Indians did not show up, however, and the next morning the men had slept off the effects of their intoxication. The gap in the mountains up to that time had not been named, and the soldiers, afterwards, in referring to it, called It Whiskey Gap, and the name has clung to it ever since, and more than likely will never be changed.

Although the mail route was changed, the old Trail was by no means abandoned, for the emigrants continued to travel this route and the telegraph line was maintained by the government, but the emigrants were not given as much protection by the government in this division as they were before the mail route was changed, and the marauding Indians became more reckless and bloodthirsty, and a great number of the emigrants were robbed and many of them were murdered. It was claimed that the Mormons were encouraging the Indians in their depredations.

On the 3rd of April, 1863, a band of Indians attacked the Sweetwater station, near Independence Rock, making a furious assault, but they were finally driven off after having dangerously wounded one soldier. There were twenty-six soldiers at the station at the time this attack took place. On April 13 Major Connor sent a telegram to General Halleck, saying: "Unless immediately reinforced with cavalry, the Indians, urged on by Mormons, will break up the Overland mail and make the emigrant road impassable," and on April 28, the general, who was then stationed at Fort Bridger, in writing to the Department of the Pacific, said: "The Indians are congregating in large force in the vicinity of the Mormon settlements, with a view of depredating on the Overland mail and emigrant routes, and are incited and encouraged in the hellish work by Brigham Young, by whose direction they are also supplied with food, and by hispeople with ammunition. , . . Brigham Young has complete control of the Indians of the territory and could, if he chose, prevent the horrors that will soon be enacted on the Overland route." Shortly after this letter was written Major Connor was reinforced with four companies, who had a number of sharp battles with the Indians with such telling effect that the mail route and the emigrants were disturbed but very little by the savages during the remainder of the summer months of that year.

The route up the North Platte and Sweetwater rivers was the pathway for the emigrants until 1869, when the Union Pacific railway, built through to the western coast, made the Trail no longer a practical one to the Oregon Country and California. From Independence to Vancouver over this route the distance was 2,020 miles, and it is said to have been the longest road in the world excepting the Siberian road in Russia. No engmeer ever placed his rod or transit on this trail; no grades were ever established on it; yet lacking all the modern methods of road construction, the Oregon Trail is said to have been not only the longest, but the finest highway in the world.

There were no signs along this route to warn the traveler of a dangerous curve or a perilous crossing, and none was needed. The deep tracks made by the wagons which were hauled and trailed by the horses and oxen were all the signs that were necessary. After branching off to the northwest forty-one miles from the startmg point, with almost two thousand miles ahead, there was a well-defined route, the entire distance of which was bordered with the skeletons of many of the beasts of burden which had fallen along the wayside, and there were also many, many little mounds with the crude headboard which told the piteous story of a father, mother or little child who was unable to endure the untold hardships and sufferings, and the wild winds of the plains chanted the funeral requiem over the lonely and deserted graves.

For many years, after railroads had been established to the Far West, and traveling across the plains in a covered wagon had been abandoned, the old Trail was neglected and the numerous graves were passed by unnoticed, but at the 1913 session of the Wyoming State legislature an appropriation was made and the Wyoming Oregon Trail Commission, consisting of three members, was established for the purpose of putting markers and monuments along the old Trail in this state, and every county in the state through which the Trail passed was provided with these markers which were located and set up by the board of county commissioners, and thus a grateful people who are now enjoying the blessings of our modern civilization have made the Old Trail imperishable and unforgotten.

Natrona county was furnished three of these markers, one of which was set up by the board of county commissioners and the members of the local D. A. R., on the old Trail about one and onehalf miles west from the city of Casper, on July 5, 1920, another was set up at Independence Rock on July 4, 1920, under the direction of the same bodies. Theother marker is lying besidetheold abandoned road about one-fourth of a mile west from the Standard Oil company's refineries, but will be set up on the site of old Fort Caspar.

The route of the old Trail through what is now Natrona county in the early '40's was on the north side of the river, but when the water in the river was low the emigrants came up on the south side of the stream to a point about three miles east from where the city of Casper is now situated. The Reshaw bridge was afterwards built at this ford. There was another ford about five miles farther west from the Reshaw bridge which was in 1847 called the Mormon Ferry, and afterwards known as the Platte Bridge station and later was named Fort Caspar. After crossing the river at either of these fords the emigrants proceeded in a westerly direction through Emigrant Gap, and on to Fish creek, down Fish creek to where it empties into Horse creek, thence to a point about one mile east from Independence Rock, where the Sweetwater river was crossed; up the Sweetwater past Devil's Gate and on to the west boundary of the Natrona county line. Although there is scarcely any trace of the old Trail on the south side of the river between the crossing three miles to the east of Casper and the one two miles west, due to the building of county roads on each side of the city, the evidence of this wonderful highway is plainly shown on the north side of the river from Casper, and through Emigrant Gap, across Fish creek, and in the Sweetwater valley the main traveled road in many places is in the course of the old Trail.

The Pioneer monument in the center of the small park directly north of the Chicago & Northwestern railway passenger station in the city of Casper is probably one of the most elaborate and expensive monuments along the old Trail. It was erected in February, 191 1, by the ladies of the Natrona County Pioneer association who for several years previous gave entertainments and dinners for the purpose of raising funds with which to purchase the monument, but it was late in 1910 before a sufficient amount of money was secured to insure the ordering of the memorial, which was to cost $1,500, exclusive of the charges that would have been made for the freight from Indiana or the cost of its erection, both of which were donated by the Northwestern Railway company. The inscription on the south side of the monument is as follows:

Association

By way of explanation it may be stated that while this monument is located on the Old Oregon Trail, the Trail was also on the north side of the river, the emigrants crossing on the Reshaw bridge, about three miles east from where Casper is now located. This bridge was used exclusively from 1855 until 1859, during the spring and early summer months when the water in the river was so high that the emigrants could not ford the stream. The Mormon Ferry, which received its name in 1847, when Brigham Young and his party built rafts and ferried their wagons and teams and their goods across the river, was at the point where the Platte bridge, about one and one-half miles west from Casper, was built in the fall and winter of 1858-9 and the Trail was then permanently established from Fort Laramie to this point on the south side of the river. This Trail on the south side was fully half a mile wide, but where the monument stands was no doubt somewhere near its center. Before the Reshaw bridge was built there was considerable travel on the north side of the river all the way up, especially when the water in the stream was high, and it was a difficult matter to ford across.

