Journal of a Mountain Man

by Win Blevins

Report further states that (that) Genl. Castro marche[d] his valerous troops to Capt Fremonts camp whare he found numerous pack saddles and various other Baggage and a considerable Quantity of Specie which capt Freemont had unavoidably left in his rapid retreat

  23 Another Frost

  Heard of a small party Leaving the south part of california For St. A.fee and (and) the United States by the way of Chiwauewa

  24 Still another Frost Active preperations making for the departure of a company or two who are going to Oregon with cattle and Horses this company will consist of 60 or 80 persons mostly of those that came in last season I do not recollect of having mentioned heretofore that the Emigration from the states [during 1845] cosisted of about 150 persons 30 or 40 of which are now going to columbia as oregon is here called—

  From The 24 untill the 31. Weather fair and cool some slight frosts occasionally Kept packing or rather making pack saddle and other preperations for my intended start for the U. States finaly lift on the 31 the head of Napa vally and proceeded down 18 miles to Mr Yount the vally is far from being dry but is passable—Mr yount is an american that has been in the mexican country for 13 or 14 years and has a Flouring and saw mill in opperation both of which are profitable and as far as I could learn this [is] the only Flouring mill in the province

  “workingmen…females and children

  all kept in a nearly naked state”

  1846 April the 1st Cool with a strong west wind and several light shower of rain

  Left Mr. Younts and proceeded down Nappa vally thorough several sloughs and mud holes passed a farm on our left belonging [to] Signor St Salvador Byaho [Vallejo] (discribe it)

  This Ranche of General Byahos contains 33 Leages of land equal to (14600) one hundred and Forty six Thousand acres and allthough he is the largest farmer in Callifornia yet a very small portion of this immence Tract is in cultivation perhaps not more than 4 or 500 acres all the rest being left for the pastureage of his stock haveing 12 to 15,000 head of neat cattle 7 or 8,000 head of Horses 2, or 3,000 head of sheep he has also 300 wrking men with their usual proportion of Females and children all Kept in a nearly naked state and pooly fed and never paid a cent for their labour

  (discribe the generals)

  St Salvadors farm as we rode past did not make a very flatering or Tasty appearance being scattered and strung some 4 or 5 miles in length and from 20 to 40 rods wide and whare fenced at all the fence was made of small willows stucke in the earth and wove back and forth into a frail open kind of wicker work the small perishable meterials Requiring to be renewed every season and this is a common discription of a california farm there being but few spots of land moist enough for cultivation Except along the meanders of som small streame

  (wild oats—

  This is the greatest oat field (in) perhaps on the globe containing tow or three hundred thousand acres of land and what is most remarkable scarcely a bunch of grass or a weed to be seen notwithstanding this immence Quantity of native grow[n] oats yet you never see a grain fed to an animal all is suffered to fall off when ripe to seed the earth for another crop or to feed the millions of water fowl that resort here in the winter or rainy season at this season it has a beautiful appearanc the earth being thickly clad in deep green foliage as regular as a well set meadow

  Napa Valley to Johnson’s Ranch

  2 clear and Quite cool Left the oat Field with its Beautiful smoothe green hills and plains and as we had no place to breakfast we rode to Mr Wolfscales for dinner in Eevening we arived at Mr Gordons whare I found six or Eight young men making preperations for their return to oregon with Horses and Cattle all being completely disgusted with California and Quite willing to return to whare the manners and customs of the inhabitants is more in unison with civilization than can be found in this half Barberous half Indian population which is seen in all parts of Spanish america

  3 Remaind withe Mr Gordon who is a verry friendly man and verry acomodating to his country men whare ever found—

  4 The night was clear with slight frost this morning From all that I can Learn I think that our company for the states will be small our Horses took a stampide or fright last night and cannot be seen in any direction this morning most of the men spoken of yestarday are of the party that came from Oregon last season with the Expectation of finding California little short of a Paradse but like most of the pleasure and fortune hunters find themselves awfully disapoiented and are willing to try the long and dangerous road back to Oregon—

