Journal of a Mountain Man

by Win Blevins

  20 A fine fair morning rolled out along a ridge Northwardly on account of the back water from the Kanzas made 5 miles and halted to look for a passage over the Black vermillion Several returned after some hours of fruitless search the Teamsters becoming tired of waiting took a S.W. Ridge made about 5 miles & encamped a good ford having been discovered on the best course we returned to camp the day haveing been clear & bright the highlands are becoming firm.

  21 Some for Rafting near the mouth of the creek some for returning to the ford discovered and some for hunting another ford after about 4 hours search another ford was discovered and we rolled out to it Distant 3 miles and immediate set to work to prepare the banks (which are verry steep and muddy) for crossing in about 2 hours we commenced crossing & more than half the teams passed over the river Jordan (or vermillion as it is called) and if Jordan more black & muddy than this stream it would hardly run, observed several marien shells in flint rock and some pieces of pettrified wood (a fine clear day)

  “go it Clay”

  22 A clear night & a fine Beautifull morning yestardy Mr. Robinson Mr Morin & Mr [Isaac W. ] Alderman Returned withour Sloten [stolen] animals which ware taken on the First of this month after Swimming Sawping and wadeing and enduring inumerable hardships almost Beyond discription we once more gladly hailed our messmates to camp They Likewise brot us some news From civilization The streams South and east being all overflown ennumerable damage Sweeping Fences Houses Barns & in fine distroying all kinds of Property on the intervales so far as heard from And Likewise information from the Political world As it appears there to there has been a great Troubling & Striving of the eliments the mountain having at last brot forth J. K. Polk Capt Tyler & the invincible Henry Clay as candidates for the Presidency. go it Clay. Just whigs enough in camp to take the curse off, made 14 miles along a narrow Prairie ridge and found fine water in a little grove of Elms

  23 Sunday

  a Fine clear morning noticed a great many granite Boulders some of a Fine vermilion Tint verry compact & handsome scattered on a limestone Strata At 10 A.M. Struck the Oregon trace on Cannon Ball Creek greate Joy at finding the trail and a good ford Crossed over without delay or diffculty except the breaking of an axeltree whiich was repaired in ½ an hour made 12 miles and encamped on a small Brook with a Plentifull scarcity of wood (made 12 miles) the country verry uneven and broken in an immence number and veriety of conicle noils all Beautyfully covered and clothed in grass But we found the ravine soft and deep & many Teams doubled over

  24 Rolled out at sun rise and at 11 reached Burr oak creek a deep dirty stream about 10 rods wide all the Banks and bottoms having Been overflown found the date of Mr Gillhams [Cornelius Gilliam] company having crossed 4 days previous crossed over in 2 hours although we had to let down our wagons down a steep Slipery bank by hand to day struck our old trail made on our return from the mountains in 1827 when I had the honorable post of being pilot Some points look quite familiar allthough I never passed but once & that time nearly 17 years ago our evening camp in particular game is verry scarce but one deer having been killed made 14 mils

  25th A thunder shower came on early & continued at entervals all night found Middle camp creek overflown and it still raining. Rolled out at 1 oclock through the rain & went up the creek 2 or 3 miles to a shallow ford crossed over with out difficulty made 5 miles by the old trace & encamped on the Smoky fork or Blue fork (of Kanzas) [Big Blue River] found two canoes left by those ahead

  26 a dull Cloudy morning rolled up to the place of embarcation this stream is about 80 yards wide and has fine intervale and prairie lands based on a fine white Limestone but timber is rather scarce Here we had an awfull time in crossing our Stock the Bottoms and [word omitted] being so soft from the over flowings of watter that we had to Litterly drag our animals several rods to swiming water and again from it and in all probabillity the everlasting hill never since the deluge experianaced such a superabundance of moisture particularly the immediate countery through which we have to pass got more than half our wagons over & cattle enough to drag our wagon to dry land about ½ mile distant by hitching all to one wagon at a time

  27 a thick foggy morning it rained yestarday which is so common that I neglected to mention it got all our camp over before night Mr [Andrew] Sublett & party arived on the oposite side Mr. Sublett party consists of 20 men 11 of whoom are Sick and traveling for health one of which died and was Buried this morning about 15 miles East of this Poor fellow Marshall by name his fair companion accompanied him from St Louis and tenderly watched over him to Indipendence whare thy seperated Kind companion her worst fears are realized her Husbands bones rest Quietly forever on the bluffs of oak creek whare no noise disturbes his rest but the carrol of summer wild birds and the nightly howl of the lonely wolf the day proved to be one unusualy fine

  “Our Pilot Mr. Harriss. 22 years experianc…

  is perfectly useless in this age of improvement.”