The date on the monument, 1849, would indicate that the Oregon Trail was established at that time. This is misleading. From 1840 to 1843 a decided flow of emigrants from the east traveled over the Oregon Trail from Independence, Missouri, to the Columbia river, and thus into the "Oregon Country." American settlers became so numerous in this part of the country that the United States actually laid claim to this region, and after quarreling over it several years, final settlement was made in 1846 between America and England, with definite boundaries between the United States and Canada. The Oregon territory was formed in 1848, therefore it is conclusive that the date on the monument is misleading.

Casper S Pioneer Monument 449

In connection with the inscription on this tablet it is to be regretted that another error has been made. According to the records of the War Department, "on July 29, 1858, Companies D and E, Fourth Artillery, Captain Joseph Roberts, Captain G. W. Getty, being a part of the second column of the Utah expedition, occupied this point [which was then known as Mormon Ferry] for the purpose of keeping open the communication with Salt Lake City, and to aid in the prompt forwarding of supplies." An order dated Washington, March 23, 1859, was given to "abandon the post at Platte Bridge." The troops were withdrawn on April 20. There was no more troops stationed at Mormon Ferry, or Platte Bridge, from April 20, 1859, until some time in the month of May, 1862, when it was occupied by volunteer troops who were serving as escort for emigrants and the protection of the telegraph line, and when it was decided, a year or two later, to chastise the Indians, the post was rebuilt to accommodate several companies, the logs being hauled down from Casper mountain, then known as the "Black Hills."

In regard to the changing of the name of the post from Platte Bridge Station to Fort Caspar the order from the War Department is copied elsewhere in this volume in the description of the battle at this point between 3,000 Indians and a small body of soldiers under the command of Lieutenant Caspar W. Collins on July 26, 1865.

Appropriate and impressive unveiling ceremonies of the monument were held November 20, 1914, under the auspices of the Natrona County Pioneer association and the local D. A. R. Prayer was offered by Rev. Hutt; the Natrona County High School Glee club sang "America," an address was made by ex-Governor Bryant B. Brooks and the monument was unveiled by Miss Irma Patton (now Mrs. Silas N. Brooks).

This monument is built from Indiana limestone and is about forty feet in height. The obelisk is in three sections and is twentysix feet in height from the base, the bottom of which is four feet square and tapers to two and one-half feet square within two feet of the top, where it terminates in a four-square point. There are three sections of the base, each of which is eighteen inches in height, the first being sixteen feet square, the second twelve feet square and the third eight feet square, there being a two-foot offset from each of the sections of the base. Wm. H. Lloyd, who cut the stone for Natrona county's court house, the Masonic Temple and a number of the other public buildings in Casper, cut the inscription on this monument for the Natrona County Pioneer association, and inserted the bronze tablet in the obelisk for the state of Wyoming.

Caspar creek, about one and one-half miles west from the city of Casper, is immediately east from the battle grounds where Lieutenant Caspar W. Collins and a small body of soldiers fought a band of about 3,000 Indians, in an unsuccessful attempt to rescue twenty-six men coming in a wagon train from the Sweetwater country, all of whom were massacred by the Indians. The soldiers, stationed at Platte Bridge station, after the battle, named the stream Caspar creek, and they also named the mountain about eight miles south, Caspar mountain. This mountain was at that time called the Black Hills. In the spelling of this creek and the mountain, an "a" should be used in the last syllable, but custom has changed the "a" to an "e," the same as the city of Casper is spelled. This creek empties into the Platte river about a mile above Casper.

Emigrant Gap, twelve miles west of Casper, on the north side of the North Platte river, is a break on the old Oregon Trail leading into a draw, at the bottom of which flows Poison Spider creek. The emigrants from 1840 to 1869, passed through this breach, it being one of the landmarks on the trail that could not be missed, and as many of the emigrants stopped in the draw for the night, it received its name Emigrant Gap. About eight miles farther along the old Trail, in a southwesterly direction, there is another "gap," on the north side of which is a stretch of rim rock several hundred yards in length and from ten to thirty feet in height, and it is evident that many of the emigrants made this a resting place, and to inform those who came along the route afterwards, among whom may be friends or acquaintances, that they had thus far escaped the fate of so many who had failed to undergo the hardships or the attack of a band of hostile Indians, and had fallen by the wayside, they carved their names on these rocks, which today are as plain as the day they were chiseled in the sandstone, and they will remain visible for centuries. Some of the names and dates thus chiseled on these rocks are: M. Alderson, Ju. 14, 1850. C. Webey, Winchester, III., July 19, 1850. B. Mendenhall, 1852. A. W. Wilson, 1859. T. Walker, 1852. W. Mercer, 1862. There are many others, and no doubt all the men who chiseled their names there have long ago been called to the land of their fathers, but the fact that they passed over the old Trail has thus been told and will be read by people who pass that way in centuries to follow.

Horse Creek Named 45I

Horse creek is a small stream flowing south and west for a number of miles and joining the Sweetwater river at the old townsite of Bothwell. It was named by the Astorians in about 1823 because along its banks the horses belonging to one of their parties were stolen. Although not convicted of the crime, a man named Rose was accused of planning the theft. Several years before the theft of the horses, Rose was a guide for the Hunt party on its trip across the mountains, but he was an outlaw and renegade and almost succeeded in betraying his expedition into the hands of the Crows, who were not friendly to the fur traders at that time. Rose finally joined the Crow tribe, married one of their women, and adopted their habits. He was a large man, very powerful and bold. He won the favor of the tribe by his desperate daring. At one time he led an attack against an apparently invincible band of Blackfeet. He shot down their leader and then taking his club, killed four others. This earned for him the leadership of the village and he was given the name of Che-ku-kaats, or "the man who killed five." In time the Indians grew jealous of their white idol, whom they began to consider an outsider and an intruder and some seceded from the village. Feuds and civil wars ensued. Rose finally grew tired of the contention between the rival bands and he left them to their own devices and went down the Missouri in 1823. Again he came back through the Green River valley as a guide for a company of trappers. They were under the leadership of Smith, Fitzpatrick, and Sublette. Again he was treacherous, and leading his party into the hands of the Crows, presented the Indians with much of the goods of the expedition. The horses belonging to this party were stolen on the banks of this small stream, which was named Horse creek at that time.

Independence Rock, the "Register of the Desert," is probably the most interesting landmark on the whole of the old Oregon Trail. It was at this spot the weary pilgrims, who traveled by slow-going teams from Independence, Missouri, to the Oregon Country from 1840 till 1869, stopped to rest and refresh themselves. It was here that they found pure, fresh water and an abundance of feed for their stock. It was here that they gathered about the campfires in the evening and sang the old-time songs while the young people danced in the moonlight on the well-beaten area. It was here that they cared for their sick and buried their dead.