  Found our Horses without much difficulty I Returned back to Mr Wolfscales for the purpose of drying some beif as Traveling stock

  5 Procured beef of Mr Wolfscale and commenced drying has fine young cattle and they are now fat and Excelent Beef Mr Wolfscale has (has) a Beautifull Ranche of Three Leages of land finely situated on a small River [Putah Creek] whare it bursts through a rough mountain an enters the greate sacramento plain But notwithstanding his fine place and rapid increasing stock his is far from being satisfied and is now making preperations to go to Oregon next season and take with him about 2,000 Head of neat Cattle and a beautifull herd of Horses

  6 nothing can look more beautifull than this country dose at this season of the year numerous kinds of small herbage being now full grown and som Quite ripe allthough the larger Kinds are now in full Bloom and miles of this greate plain is litterly a bed of Posies and prevailing species being deep Bright gold yellow so bright as to dazzel the eye sight under a clear sun for you see no clouds at this season of any consequence and now is the middle of a Californian Summer and would answer well for June in the middle states fall sown wheat now heading

  7 Clear and bright with a dew like rain finished makeing or drying meat and Returned to Mr. Gordns again the nights continue cool

  In fact this is a common trait of all the country lying near the pacific coast while the interior especially the low vallies are scorched with drough and night and day for 4 months at least every season and some seasons occasionally pass of without any rain such summers become so dry as for to distroy Quantities of stock and human lives likewise if they Exercise much during the day But at such times the inhabitants of the interior remove to the mountains

  Along the coast However no season passes without rain and every morning has its fog and every afternoon its sea Breeze a coat is comfortable every morning the year round and you find woolen clothing necessary during the whole day very frequently

  8 arived at Mr Gordons last Evening mad a tolerable show for rain and this morning still shews lowering But the time for much rain in this vally is now passed allthough rains are frequent yet on the coast and not unfrequent in the mountains

  9 a slight shower of rain fell last night the day clear and pleasant with a strong west wind

  10 another light shower of rain fell during the night with a strong cool wind from the N. our company slow collecting and I am waiting for some one to pass as I cannot drive my pack animals alone

  It is imposable to hurry any person in california whare time is no object and every man must have his own time to sleep and move about buissiness as though he was pained to move or even breathe

  11 and 12 Fine cool weather this is the common season for Planting corn Pumpkins beans and Mellons

  13 Packed up and lef Mr Gordons on our way to Suitors Fort on the same Trail that we passed last July vegitation now full grown and the mosketoes proved verry troublesome passed Mr Knights and continued down the sacreemento river along a (a) small horse Trail the only Traveled road that pases through or rather around thies bay of St Francisco

  A short distance above our camp apeared a large colony of Shaggs (a large black duck) whare they ware building and kept up a continual hoarse squaking all night while innumerable Quantities of Brant kept screeming in a large Flag march in an aposite direction assisted by the howling of wolves

  14 Extremely heavy dew

  Left our musical neighbours and proceeded down the Trail a couple of hours which [brought] us to Mr. [Thomas M.] Hardys. at
the Junction of the sacremento withe Feather Rivir the latter is one of the principle Tributaries of the sacrimento and is about 200 yards wide at its mouth here we crossed over our baggage in a small Canoe and swam our animal over the main stream being upwards of 400 yards over Mr Hardy gave us his assistance all being safely over we packed and proceeded up Feather about 7 mile and encamped the whole or nearly the whole of the country pased since yestarday noon is overflown in high water and is now well stocked with moketoes and water fowl The mountains ahead shew a long regular chain all white with snow about 30 or 40 miles distant

  15 Passed Mr Nichols [Nicholaus Altgeier] Early and got directions of a Dutchma[n] [probably Altgeier] how to steer our course to Johnstons & Kizers [William Johnson and Sebastian Keyser] whare those intending to go to the states are asembling traveled all day steadily over a dry arid plain the vegitation not exceding three inches high generaly composed of a small groth of weeds now in bloom and covering the earth in a yallow garment the whole distance we had to travel this morning being 15 mile we encamped in all Probability farther of[f] from our Place of distination than we ware in the morning theere being no such thing as even a path to follow and I advise all travelers hereafter to be carefull and allways take their own Ideas of the rout in preferance to follow the directions of a dutchman for he will confus all the small Ideas you ever had in place of giving you any new ones