  28th Left our encampment early which was in several respects the finest we have made consisting of a nice little little grove of Hackbery & elm timber a beautifull Spring of cool clear water runing past well stored with goosberry shrubbery some of which we had for coffe Tea I cannot call it as we had none the rest was covered with an uneven ridge of Limestone rock on the east runs Blue river meandring throug a grove of Hickory walnut oak and cottonwood timber capd with fine conical green noils and ridges to South lies the wally of Blue revir a fine prairie soile & handsom little Brooks passing through our rout to day lay north westwardly ovie rathe uneven Prairie ridge Beetwen the main Blue & the wesst fork of the sane made 16 miles & encamped on the east of the ridge

  29 A Strong South wind all night with thunder Showers passing for once they mised us weather very warm & the road soft & heavy but fine Black rich soil Tried to Stand guard last night a good deal of grumbling & discontent amongst those that have horses & those that have none some not even wanting a camp guard our pilot Mr [Moses “Black”] Harris. 22 years experianc and advice is perfectly useless in this age of improvement when human intelect not only strides but actually Jumps & flies into conclusions Traveled 16 miles over uneven prairie & circuitous crooked road Some miles migt be saved and a better track by following the main ridge 3 or 4 miles South of the wagon trail corssed rock Creek late and encamped on the W. side [of] it a rapid shower of rain fell in the afternoon & 4 or 5 Teams came up so late as not to cross the creek raised and at dark was swiming another heavy shower fell at day light

  (Sunday

  30th The creek still rising and verry rapid this creek is branch of Little Blue or west fork of Blue river & affords some usefull Timber fine grass & good soil a verry warm day almost to suffication The trace we have been traveling follows neare the dividing ridge between the main Blue & the west fork and is the higest land in the country one or two teams that had been 2 days behind came up to day Laid still to day to await the falling of the creek that all the teams might get to gather our camp is on rather a sandy soil the first we have seen on upland since we passed the waukarusha

  Notes on Chapter Six:

  Some of the place names Clyman uses might have been confusing even to readers of his own day, and not simply because of his spelling. Shunganunga Creek was evidently named for a Kaw Indian, Shonga-Tonga (Big Horse); Waukarusha (Black Bear Hill) was the Kaw name for the wooded hill now called Blue Mound. A contemporary map excellent for tracing Clyman’s journey and others of the era is reproduced in Dale Morgan’s Overland Diary of James A. Pritchard, 1849 (Denver: Rosenstock, 1959.) This work, which Camp calls “superbly edited,” contains information on the trail, its landmarks and history.

  Writing to Col. Elisha Starr, editor of the Milwaukee Sentinel on May 30,1844, Clyman gave a bit more coherent detail on the unusual flooding the train faced. The train, Clyman said, numbered about 100 wagons, and from 500 to 700 people. At the time he wrote to Starr, the crossing of the Kansas River had begun, and the entire train was not expected to be collected again for eight or
ten days.

  “The traveling,” said Clyman, “has been the worst possible…at all prairie encampments, without wood and wallowing in mud, swimming creeks and rivers. But all, thus far, have got along well, and without serious loss or accident. The ladies in particular have evinced an uncommon degree of fortitude and resignation under all hardships and privations incident to traveling in mud and water.” Though he apparently did without the close companionship of a woman for some time, he did notice them, especially when they demonstrated fortitude.

  Clyman was apparently serving as clerk of a segment of the train, and lists those in his mess at the end of this journal. Camp’s footnotes give various identifications for the list of men, since not all have been identified by historians.