This isolated mass of granite stands out on the desert plains at the foot of the Rocky mountain range in the Sweetwater country. When the emigrants reached here from Independence, the starting point on the old Oregon Trail, they had traveled 838 miles, and they considered that they had covered half their journey. The Rock is in Natrona county, 55.3 miles in a southwesterly direction from Casper. It is an immense block of granite resembling a large bowl turned bottom side up, but of irregular shape. The Sweetwater river flows along the southern base and, according to many writers and historians the old Oregon Trail was on the north and west sides of the Rock, where the county road is now located, and the old bridge was supposed to be just east of where the new county bridge was built in 1920. This was not the case, however. The old Oregon Trail crossed the river about a mile east of the Rock, where the Sweetwater stage station was located, and passed by the Rock on the south side of the river, and of course, south of the Rock.

From the very first the emigrants made Independence Rock their camping place and the custom of inscribing on it their names caused Father DeSmet to call it "the great register of the desert." The Indians in the early days came here to paint their picture writing on its smooth walls. It is said to have been named "Rock Independence" by a party of trappers who passed there early in the nineteenth century. It is known that Robert Stuart and his party passed by here in November, 181 2.

There is no record of the exact date of the first white men to pass this way, but Rev. Samuel Parker, who was there on the 7th of August, 1835, says, "this rock takes its name from the circumstance of a company of fur traders suspending their journey and here observing, in due form the anniversary of our national freedom." Capt. Bonneville was here on or about the 14th of July, 1832, but the exact date cannot be definitely stated. It must be judged, however, from his notes, that it was about this date, for he says: "On the 12th of July we abandoned the mainstreamof the Nebraska [now the Platte], which was continually shouldered by rugged promontories, and making a bend to the southwest for a couple of days, part of the time over the plains of loose sand, encamped on the 14th on the banks of the Sweetwater, a stream about twenty yards in breadth and four or five feet deep, flowing between low banks over a sandy soil, and forming one of the forks or upper branches of the Nebraska. Frequently the plains were studded with isolated blocks of rock, sometimes in the shape of a half globe, and from 300 to 400 feet high. These singular masses had occasionally a very imposing and even sublime appearance, rising from the midst of a savage and lonely landscape." Capt.

Bonneville was preceded by Nathaniel Wyeth, who was there during the month of May of the same year. Dr. Marcus Whitman and his bride, who were making their wedding tour as missionaries to the Indians on the Pacific coast, and Rev. H. H. Spalding and his young wife, were at the Rock in 1836. These were the first white women that crossed the Rocky mountains, and, of course, were the first white women to set foot on Independence Rock. The wagon in which they traveled is said by some writers to have been the first wheeled vehicle that crossed the continent, but this is a mistake, for Bonneville's party in 1832, "passed the crest of the Rocky mountains and felt some degree of exultation in being the first individuals that had crossed north of the settled provinces of Mexico, from the waters of the Atlantic to those of the Pacific with wagons."

Father DeSmet was here in 1840, and finding so many names chiseled on the hard granite, he named it the " Register of the Desert." He writes: " It is the first massive rock of that famous mountain chain which divides North America, and which travelers call the backbone of the universe. It is the great register of the desert; the names of all the travelers who have passed by are here to be read, written in coarse characters; mine figures among them as the first priest to visit this remote spot. We cut our names on the south side of the rock with the initials (I. H. S.), which we wish to see engraved everywhere."

John C. Fremont, with Kit Carson as his guide, was here on the 1st of August, 1842, but remained only a few hours. He continued his journey up the Sweetwater, crossed the Contmental Divide, camped on the west side of South Pass, and in due time approached the loftiest part of the Wind River chain, and on August 15, with great difficulty and danger, ascended the highest pinnacle of the range, named it "Fremont Peak," and after remaining on the summit of this peak for an hour, returned to his camp in the evening, and the next morning commenced to retrace his steps, and again arrived at Independence Rock on the evening of August 23. It was on this date that he chiseled his name, with the emblem of Christianity, on the Rock, regarding which he says:

"Here, not unmindful of the custom of the early travelers and explorers in our country, I engraved on the rock of the Far West the symbol of the Christian faith. Among the thickly inscribed names, I made on the hard granite the impression of a large cross, deeply engraved, which I covered with a black preparation of India rubber, well calculated to resist the influence of wind and rain. It stands amidst the names of many who have long since found their way to the grave, and for whom the huge rock is a giant gravestone."

There are some people who claim to have seen Fremont's name and the black cross, "the symbol of Christian faith" (which he engraved on the rock), but Coutant's "History of Wyoming" says that "on July 4, 1847, there was a grand celebration at this rock by more than a thousand people, who were on their way to Oregon and California. During the day the enthusiastic American citizens loaded old wagon hubs with powder, to which they fastened a fuse, and exploded them in the crevices of the rock. By this means a large piece of the granite, weighing many tons, was detached and turned over on the ground, and I have been of the opinion that the Fremont cross is on the detached piece of rock and was thus covered from view."

Fremont's name and the cross, which he chiseled on the rock, and is undoubtedly forever hidden from the eye of man, was destined to affect his political fortunes after he returned to the "states." He was a candidate for the presidency in 1856, being the first candidate the republican party had nominated for the nation's chief executive. He was bitterly opposed by the Know Nothing party, and as religious rancor was very strong in those days, his opponents charged that he was a member of the Roman Catholic church, and they offered as proof of their charge the inscription on Independence Rock, and in a campaign pamphlet entitled, "J. C. Fremont's Record Proof of His Romanism," it continued: "Imitating other Roman Catholic explorers, and those alone, in his expedition to the Rocky mountains in 1842, he made on the Rock Independence the sign of the cross, a thing that no Protestant explorer ever did or ever would do. See his own words in Congressional Document 166, of 1845." It was claimed that this Christian emblem was one of the factors that contributed toward his defeat, and this "Register of the Desert," 'way out on the plains, became an issue in national politics.