  “Mr Hastings welcomed us”

  16 Left our lost camp and (and) changed our course in a contrary direction that is north Instead of south and in about 4 Hours steady traveling over the same dry hard soil we came in sigh[t] of civilization again if cattl Horses and Indians can be so called arived at Mr [Lansford W.] Hastings camp on Bear creek a small river Running into Feather River about noon Mr Hastings welcomed us to his cam[p] in a warm and Polite manner and we unpacked under the shade of a spreading oak tree—Mr Jonston who owns the Ranche is like all of his california neighbours 15 miles from the nighest inhabitant and not even a track leading to or from his place at this season of the year allthough in a dry time all the emigration from the states pass

  17 Purchased a beef and commenced Drying a portion for sea stock

  18 Continued in camp making preperations—The weather could not be finer not a cloud to be seen and the beautifull transparency of Heavens is finely accompanied by a cool northern Breeze

  19 Still Remain in camp makeing preperations

  20 Mr. [Owen] Sumner [Sr.] and his Family arived all prepared for their Journy Mr Sumner has been in Oregon from thence to California and still being dissatisfied is now returning to the states again after haveing [spent] nearly five years in Traveling from place to place as likewise a small fortune

  21 Cool and windy all the company that we expect are all assembled and consist of nineteen men three women and three children with a large herd of Horses and mules

  22 Still cool with a strong South wind verry disagreeable several light showers of rain fell but not enough to lay the dust 18 miles

  Across the Sierra

  23 Left our camp in the valle of Bear creek and commenced assending the mountains which approach to within a few miles of our camp our travel to day was over moderate hills cowered with dry shrubby oaks and pine timber withe various small open glades and small praries soil (hard whare dry) of a dark red clay mixed in gravel in the after noon we met two indians or rather came upon them who immediately rushed in to the rocks and thickest and immediately disappeared this is the general character of all the natives of the mountains allthough these natives are within a few miles of the greate plains and look down upon thair half civilized neighbours Below yet no inducement can be held out to induce them to come down

  24 a Keen white frost covering all the vegitation made an early move and traviled over a rough uneven range of hills untill late in the afternoon had several views of the snow caped. mountain still Keeping an east course paralel with Bear creek came to deep ravine all most perpendicular over which upwards of 50 wagons had passed last autumn with a greate deal of labour and difficulty came to spots of new fallen snow desended into the Kenyon of Bear creek the snow becomeing more plenty as we passed up this narrow rocky passage the stream roaring and pitching over it[s] narrow rocky bed

  at dusk we came to a small vally surrounded by high rugged mountains mostly covered with snow which to all appearance had lain on the earth since last december made 27 mile and encamped on a small noll which was bear of snow

  25 Spent a cold uncomfortable night for shortly after dark the wind arose and bleww a strong gale all night from the snow capt. mountains which stand in cold and awfull grandure a few miles to the East we ware out Early Examining the vally to see whar our anemall can procure the best grazing moved up the narrow vally about a mile pitched our tents to await the arival of some of our company that is yet behind allthough the night produced ice strong enough to bear a man and the snow reaches down into the vally itself yet the young grass is up in spots sufficient to make tolerable grazeing here we expect to remain several days before we attact the region of all most Eternal snow and ice which is not more than one mile ahead

  26 Remain in camp this is warm and quite comfortable considering our greate elevation and the Quantity of snow that surrounds us Nothing can be more tedious and disagreeable than waiting for dangerous a Journy as that in which we have now embarked our party consisting of six men only we considered our selves two weak to venture to drive our way through and it apears Quite uncertain when the rear of our company will Join us so that we remain here in continual anxiou suspence without any object to relieve anxiety the only animals seen in this vally is a pair of small Prairie wolves which anoy us by eating off the raw hide tugs which we have to tie up our animals and allthough the wolves are scarcely ever out of sight yet they are so watchfull that we cannot come in gunshot of them