  Moses Harris was an old mountain man hired to guide emigrants in the 1844 migration. He spent the next five years pioneering new emigrant routes across the Cascade Range and into California and northern Nevada. Harris was famous for his love of a good joke or tall tale; he is credited with spreading the story of the “putrified” forest in its various forms. He was also known for his solitary travels carrying messages for the fur trade from the western side of the Rockies to Fort Laramie. DeVoto calls him “a specialist in solitary travel”; his habit was to ride all night and hide during the day, carrying dried meat to avoid making fires.

  He was probably with the Ashley-Henry party of 1822, and may have been in the mountains even earlier, if we can believe Beckwourth on this point. William Sublette chose him as sole companion on their trip out of the mountains in January, 1827, when the two were reduced by starvation to eating their pack dog. In 1829–30, the two repeated the journey, taking along “a train of pack dogs”; some early travelers were astonished at how excellent young dog tasted, so perhaps the pack train was along as emergency provisions, as well as carriers.

  Ruxton mentions a dog feast in a camp of French Canadian and Creole trappers and Indians on Horse Creek. “A coyote, attracted by the scent of blood, drew near, unwitting of the canine feast in progress, and was likewise soon made dog of, and thrust into the boiling kettle with the rest.” He was pronounced fully as savoury as the canine ingredients.

  By 1840, when the trapping business was in decline, Harris was one of the best known trappers, and easily turned to guiding emigrant trains. He stayed three years in Oregon, exploring and helping to build roads, and was active after that in various guide jobs.

  Harris died of cholera in Independence, Missouri, in 1849 during a plague of the disease that claimed large numbers of emigrants in the camps along the trail.

  Clyman’s verse on Harris is a fitting memorial:

  Here lies the bones of old Black Harris

  who often traveled beyond the far west

  and for the freedom of Equal rights

  He crossed the snowy mountin Hights

  was free and easy kind of sou

  Especially with a Belly full

  Chapter 7

  Notebook Two—Little Blue River to Red Buttes near the Mouth of the Sweetwater

  [July 1 to August 14, 1844]

  Oregon Emegrants Camp

  Rock creek July the 1st 1844

  The above named rock creek seems to be almost arbitrary there being but one rock seen & that one a loose boulder but Lying right in the middle of the ford the sun rose nearly clear while the grumbling thunder was heard to the South the road very heavy and several wagons stuck in the low grounds & raviens small groves of Timber seen either to the right or left some sand Shews itself in the trail to day which is hailed with delight as being our Saviour from mud in which we have ate drank Traveled slept and breathed continually ever since we left the settlements & about 2 weeks previous made 13 miles & encamped on dry sandy ridge near Cotton creek which runs S. Westwardly into the west fork or little blue

  2 A thick foggy morning walked about ½ a mile back on the trail to see a mountain of Petrifactions this mound is 150 or 200 feet above the level of the small streams passing to the south of it & is formed [of] grey lime rock near the top which rock is intirely composed of shells & other manrine matter greate portions of it is broken up verry fine near the surface every fragment of which shews a shell of various sicess [sizes] and shapes & at least a dozen differant kinds another Shower of rain fell this morning rode out saw deep ravine washed out of marly lime stone about 8 feet deep which was intirely composed of Shells in a solid compact form remained in camp to day on account of high water the afternoon clear & fine

  3 Foggy cool with an East wind Cottonwood creek fell four or five feet Last night many of the small Brooks in the Neighbourhood completely choked up with slides of earth froom the contiguious Bluff the Bluffs & banks formed of round was[h]ed gravel & Shell rock Based on a strong clay bed 10 A.M. a Shower of rain Turned out to Bridg the creek but returned to await its falling Mr. Subletts again came up having buried one more of his invalids Mr. Kechup by name three days since at his camp called by him Ketchums grave 10 miles West of Blue river Mr Ketchum was [a] yong man his Brother came with him and attended him to his grave in this greate wilderness of Prairie which streches in all most all directions beyond the field of vision

  4th of July the sun rose in pale misty magesty and was salutd by Several guns forom thoes owt on the morning watch Soon after the Stars & Stripes floted in the Breeze the american Jubilee was but little further noticed than that the star Spangled Banner floated from Esqr Rolands waggon throughout the day crossed cotton wood and left Fossil Bluffs with all their once numerious animated family and made 12 miles crossed Sandy a Broad Shallow Stream with sand barrs and Isleands running nearly S. W. into west fork or little Blue our rout to day was near the ridge dividing Cottonwood and West fork and was dryer and firmer than any 12 miles previously traveled over allthoug the rains have been frequent and rapid