Dr. Grace Raymond Hebard, secretary of the Oregon Trail commission of Wyoming, made a visit to this rock in 191 5, and she observes that: "When the tide of emigration set in, the Rock, situated here midway of the route, became an important point on the Oregon Trail; like a beacon eagerly looked for by the mariner at sea, the landmark was hailed by the emigrant as it loomed beyond the billowing plain. In those days Independence Rock filled a large place in the minds of the thousands of men and women; today it is by most of us unknown. The records of the monument belong to the history of American travel; more than that, they belong to the history of the building of the republic. The records are fragmentary, found only as incidental notes in the chronicles of time."

their teams, "and each year thereafter," writes Ezra Meeker, "wagon teams passed over the whole route to the Oregon country in varying numbers, wearing the track deeper and deeper, until finally the greater exodus of 1852, when a column of 50,000 strong moved out from the Missouri river and lined the Trail with the dead, 5,000 or more in number for that one year alone. Meanwhile, the Mormon migration had followed in the track of the Oregon pioneers for fully a thousand miles. Fully 300,000 people crossed over what might be termed the 'eastern section' before the advent of the Pacific railroad in 1869, which diverted the later traffic, and the Trail again became a solitude." Another traveler, who stood on the Rock in 1852, for the "splendid view of the surrounding country," says, "one of the trains forms a line three-quarters of a mile in length; some of the teamsters ride upon the front of their wagons and some march beside their teams; scattered along the line companies of women are taking exercise on foot; they gather bouquets of rare and beautiful flowers that line the way; next come a band of horses; two or three men and boys follow them, the docile and sagacious animals scarce needing this attention, for they have learned to follow in the rear of the wagons, and know that at noon they will be allowed to graze and rest. Their knowledge of time seems as accurate as of the place they are to occupy in the line. Nothing of the moving panorama, smooth and orderly as it appears, has more attraction for the eye than the vast square column in which all colors are mingled, moving here slowly and there briskly, as impelled by horsemen riding fiercely in front and rear. But the picture in its grandeur, its wonderful mingling of colors and distinctness of detail, is forgotten in contemplation of the singular people who give it life and animation. No other race of men with the means at their command would undertake so great a journey; none save these could successfully perform it, with no previous preparation, relying only on the fertility of their own invention to devise the means to overcome each danger and difficulty as it arose. They have undertaken to perform with slow-moving oxen a journey of 2,000 miles. The way lies over trackless wastes, wide and deep rivers, rugged and lofty mountains, and is beset with hostile savages. Yet, whether it were a deep river with no tree on its banks, a rugged defile where even a loose horse could not pass, a hill too steep for him to climb, or a threatened attack of an enemy, they are always found ready and equal to the occasion and always conquerors. May we not call them men of destiny? They are people changed in no essential particulars from their ancestors, who have followed closely on the footsteps of the receding savage, from the Atlantic seaboard to the great valley of the Mississippi."

While in camp four days, on the route in 1852, Ezra Meeker says he saw go by them 1,600 wagons, with a company of 8,000 men, women and children, 10,000 draught animals and 30,000 loose stock, and he knew by the inscribed dates on Independence Rock that there were wagons fully 300 miles ahead of them, and that the throng had continued to pass the river more than a month after they had crossed, so that it does not require a stretch of the imagination to say that the column was 500 miles long, and like Sheridan's march to the sea, 50,000 strong.

"The spot will always be a place of pilgrimage for some, as it ought to be for many," says Dr. Hebard, "who hold in reverence the spirit of their pioneer forbears. For all of us it has been an abiding interest, not only as a landmark on a route of travel, but as a monument associated with a glorious epoch in our country's development - a reminder of the eventful years when an army of Americans, 300,000 strong, marched Westward Ho! to Oregon to make good the title of the United States to the Pacific territory, and to add to the national domain the country which was then Oregon and now is Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

"One cannot grasp or have an adequate conception of this Rock out on the desert, with names carved on it and no sign of life, until one has been there, walked around it, felt of it and traced with his fingers the names that were carved there more than three score years ago and then climbed to the top of it and obtained a sweep of the country along the line of the old Oregon Trail."

Emerson Hough, in his story, "The Covered Wagon," says: "At this point, more than eight hundred miles out from the Missouri, a custom of unknown age seemed to have decreed a pause. The great rock was an unmistakable landmark, and time out of mind had been a register of the wilderness. It carried hundreds of names, including every prominent one ever known in the days of the fur trade or the new day of the wagon trains. It became known as a resting place; indeed, many rested there forever, and never saw the soil of Oregon. Many an emigrant woman, sick well-nigh to death, held out so that she might be buried among the many other graves that clustered there. So, she felt, she had the final company of her kind. And those weak or faint of heart, the news that this was not half way across often smote with despair and death, and they, too, laid themselves down here by the road to Oregon. But there also were many scenes of cheer. By this time the new life of the trail had been taken on, rude and simple. Frolics were promised when the wagons should reach the Rock. Neighbors made reunions there. Weddings, as well as burials, were postponed till the train got to Independence Rock."

Masonic Meetings On Independence Rock 457

After climbing to the summit of this wonderful rock, which has a circumference of 4,656 feet, is 1,950 feet in length, 850 feet wide, 193 feet in height at the north end, 167 feet high at the south end, and covers an area of more than twenty-seven acres, you obtain a magnificent view of the country, a country unlike any other country in this wide, wide world; a country over which dwells the desert silence, not the silence of the peaks and mountains in the distance, nor the silence of the calm on the waters, but it is the silence of interstellar space. Your view covers a land of wide spaces, of simple, strongly marked features, of color and variety, which is clarified and all the more mysterious because it is so clear. It is beautiful with a beauty that no other land has known.

Two very important meetings have been held on the summit of Independence Rock by members of the Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons. The first meeting was an impromptu gathering which assembled during the early evening of July 4, 1862, and was attended by about twenty Masonic brethren who were in an emigrant train, traveling over the Oregon Trail on their way to the Oregon country. Mr. Asa L. Brown of Platteville, Wisconsin, acted as worshipful master at this meeting, and after the grand lodge of Masons of Wyoming was organized in 1874 he wrote a letter to the grand master, describing this meeting, as follows:

"On July 4, 1862, we had just concluded our arrangements for a celebration on the Rock, when Capt. Kennedy's train from Oskaloosa, la., came in, bringing the body of a man who had been accidentally shot and killed that morning. Of course, we all turned out to the burial, deferring our celebration until 4 p. m., at which time we were visited by one of those short, severe storms, peculiar to that locality, which, in the language of some of the boys, "busted the celebration." But some of us determined on having some sort of a celebration, as well as a remembrance of the day and place, and so about the time the sun set in the west, to close the day, about twenty who could vouch, and so to speak, intervouch for each other, wended their way to the summit of the rock, and soon discovered a recess, or rather depression, in the rock, the form and situation of which seemed prepared by nature for our special use.

