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About Roseburg news-review. (Roseburg, Or.) 1920-1948 | View Entire Issue (June 13, 1936)
Tl C D.f W fk.w. Forty-Niners Needed Old California Trail Leading West Out ""SNE SHARP'S rifle, a hundred cartridges, and two pairs of thick drawers." These pertinent articles head the list of what the trav eller should wear and bear on the California trail heading west in 18-19. A San Diego newspaper thoughtfully made out the complete wardrobe necessary for those who undertook the month-long journey from Texas to California. It was: "One Sharp's rifle, a hun dred cartridges; a Colt's navy revolver and two pounds of balls, a knife, a sheath, a pair of thick boots and woolen pants; half dozen pairs of thick woolen socks; six undershirts; a wide awake hat; a cheap sack coat; a soldier's over coat; one pair of blankets in summer; two pairs in winter; a piece of Indian rubber for the blan kets; a pair ot gauntlets; a small bag of needles, pins, a sponge, hair brush, comb, soap, etc., in an oiled silk bag; three or four towels and two pairs of thick drawers," The California Trail, established by Captain E. B, Marcy in 1849, was also known as Marcy'i Keturn Route. It was for almost a decade ;he only route to California out of Te:;as, and had its own extensive immigrant travel. Along its way many will travel to Texas tlra year as the Lone Star State celebrates its 100th Anniver sary with the Texas Centennial Exposition aJ Dallas. This old immigrant route crossed the Red River at Old Preston in Grayson County, r.wung south into Cooke County and passed through Gainesville, where in the year of 1936 the prin cipal street of this thriving town is still called California Street from the days of the early overland trail. The road then ran through Montague County, through Clay and Young Counties and passed old Fort Belknap. It also swung by Camp Cooper and the Comanche Indian Reservation located in what is now Throckmorton County; from Throckmorton it ran through Haskell and Jones Counties and took a southwesterly course toward El Paso, passing Fort Phantom Hill and Fort Chadbourne. $ TRACES of the old trail still can be found, although almost a century has passed since the great coaches drawn by four horses thun dered through the Guadalupe Mountains and headed toward the Pacific Coast Grave stones marked its way in '49. Today graves still guard the route which linked together the two states, both settled first by Spaniards; both fought for and won by pioneers who early set their faces to the west A few miles from old Camp Cooper, (on the ranch of J. A. Matthews) a lonely grave of a little girl marks the route of this famous over land trail. The crumbling gravestone which guards the head bears the almost undecipherable date of 1852. Daughter of forward looking pa rents, she perished on the trail and the gallop ing horses were reined in long enough for spade and shovel to dig deep; for ax and saw to form a crude coffin. Then stones were piled on the earth above the still figure, the driver shouted to his team and the coach leaped forward west ward, always westward. Sometime, somewhere, they must have arranged these westward people to have a stone set up above the lit tle grave. But they did not turn back. The peo ple who made the West never turned back. Near the foot of the Guadalupe Mountains in the extreme western portion of Texas lies yet another lonely grave, marker for the California trail, bearing the same date upon its tomb stone, 1S52. But time and the elements have obliterated all else from th mospgrov-n marble save the !ate. Nor are graves the only marks which the first trail lrid upon the land of the Tejas, linking It with the land of California. Both Young and Haskell Counties have streama called California Cre-ek, because they were crossed by this early trail almost a century ago. Another route eventually superseded the Cali fornia Trail. This was the highroad followed by the coaches bearing the San Antonio-San Diegn Mail, established in 1S57. As soon as circumstances would permit aftet the annexation of Texas to the Union, a chain of military posts was established between San Antonio, El Paso, and points further west This made safety havens across the land for those who went westward. It also provided way sta , tions for rest and change of horses. In 18S7 the post office department, feeling that the opportune time had arrived, for such a tep, called for contractors to carry the mail V Jan Isabel FortUnc " r U YSpl f ' S " ' - l, I Great mule-drawn coaches thundered through the mountain! and 1 t L. Ulfe ' '1 Jf ' V V J Was Only Route of Lone Star State headed toward the Pacific Coast. Grave siones marked io way j " Pj V , Yjfj in '49, Gravel still guard the route which linked Texas and " 7 J, 1 ' """""Xw from San Antonio to San Diego and back once , SkjC "' N4 f V . A certain N. P. Cook made the lowest bid. and was accepted. Cook transferred his interest to a daring soul named James E, Burch. AFTER careful consideration, the weekly mail was considered unnecessary, and a contract was made with Mr. Burch for bi-monthly mail Jw-yv- JC V v:'- .v ;..rr I There was always the chance that a man might lose his scalp on the Texas California trail. Travelers might pray but they never stopped to kneel. service. He was to bring and return the mail between the designated points for four years for the sum of $149,800. The contract became ef fective July 1, 1857. It was agreed that the mails would leave both San Antonio and San Diego on the same days, namely, the 3th and 21st of each month at 6 a.m. This distance between the two cities was to be covered In not leu than thirty days, Mr. Burch went himself to California to ar range for the establishing of the mails on the Pacific Coast. But, on September 11, returning to New York on the Steamer Central America, he was shipwrecked and perished. Wherever Cook was when this news came, one may be A Rifl e And A Bag ? sure that he felt he had bees justified in leav ing the mails alone. Major J. C. Woods, general superintendent of the route, left New York for Sss Antonio on June 24, 1857. He arrived at his destination on July 