  “the Musketoes troublesome”

  5th A verry warm Night & a wam morning the Musketoes troublesome Several persons compaining of the Rhumatism & Dyentery it thundred and Lightned all night allthough it did not rain made 14 miles over uneven Prairie crossed 4 shallwo sandy Brooks all Tributory of west fork & encamped on the last mentioned stream which stream is about 40 yards wide and runs rapidly over a Sandy bed course From N W. to S E. large intervales as much as 3 miles wide no timber except cottonwood and willows The wind from the S & air extremely warm at about 5 P.M. the wind suddenly shifted to the N & it insantly became cooll enough to want our coats saw severall antelop to day & for the first [time] & some of the men killed one of them

  6th A fine cool morning the wind from North for the first time since we left the Settlement a cool N.E. wind all day made 17 miles up the W. Fork mostly on the interval encamped on a low bottom a Tremendious thunder shower came up before sundown which lasted untill 9 oclock two or 3 dozen of fine catfish was caught & in fact all the tributaries of the Kanzas seem well stored with that Species of fish and have been easily taken when ever the water has been low enough to permit us to approach the main Banks of the streams which however has been seldom Mr Subletts party passed us to day and we are now in the rear of all the different parties traveling over the western praries passed some fine Bottom lands to day but little timber and that not valuable the wolves howled vehemently around us last night

  7th Sunday the creek bank full this morning wind N.E. a thick drizzely morning the road laid out from the creek at the heads of the ravines about 12 The sun broke through the misty clouds & we stoped to water & graze on the reshes which have been plenty in patches for several days horses & cattle feed on them voraciously 2 miles Brot us up to Mr Sublett party of invalids whane they had Just finished intering Mr Browning who left this troublesome world last night at 11 oClock the season has been the worst posible for Sick persons generally allthough the 3 or 4 consumptives travelling with us are mending slowly made 16 miles to day the afternoon near the crek which has diminished since we first came on its banks saw some Beaver cutting for the first observed the earth is becoming much firmer notwithstanding the rai
ns.

  8th Another Foggy morning we are beginning to camp in Tolerable order running the wagons on a level piece of ground and forming a Square round or oblong Krale the tents Pitched on the outside the fires still on the ouside of the tents and the guard outside of all the horses & other valuables in the Koral a little afternoon passed the great Pawnee Lodge trail leading South came near Splitting camp there being Several trails and as many nominal pilots but all but one wagon came up to camp in the evening the Bluffs and ravines shew a great flood at some time more vilent than any I ever observed in the states made 18 miles and encamped on a brook Tribitory to the West fork nothing but willows for fire wood But we are told that we need not expect any better verry soon our course to day South of West

  9 It thundred & Ligtned all night & Several Showers of rain fell during the night the morning fair several patches of Short Buffaloe grass made its appearance about our camp made 10 miles N.W. over deep cut ravines in a loose soft clay intermixed with fine sand encamped on the bluffs of a small Brook Lying deep below the surounding level of the country wood and water scarce & difficult to approach Several Teams remained at last encampment to await the appearance of a young emigrant who came on & overtook us at 5 oclock P.M. in riding this forenoon a Short distance south of the trail we fell in a deep vally amid the bare clay Bluffs which realized allmost all the fabled scent of the much Fabled Spice groves [of] arabia or India for more than 2 miles the odours of the wild rose & many other oderiferous herbs scented the whole atmosphere But the groves ware wanting nothing but gnarled cotton woods ware seen

  10 A Light Shower of rain fell about Sun rise roled out across the devide between the head of Kanzas & the great Platt and from the eye I should Judge that the main platte is as high or higher than the Kanzas near our last nights encampment a narrow row of low sand hills running paralel with and not more than 6 or 8 miles from the platte being the only deviding ridge. all the water South of the sand hills runing into the Kanzas and none at all runnin into the platte this last named stream being the most mudy & in fact a grate deal more muddy than the Missourie itself the father of mud made 17 miles & encamped on the Platt near the middle of the grand Isleand the country as far as the eye can reach is as level as a pond except the low sand hills before mentioned