"An altar of twelve stones was improvised, to which a more thoughtful, or patriotic, traveler added the thirteenth, emblematical of the original colonies, and being elected to the East by acclimation, I was duly installed, i.e., led to the granite seat. The several stations and places were filled, and the tyler, a venerable traveler, with flowing hair and beard of almost snowy whiteness, took his place without the western gate on a little pinnacle, which gave him a perfect command of view for the entire summit of the Rock, so he could easily guard against the approach of all, either ascending or descending. I then informally opened Independence Lodge, No. i, on the degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason, when several of the brethren made short, appropriate addresses, and our venerable tyler gave us reminiscences of his early Masonic history, extending from 1821 to 1862. Having gone up, provided with fluid extract of rye, 'sweetwater,' sugar and citric acid, the craft was called to labor from refreshment, a bucketful of which was prepared and Masonic and patriotic impromptu toasts and responses were indulged in, after which the craft resumed labor and the lodge was duly closed."

In a letter written several months later Mr. Brown stated to the grand master of Masons in Wyoming that he had secured the Bible which was used on the altar at this meeting, and he was sending it to him, together with the jewels worn by the officers and the emblems used on the Bible at that time, which he hoped would have "an abiding place" in the archives of the grand lodge of Wyoming.

In connection with this meeting, it may be stated that the jewels the officers wore were cut from tin cans, the square and compasses, as emblems of the fraternity, were cut from a pasteboard box, and the Holy Bible which rested on the altar was a volume of the "Old and New Testaments, Translated Out of the Original Tongues," it being published in the year 1857. The volume was presented by Mrs. Jannette Parkhurst and R. P. Parkhurst to Edwin Bruce and Edwin Bruce in turn presented it to Mr. Brown at Platteville, Wis., August 15, 1858.

The Masonic lodge at Rawlins had possession of the Bible, emblems and jewels for several years, but later they were taken to Cheyenne where they were kept in the Masonic Temple. The temple was burned and the emblems and jewels were consumed at that time. The Bible, however, was among the few articles that were carried from the burning building and it was picked up in the street and returned without being damaged. This Bible is now in the possession of Grand Secretary Joseph M. Lowndes of Casper, and no doubt always will remain the property of the Grand Masonic lodge of Wyoming, as was requested by Mr. Brown.

In commemoration of the meetmg above described another Masonic meeting was held on the Rock on July 4, 1920, by Casper Masonic lodge No. 15, in the same depression where the meeting was held fifty-two years before. The altar and stations of the officers were built from stones similar to those used by the brethren in the early days, and the same Bible that was used fifty-two years before was used on the altar at this meeting. There were more than 200 Master Masons in attendance, a majority of the lodges in the state being represented, and many of the states in the Union were also represented, and there were several members from Scotland, one from the Philippine Islands, and one from Alaska. A number of the officers of the grand lodge of Wyoming were also present. The following officers presided at this meeting: Worshipful Master, Charles H. Townsend; Senior Warden, Marion P. Wheeler; Junior Warden, Harold Banner; Senior Deacon, Wilson S. Kimball; Junior Deacon,

Masonic Meetings On Independence Rock 459

Peter C. Nicolaysen; Senior Steward, Bryant B. Brooks; Junior Steward, William O. Wilson; Tyler, Alfred J. Mokler; Treasurer, John T. Scott; Secretary, Elbert M. Hambright; Chaplain, Louis A. Reed; Orator, William A. Riner. After the lodge had been opened in due form and the special dispensation from the grand lodge had been read giving permission for the meeting to be held, short addresses were made by C. H. Townsend of Casper, A. K. Lee of Thermopolis, F- G. Burnett of Lander, Wm. Daley, of Rawlins, C. S. Bell of Billings, Montana; and A. J. Mokler of Casper gave a brief historical sketch of the meeting held in 1862, together with a description of the Rock and its importance as a resting place for the emigrants in the early days. The lodge was then closed in form and the members adjourned to the north end of the Rock where a granite marker for the old Oregon Trail was unveiled under the auspices of the Casper D. A. R. and the Oregon Trail commission of Wyoming, and a bronze tablet which had been imbedded in the rock by the Casper Masonic lodge was unveiled. There were about 500 people present, and William A. Riner of Cheyenne and Arthur K. Lee of Thermopolis made the principal addresses.

Since the Masonic order held its celebration on Independence Rock on July 4, 1920, and imbedded a bronze tablet in the granite mass, Henry D. Schoonmaker, a pioneer of Natrona county and at one time owner of the land surrounding the Rock, has placed a tablet alongside the Masonic tablet. This tablet measures 24 x 36 inches and bears these interesting historical facts:

Probably discovered by returning Astorians, 1812. Given its name by emigrants who celebrated Independence day here July 4, 1825. Captain Bonneville passed here with first wagons, 1832. Whitman and Spaulding, missionaries, with wives, stopped here, 1836. Father DeSmet saw it and owing to many names upon it called it the "Register of the Desert," 1840. Gen. John C. Fremont camped here with U. S. army, Aug. 2, 1842. Fifty thousand emigrants passed here in 1853. It is the most famous landmark on the

Old Oregon Trail

A great many gatherings of a public nature, Fourth of July celebrations and picnics have been held at this Rock since the flow of emigration ceased to pass that way, and it no doubt will always be a place where the people living in the vicinity will congregate for their celebrations, for in due time it is not unlikely that the state of Wyoming will purchase the land immediately surrounding it and have it set aside as a state park. A committee from the Casper Chamber of Commerce, consisting of R. H. Nichols, A. J. Mokler and W. W. Grieve were appointed to take up the matter of the state acquiring title to the land with the 1923 session of the state legislature.

Devil's Gate is sixty miles from Casper, in a southwesterly direction, on the old Oregon Trail. The Oregon Trail started at Independence, Missouri, and the Devil's Gate was 843 miles from the beginning of the Trail. This wonderful cleft in the solid granite is on the Sweetwater river, and is located about twenty miles above its junction with the North Platte river. It lies in townships 28 and 29 north, ranges 87 and 88 west of the sixth principal meridian. For several miles west of Devil's Gate the river flows in an easterly direction along the southern base of a high granite ridge. At the Devil's Gate the river turns abruptly to the north and passes the ridge through a narrow chasm of very bold and striking appearance. Neither the appearance of the gorge nor any other evidence indicates that the opening was cut out by erosion. It seems rather to be a cleft in the rock formed by some convulsion of nature. The breadth of the chasm at the bottom is only about thirty feet; its depth is 330 feet, and its width at this height is about 400 feet. To the east of the gorge the ridge falls away rapidly and at two points reaches an elevation of only 100 feet above the surface of the stream in the gorge. This canyon has always been a very noted natural feature of that section of the country and has been known since 181 2, when it was passed by the returning Astorians late in the fall of that year. Through the ridge just referred to lay the old Overland Trail to Oregon and California, and the proximity of the gorge to this great highway gave it unusual prominence in the history of the travel through the west. It early received the name of'Devil's Gate," which it retains to this day. The Sweetwater river, above this gorge, has a very gentle slope, only about six feet to the mile. The valley is broad.