11, two days after the first mail had left But he immediately began to make preparations for the second mail and the first coach, sched uled to leave San Antonio July 24. Major Woods accompanied the second mail all the way to Cali fornia, and arrived in San Diego before learn ing of Burchs death. The Major found himself with the mail route in his lap. There was any amount of adverse criticism from old timers and new comer as to whether or not there was a well defined road; Recbklns were m constant menace to the Sut terficld Overland Matt, called the "horseshoe trail and the "oxbow route" feat this road was widely used by the famous Concord coaches, finest of its time. was U all wilderness T Were the dangers great? In short, was the mail route worth a tinker's damn? Or was St merely another idea is grab money? What was wrong with the old Califor nia Trail? Why desert an established read for this? The Major arose nobly and took the stand in the defense of N. P. Cook's idea. "Have we a well defined route V roared the Major. Kven an ignorant immigrant would find It as Impossible to miss his way when once on our road, either going or returning Califor nia, as he would if travelling in a country with guide posts every half mile! So much for that, you doubters! Furthermore " continued the Major belliger ently, 'we assume nay we know that the es tablishment of this line will lead to the speedy and rapid . settlement f the country sH along the road, giving us with a very few yars time a continuous succession ef farms, ranches, ho tels, military posts, stage offices, etc., from one ocean to another, Major Woods was right in his surmises and his contentions. The estahlishmenta of the San Antonio-San Diego Mail was an important step in pioneering of the great West. For many years siity-five men, fifty coaches and four hundred mules were constantly employed to carry the bi-monthly mail. Bf greatest swindle ever perpetrated upon I the country by the slave holders, screamed the Chicago Tribune in the thick of the fight. But this route, toe, had its part in the making of Use west. The Butterfield Overisnd Mail biased the trail for the route of the first grea railroad to the Pacific, According to the provisions of the Pout Of fice Appropriation bill of 1857, the pest-master general was authorized to contract for the con vef&nce of the entire letter mail from such a point on the Mississippi Klver as the contractor might select, to Ssn Francisco. Each trip mutt be completed is record time, only twenty-five days being allowed for it. Speed was even then taking a hold on the people. Of Needles Every wagon was fair jjame to the Indian wht hailed news of the Overland Routes with joy. Peo ple using this route did well to pay up their life insurance, for safe arrival was problematical. They prayed and "tnfed guns". The postmaster-general as a Mr. Brown from Tennessee, and wVten tne route was ranjtcQ t& swmg aown irom at Louis & Mem phis, across to Little Uor.kt Arkansas, thenee ihrougn Texas to the Jbo Ctanue, Yuma and eventually San FTantncat some unchariU&b souls mamuated that perhaps Mr. Brown hati dehberalely favored a sounern route. WheVner or not UJis was true, ttte Overland Mail went & southern route for many reasons. It was safe comfortable and certain during every season sf the year. Again, there was Mexico is consider. Troops still had a tendency to boil ever the Rio Grands and invade Texas at odd and unexpected mo nients. The southern routs would provide s splendid highway over wfekh United States sol di era ssuH be rushed to the border In ease ef need. Without a doubly Mr Brown had masy shafts is his bow and wag well heeled for a!! sorts of criticism. And thers was plenty ef it Hie Butterfield Overland Mail was described variously and derisively sm the horseshoe" trail and the exbow route", and it was widely pre dicted that iks good would come of it But time proved that the carping critics didn't know their stuff. President Buchanan staunchly declared that "It wsuld bind the East and West together by a chain of living Americans which never ean be broken, And for once, a President was right all the way, much to the discomfort ef many politicians who were out after the Postmaster Oenerars scalp, and werent adverse to taking a tittle hide off the President In the process. The Butterfield rout brought Into bring the wide um ef Concord coaches, the most perfect vehicle ever built for travel, till the coming of paved highways and the modem automobile. THEY carried from six to nine passengers on the Inside and from one is ten outside, plus their baggage and the mail. Four horsea drew the coaches, and for the bad stretches, more were added. It became s tradition in the west that if a horse owner csuidn! manege his horses 1 promptly sold them to the Overland Matt which whipped their ears down in no time at sit Eves In those early days Califomians were rather vainglorious about their state and went on the general theory that any wrsos who finally managed to get there wouldn't ever wast to go back. Therefore, tbs fare from Texas to California was twice the amount of the fare from California to Texas. To go west cost $230 plus forty pounds of allowed baggage. To re turn was enly $100, Arni in stay wherever you were required, like the fed Queen, that you ran as fast as you cmtld all the time. BIT in this year of 1330, the tables will at last he turned. Cattfnrniana will head Texas ward, And though the rates won't be doubled, retaliation for the past, the Caltfornians whs set their face toward the Tesas Centennial Expo sition In 1sHa from June 6 to Novemher 29 f will travel over the same trails which their as eesfcsrs rode going west in S843 to the land f weaith and sunshine. Several times California has ceiehrated her glorious past with expositions, But the Centennial KxbosWob marks Texas first birthday partv. one which commemorates fosr centuries ef history and a hundred years gf freedom. And just as thousands of Texans have re spended many times to Califomis's cordis! in vtUtios to Mcome over for m visit, so 5M thou sands of California ritixens accept Texas Ttqufsf to light stranger come is ana set. Corns i The Cavalcade!