  27 Still remain in camp waiting for more company stiff Frost every night in region of snow and Ice

  Walked out to the N. E. of the vally on the point of a Ledge of rock here you have a view or touch of the sublime awfull the first thing that attracts your notice is a high rough ridge of snow capd. mountains proceede a little further the ridge desends in front into an impassable cliff of Black rocks divested of any Kind of covering still further and (and) you behold a river dashing through an awfull chasm of rocks several thousand feet below you your head becomes dizzy and you may change the [view] to [the] right here at the distance you have ridges of snow and ridges of pine timber to the Left you have a distant view of the eternal cliffs of black volcanic rocks that bound the river Eubor

  28 Still Remain in camp allthough all the company that we had Eexpected arived yestarday Evening and it is thought by those best acquainted [with] this rout that it will be impracticable to cross the mountains at this time several of us are However verry anxious to try and asertain that fact several large grey Bear ware seen this morning 25 [miles]

  “not a spear of grass

  for our poor animal”

  29 Left our camp on bear Creek immediately assended a steep mountain to the south side of the vally and in about one hours ride came to the snow turned and wound around the south side [of] a mountain to avoid the deep drifts of snow that completely filled the small vallies about noon came to the Euba [Yuba] river running N. W. Kept up the stream several miles when we found the snow so deep on the W. side that we could not travel crossed over to the E side of the stream and Kept up near a rough granite mountain through immence drifts of snow and water the day being Quite warm the ravine neare flooded withe water and deep in snow the whole of the way for road we had none at all is covered thickly with a large grothe of pine and Firr a short time before sundown we came to a halt on the steep rough side of a point of rocks whare we found bear ground Enough to bearly camp on and not a spear of grass for our poor animal which had traveled all day in snow and mud so we tied them up immediately after unpacking the Euba roring through its snowy bed.

  30 Early under way in hope that the snow would bea
r us to travel over the crust but as it did not [freeze] much during the night we found our progress but slow all the ravines running full of water under the snow our pack horses ware continually stuck fast and Floundering in the snow to avoid this we assended a steep rocky mountain to the north of our rout but on ariving near the top we found the snow much deeper and (and) as it had not been much thawed during the day privious it would not carry us atall however after an hours plunging and several times repacking we at length desended again to an open Prarie vally that [lies] at the immediate head of Euba and about noon came to an Entire halt for the rest of the day haveing made 3 miles

  “we felt a happy relief

  May the First 1846

  Got under way early the [snow] was hard Enough to bear up handsomely some 2 miles when we arived at the summit of the mountain (the snow being from 3 to 8 feet deep) here we commenced the desent over steep Pricipices rough granite Rock covered in many places through the chasms with snow 15 or 20 feet deep and luckily for us we lost no horses allthough we had to force them down several perpendicular cliffs afer about 3 hours unpacking and repacking we succeeded in clearing the steepest pitches of the whole length of which is not one mile you may imagine that we felt a happy relief to find ourselves on bear ground onc more which we found at the head of truckys [Donner] lake a small sheet of water about two miles in length and half a mile wide the N hill sides being intirely clear of snow but verry little green vegitation made six miles and encamped at the foot of the Lake

  2 Proceeded down the vally of Truckees. River through open pine woods and here we first saw the plains covered with wild sage the chain of mountains we have Just past is the same called the cascade chain in Oregon and is generally covered with several kinds of Pine Firr and other evergreen timber. and here I found out that I had the misfortune to loose my gunlock some whare in the Everlasting snows that we had Just pased. we made a short days travel and encamped on Johns creek [named for John Greenwood; now Prosser Creek] to recriut our half starved animals who had been three days and two nights without a mouthfull of forrage haveing traveled not more than 6 miles this camp is in a large cove in the mountains which are all covered whit in snow now melting rapidly on the lower ranges or hill the vally [Martis Valley] however is barren and no signs of game is to be seen a few naked natives ware seen to day