Captain Hiram M. Chittenden with a corps of engineers spent a good portion of the summers of 1901-2 in this part of the country making an investigation for the purpose of constructing a dam in the gorge, and in his report to the Geological survey he says that "as a single proposition for the storage of water, it is almost unequaled anywhere in the west, and the dam is no less remarkable than the gorge itself."

The walls of the gorge are of gray granite, very hard and compact. There is a black streak of granite running from the bottom to the top of the south ridge which at first sight appears to be a roadway, and it will require close inspection to be convinced that it is but a freak of nature. The elevation of the surface is practically 6,000 feet above the sea.

"This remarkable feature," says Captain Chittenden, "is one of the most notable features of its kind in the world. The traveler who takes the trouble to leave the road for a mile or so and walk out to the summit of the Devil's Gate is rewarded with a prospect such as no other point on the Trail affords. Beneath him is the tremendous chasm through the solid granite, at the bottom of which courses the gentle Sweetwater. To the westward a magnificent valley spreads out before him as far as he can see, some ten or fifteen miles wide, a paradise in the early days for buffalo and other game. Through the beautiful valley the serpentine course of the stream is plainly visible from the silver sheen of its surface or from the ribbon of foliage which grows along its banks. Below the Gate a similar valley lies spread out for niany miles even to the mouth of the river. All over this region huge protuberances arise composed of detached masses of granite, the most interesting of which is Independence Rock. Lifting the eye above the surrounding plains it rests upon a cordon of mountains which completely encircles the beholder. To the northeast the Rattlesnake Hills, to the east the Casper range through which the North Platte flows; to the southeast the Seminoe and Ferris ranges; to the south and southwest the Green mountains; and finally to the west. Crooks' Peak, which closes the horizon in that direction. Near this peak is a little depression through which the returning Astorians made their way from the forbidding and desert tracts south of the mountains. One has only to behold the valley of the Sweetwater to understand with what delight these way-worn travelers rnust have welcomed this paradise of the mountains, filled as it was, when they saw it, with grazing herds of buffalo, and water and pasturage surpassing all their possible needs.

" From the Devil's Gate the Trail continued along the Sweetwater river nearly to its source. It crossed the stream several times and there came to be two or three different routes paralleling each other for considerable distances. It will not be of profit to record minutely these unimportant variations from the general line. About thirtysix miles west of the Devil's Gate the road passed through a canyon where it crossed the stream three times in a short distance. This place was called Three Crossmgs. In several places the road was forced out upon the hills and back from the river, sometimes on one side and sometimes on the other. The road was usually dusty, the small streams alkaline, and only the presence of the pure Sweetwater saved this portion of the Trail from being the most trying of any."

In 1903, the Reclamation service selected the Devil's Gate as the site for the Pathfinder dam, but later abandoned the project because the present site on the North Platte river was found to be more suitable for impounding the water.

In the early days the Indians would congregate at this passageway on the Trail and when a train of emigrants appeared who were not strong enough in numbers to resist them, they would rob them of their provisions and horses, and oftentimes kill the men and children and take the women to their camp and there cause them to suffer treatment worse than they accorded their squaws. When they tired of these "pale-faced squaws," as they were termed by the savages, they tortured and starved them until they died.

Alvin G. Cone of Waynetown, Indiana, who visited with his two daughters in Casper during the summer of 1921, passed over the Trail in June, 1863. "We camped at Devil's Gate, ' says Mr. Cone, "and four of us started to climb the north wall, and when about half way up there was a loud roaring coming out of a large hole between two huge boulders, which we took to be the roar of a lion. We were not long in getting down, and as we reached the base we noticed a grave with a wooden slab at the head, with this inscription:

"The girl at the time of her death was eighteen years of age. She, with four women, had cHmbed to the top of the ridge, and the girl told her companions that she was going to look over. They warned her not to try it, for she would fall if she did, but she went to the edge of the chasm, became dizzy and fell to the bottom. A company of soldiers was stationed near there at the time, and they cared for the grave as long as they remained."

The Sweetwater valley is one of the most picturesque spots in Natrona county. Coming into this valley from the southwest, through Whiskey Gap a wonderful panorama meets your eye. To the west are the Wind River mountains, mottled with snow; to the east is Devil's Gate, a rift in the mammoth rock, where the river countless ages ago burst through its barriers and sought freedom in the swelling plains that sweep unevenly to the east; to the southwest the Green mountains and to the north the Rattlesnake range. The Sweetwater river, like a great winding serpent, threads its way through the valley among the sagebrush and meadow lands. There are traditions as to how the Sweetwater was named, one of them being to the effect that a party of trappers were traveling along the stream, having with them a pack-mule loaded with sugar. While crossing the stream, the animal sHpped and fell and the sugar dissolved into the water, hence the name Sweetwater. Another is that in the spring of 1823 William H. Ashley of Saint Louis, who had entered into the fur trading business, came to the Rocky mountain region by the Platte river route. Coming up the stream a few miles west from where the Pathfinder dam is now located, he camped on the Sweetwater. This stream had not yet been named, but on account of the water being superior for drinking purposes, and the trappers claiming that it left a pleasant taste in their mouths, General Ashley accordingly named it Sweetwater. In either case the stream is appropriately named, for the water in this river carries no alkaline, which is prevalent in the streams in that part of the country.

A large company of Mormons who, in 1856, started from Saint Joseph, Missouri, to Salt Lake City, Utah, suffered hardships, misery, and death because they were unprepared to make the long journey. When they started for the "promised land," they had but a small supply of provisions and were scantily clothed. Some of those who had horses or oxen reached their destination with no more than the average hardships and numberof deaths, but there were over 600 poor, misguided souls who started on the fifteen-hundred-mile journey with hand-carts. The men, women, and children, with all they possessed in the world loaded in these hand-carts, would pull and push their carts up the hills and through the valleys, across the streams and over the sometimes hot sands and sometimes muddy gumbo roads, making a distance oftentimes of not more than five miles a day and never more than twelve miles.

They did not start to cross the plains until late in the summer, and the severe storms of winter overtook them about the time they reached the North Platte river in Central Wyoming. These poor sufferers were strung along the route in groups for a distance of about 100 miles.

Word reached Salt Lake City apprising Brigham Young of the condition of his people late in October, and at a conference, Mr. Young announced that "there are a number of people on the plains who have started to come to us in hand-carts; they will need help, and I want twenty teams to be ready in the morning, with two men to each team, to go out and meet them."

The twenty teams, with wagons loaded with provisions, started out from Salt Lake the next morning and among the men with the teams was Daniel W. Jones, the author of " Forty Years Among the Indians." His description of the terrible suffering and death, mingled with the heroism and folly of the people, is worthy of production in these pages, for the people in this age can hardly imagine that such misery could exist. He says:

"The weather soon became cold and stormy. We traveled hard, never taking time to stop for dinner. There was some expectation of meeting the first train on or about Green river. We began to feel great anxiety about the emigrants, as the weather was now cold and stormy, and we, strong men with good outfits, found the nights severe. What must be the condition of those we were to meet. Many old men and women, little children, mothers with nursing babes, crossing the plains, pulling hand-carts. Our hearts began to ache when we reached Green river and yet no word of them. Here an express was sent on ahead with a light wagon to meet and cheer the people up.

"At the South Pass we encountered a severe snow-storm. After crossing the divide we turned down into a sheltered place on the Sweetwater. While in camp and during the snowstorm two men were seen on horseback going west. They were hailed. On reaching us they proved to be Brothers Willie and J. B. Elder. They reported their company in a starving condition at their camp, then east of Rocky Ridge, and said our express had gone on to meet the other companies still in the rear. We started immediately through the storm to reach their camp. On arriving we found them in a condition that would stir the feelings of the hardest heart. They were in a poor place, the storm having caught them where fuel was scarce. They were out of provisions and really freezing and starving to death. The morning after our arrival nine were buried in one grave. We did all we could to relieve them. The boN's struck out on horseback and dragged up a lot of wood, provisions were distributed and all went to work to cheer the sufferers. Soon there was an improvement in camp, but many poor, faithful people had gone too far - had passed beyond the power to recruit. Our help came too late for some, and many died after our arrival.

"William Kimball with a few men and wagons turned back, taking the oversight of this company to help them in. Captain Grant left a wagonload of flour near the Pass with Redick AUred to guard it. There were several hundred people with Brother Willie. They had a few teams, but most of them had become too weak to be of much service. When we left Salt Lake it was understood that other teams would follow until all the help needed would be on the road.

" The greater portion of our company continued on towards Devil's Gate, traveling through snow all the way. When we arrived at Devil's Gate we found our express there awaiting us. No tidings as yet were received of the other companies. Having seen the sufi^erings of Brother Willie's company, we more fully realized the danger the others were in. The elders who had just returned from England having many dear friends with these companies, suffered great anxiety, some of them feeling more or less the responsibility resting upon them for allowing these people to start in such a condition across the plains. At first we were at a loss what to do, for we did not expect to have to go farther than Devil's Gate. We decided to make camp and send on an express to find where the people were. The first night after leaving Devil's Gate, our horses followed a band of buffalo several miles; it was near noon the next day when we found them. We determined to get even with them, so rode at full gallop wherever the road would permit. After riding about twelve miles we saw a white man's shoe track in the road. Brother Young called out, ' Here they are. ' We put our animals to their utmost speed and soon came in sight of the camp at Red Bluff.^ This was Brother Edward Martin's hand-cart company and Ben Horgett's wagon company. There was still another wagon company down near the Platte crossing.

" This company was in almost as bad a condition as the first one. They had nearly given up hope. They were about exhausted, and many of them worn out and sick. When we rode in, there was a general rush to shake hands. Many declared we were angels from heaven. I told them I thought we were better than angels for this occasion, as we were good, strong men, come to help them into the valley, and that our company, and wagons loaded with provisions, were not far away. I thought this the best consolation under the circumstances. The people were told to gather up and move on at once, as the only salvation was to travel a little every day. This was right, and no doubt saved many lives for we, among so many (some 1,200), could do but little, and there was danger before help could arrive unless the people made some headway toward the valley.

"After talking to and encouraging the people, they agreed to start the next morning. We then started at full gallop for John Hunt's camp, fifteen miles farther. On arriving no one noticed us or appeared to care who we were. Their tents were pitched in good shape, wood was plentiful, and no one seemed concerned. Joseph A. Young became offended, not expecting such a cool reception, and remarked,' Well, it appears we are not needed here.' So we went down into the bottom and made camp for ourselves. After a while some one sauntered down our way, thinking probably we were mountaineers. These recognized Brother Young and made a rush for the camp, giving the word; soon we were literally carried in and a special tent was pitched for our use. Everything was done to make amends for the previous neglect. About the time we were settled in our camp, Captain Hunt and Gilbert Van Schoonhoven, his assistant, arrived from the Platte bridge, also Captain Ben Horgett. They were rejoiced to meet us. These people were just on the eve of suffering, but as yet had not. Quite a number of their cattle had died during the snowstorm, which had now been on them for nine days.

"Next morning Brother Young and others went to Platte bridge, leaving Brother Garr and I to get the company started according to agreement made the evening before. There was a spirit of apathy among the people, and instead of going for their teams at once, several began to quarrel about who should go. This made us feel like leaving them to take care of themselves. We saddled up to do so. The clouds were gathering thickly for a storm, and just as we were about to start it commenced snowing very hard. The heavens were obscured by clouds, excepting a small place about the shape of the gable end of a house. This opening was in the direction of the valley and the sun seemed to shine through with great brightness. We mounted our mules; Brother Garr, pointing to the bright spot in the heavens, said: 'Do you see that hole? You had better get out of here before that closes up, for it is your opening to the valley. We are going.' The people, I believe, took this for a warning and soon started for their cattle.

"Next morning they moved on. Brother Garr and I went back to where E. Martin's camp had been. They had rolled out, and Captain Horgett's wagon company were just starting. We continued on, overtaking the hand-cart company ascending a long muddy hill. A condition of distress here met my eyes that I never saw before or since. The train was strung out for three or four miles. There were old men pulling and tugging their carts, sometimes loaded with a sick wife or children, women pulling along sick husbands; little children six to eight years old struggling through the mud and snow. As night came on the mud would freeze on their clothes and feet. There were two of us and hundreds needing help. What could we do? We gathered on to some of the most helpless with our riatas tied to the carts, and helped as many as we could into camp on Avenue hill. This was a bitter, cold night and we had no fuel except very small sagebrush. Several died that night. Next morning. Brother Young havmg come up, we three started for our camp near Devil's Gate. When we arrived all were rejoiced to get the news that we had found the emigrants. The following mornmg most of the company moved down, meeting the hand-cart company at Greasewood creek. Such assistance as we could give was rendered to all until they finally arrived at Devil's Gate fort, about the first of November. There were some 1,200 in all, about one-half with hand-carts and the other half with teams. _

"The winter storms had now set in in all their severity. The provisions we took amounted to almost nothing among so many people, many of them now on very short rations, some almost starving. Many were dying daily from exposure and want ot food. We were at a loss to know why others had not come on to our assistance.

"The company was composed of average emigrants; old, middle-aged and young women and children. The men seemed to be failing and dying faster than the women and children. The hand-cart company was moved over to a cove in the mountains for shelter and fuel; a distance of two miles from the fort.i The wagons were banked near the fort. It became impossible to travel farther without reconstruction or help. We did all we possibly could to help and cheer the people. All the people who could, crowded into the houses of the fort out of the cold and storm. One crowd cut away the walls of the house they were in for fuel, until half of the roof fell in; fortunately, they were all on the protected side and no one hurt. .

"Many suggestions were oflFered as to what should be done, some efforts being made to cache the imperishable goods and go on with the rest. Accordingly pits were dug, boxes opened and the hardware, etc., put in one, while clothing, etc., were put in another. Often these boxes belonged to different persons. An attempt was made to keep an account of these changes. This caching soon proved to be a failure, tor the pits would fill up with drifting snow as fast as the dirt was thrown out, so no caches were made. The goods were never replaced.

1 At this camp more than loo people died in the nine days they were camped there, and were buried in a trench. Some say that they died of cholera, but the cause of their death was exposure and the lack of clothing to keep them warm, and insufficient nourishment.

" Each evening the elders would meet in council. I remember hearing Charles Decker remark that he had crossed the plains over fifty times, carrying the mail, and this was the darkest hour he had ever seen. Cattle and horses were dying every day. What to do was all that could be talked about. Five or six days passed and nothing was determined upon. It was near the time appointed for the meetmg. As soon as we were together, Captain Grant asked if anyone had thought of a plan. It was suggested that the goods be left with some one to care for them, and the rest should move on. Captain Grant replied that there were no provisions to leave, and it would be asking too much of anyone to stay and starve for the sake of the goods and besides, who would stay if called upon. 1 answered, 'Any of us would.'

"These goods were the luggage of a season's emigration that these two wagon trains had contracted to freight, and it was being taken through as well as the luggage of the people present. Leaving these goods meant to abandon all that many poor families had upon earth. So it was different from common merchandise. The next morning store rooms in the fort were cleared and about 200 wagons run in and unloaded. No one was allowed to keep out anything but a change of clothing, some bedding and light cooking utensils. This unloading occupied three days. The hand-cart people were notified to abandon most of their carts. Teams were hitched up and the sick and feeble loaded in with such light weight as was allowed. All became common property. When everything was ready Brother Burton said to me, 'Now, Brother Jones, we want you to pick two men from the valley to stay with you. We have notified Captains Hunt and Horgett to detail seventeen men from their companies to stay with you. We will move on in the morning. Get your company together and such provisions as you can find in the hands of those who may have anything to spare. You know ours is about out. W'ill you do it?' I said, 'Yes.'

"There was not enough money on earth to have hired me to stay. I had left home for only a few days and was not prepared to remain so long away; but I remembered my assertion that any of us would stay if called upon. I could not back out, so I selected Thomas Alexander and Ben Hampton. That night we were all called together and organized as a branch. Dan W. Jones, Thomas Alexander and Ben Hampton were chosen to preside, with J. Laty as clerk. Captain Grant asked about our provisions. I told him they were scant, but as many were suffering and some dying, all we asked was an equal chance with the rest. He told us there would be a lot of worn out cattle left; to gather them up and try to save them. They consisted mostly of yearlings and two-year-old heifers, some were taken through.

"The storm had now ceased to rage, and great hopes were felt for a successful move. We were daily expecting more help and often wondered why it did not come. Next day all hands pulled out, most of them on foot.

"After getting my camp regulated a little and giving some instructions, I got on my horse and rode on to see how the train was moving along. AH were out of sight when I started. After traveling a few miles, I came up to a lady sitting alone on the side of the road, weeping bitterly. I noticed she was elegantly dressed and appeared strong and well. I asked her what was the matter. She sobbingly replied, 'This is too much for me. I have always had plenty, and have never known hardships; we had a good team and wagon; my husband, if let alone, could have taken me on in comfort. Now I am turned out to walk in this wind and snow. I am determined not to go on, but v?ill stay here and die. My husband has gone and left me, but I will not go another step.' The train was two or three miles ahead and moving on. I persuaded her after a while to go on with me.

"On calling the company together at the fort that night, I told them in plain words that if there was a man in camp who could not help eat the last poor animal left with us, hides and all, suffer all manner of privations, almost starve to death, that he could go on the next day and overtake the trains. No one wanted to go. All voted to take their chances. On taking stock of provisions, we found about twenty days' rations. No salt or bread excepting a few crackers. There was at least five months of winter before us and nothing much to eat but a few perishing cattle and what game we might chance to kill. The game was not very certain, as the severe storms had driven away everything. The first move was to fix up the fort.

" I followed the train this day to their second encampment and the next day traveled with them. There was much suffering, deaths occurring often. Eph Hanks arrived in camp from the valley and brought word that some of the teams that had reached South Pass and should have met us here, had turned back toward home and tried to persuade Redick Allred, who was left there with a load of flour, to go back with them. The men who did this might have felt justified, for they said it was no use going farther; that we had doubtless all perished. If this had not occurred it was the intention of Captain Grant to have sent some one down to us with a load of flour. As it was, by the time any was received, the people were in a starving condition, and could not spare it. From the third camp, where I saw the last of the brethren, an express was sent on to catch the returning supplies and continue on to the valley, giving word that the train was coming. After great suffering and much assistance the emigrants were finally landed in the valley. I left the company, feeling a little downcast, to return to Devil's Gate. It was pretty well understood that there would be no relief sent us. My hopes were that we could kill game. We had accepted the situation, and as far as Captain Grant was concerned he had done as much as he could for us. '1 here was more risk for those who went on than for us remaining.