The Experiences of a Forty-niner during thirty-four years residence in California and Australia ... Edited by Frederick T. Wallace

Front matter

I — On the Way to the Mines in 1849. II— A Scene in Camp. Ill— Landing Threh Miles Bei.ow Sacramento City. I V.- Sutter's Famous Adobe Fort in 1849. CEIARLES D. FERGUSON. 1853. CHARLES D. FERGUSON. 1887. THE Experiences of a Forty-niner DURING THIRTY-FOUR YEARS' RESIDENCE IN CALIFORNIA AND AUSTRALIA BY CHARLES D. FERGUSON EDITED BY FREDERICK T. WALLACE CLEVELAND, OHIO: THE WILLIAMS PUBLISHING COMPANY Copyright, 1888. By Charles D. Ferguson. All Rights Reserved. INTRODUCTORY. IT is a suggestive if not a significant coincidence, that the Hebrew historian of creation assigned to man a primitive abode in the now unknown Eden, watered in part by the lost Pison, embracing within its area the "land of Havilah, where there is gold," and making as surance doubly sure of the excellency of the mineral products of that countrj* in the statement that "the gold of that land is good," besides abounding in bdellium and th^ onyx stone.

Gold, as the most precious and most highly prized ot minerals, wrought into articles of personal adornment, coronal emblems of royalty, or as a medium in the com merce of nations, is prehistoric. The tombs of Egypt are now surrendering golden treasures and exquisite personal ornaments that once adorned the daughters of Pharaoh and the ladies of the Egyptian court, thousands of years before the golden calf was set up and worshiped in the valley before Sinai. The passion for the acquisition of gold is an inheritance from our remote ancestry of Havi lah, surpassing in intensity the desire for any other min eral known to man. Gold is a familiar word, pervading all written history, sacred and profane; employed alike m INTRODUCTORY. by prophet, priest and king. And throughout sacred liter* ature gold is the emblem of purity, and refined gold the standard of comparison with faith, hope and love.

When the author of Genesis wrote, the geographical locality of Havilah was doubtless well known to him and his readers, and was the source from which came the gold of prehistoric antiquity. Since the Havilah gold fields were worked, three great epochs of gold discovery have passed, each leaving its impress upon nations, states and social life. Like the course of empire, gold discoveries have been westward, until the circuit of the earth has been compassed. Neither in the Scriptures nor in the histories of the monarchies of the Euphrates, do we get but occasionally a faint glimpse of the industries of the people or the commercial character of the ancient nations ; but all relates to the wars of rival sovereigns and religious ceremonies, and but for the brief allusion to the building of ships at Ezion-geber, by Solomon, which made three years' voyages to the unknown Ophir and returned freighted with gold, sandal-wood and peacocks, one would suppose his splendid reign consisted mainly in building a temple and writing songs.

Chapter I

Gold Excitement, 1848 — Inspiration and Plans — Consent of Parents — Disappointment — Renewed Hope — Visit to Illinois — Embarking at Cleveland for Chicago — Incidents of the Voyage — Winter at Ottawa — A Relapse of the Gold Fever — An Ottawa Company — Journey' to St. Louis— Negro Melody- Purchases and Passage to St. Joseph. AMONG the many thousands who, in 1848, were excited to the verge of lunacy on the arrival of the news from "around the Horn," announcing the discovery of gold by Marshall, at Sutter's mill, on American river, California, the relater of the events and experiences re corded in this book was one. Visions of gold excited my brain. It was not the gold alone, but an awak ening of a strong desire of adventure which had per vaded my spirit from a small school-boy taking my first lesson in geography.

Foreign countries marked upon the pages of the little school atlas were fascinating, and many were the pictures I drew in my youthful imagination of some future time when, by travel, I should know more of the world. How I did envy Captain Cook and Robinson Crusoe, the latter especially. I remember one day resting with my brother under the shade of a 'tree near our old Ohio homestead when a sedate gentleman rode by on THE FEVER CATCHING. horseback. " Do you know that man?" said my brother. I said no. "That is Judge Eben Newton, "said my brother, " and he is what I will besome day. What will you be?" asked my brother. "I will be a traveler, ' ' said I, " and see the world." It isa strange coincidence that the two lads under the shade tree reached, respectively, the height of his boy ish ambition — I to my heart's content.

There were numerous other boys in our neighborhood who had the gold fever, caught, doubtless, in some instances, from me, for it was surely "catching." Many were the evenings we got together and laid our plans. There was not a newspaper that had an item about gold that was not learned by heart, and great pains taken to enlarge and embellish the accounts to our parents. When I succeeded in getting my dear old father's and mother's con sent to let me go, I was the proudest boy in Ohio. Pictures of untold wealth nearly drove me wild. This, however, was but for a short period, for, as the time drew near for my departure, my parents suddenly changed their minds. I was too young, they said, to go out into the world of temptations, and especially among the Indians. My heart sank ten degrees below zero, but it was of no use ; the old people had settled it, and go I should not.

But to concili ate my wounded spirit and recompense me for my disap pointment, they agreed that I might go and visit Doctor George W. McKinney, a half-brother, living at Ottawa, Illinois. I grasped the situation. Now was my chance, and I was determined not to throw it away. I appeared to be satisfied with the arrangement and soon left home, little thinking that thirty-four years would pass away A MOTHER'S LAST WORDS. 11 before I should return, and then to find that other hands than mine had to assist in laying my aged and gray-haired parents in their quiet rural graves, and that, too, many long years before their seemingly thoughtless but not un feeling son returned. 0, how many sleepless nights, how many anxious hours they have waited and waited for my return! My dear old mother's dying words were: "Tell Charles I have waited and waited until I can wait no longer, and only hope to meet him in Heaven."

Heaven rest her soul. May her joys surpass the sorrows I caused her here upon earth. It was in the month of September, 1849, when, at the age of seventeen years, I bade good-by to father, mother and friends, and repaired to Cleveland where I embarked on the lake steamer A. D. Patchen for Chicago. It wa? late in the season, the weather generally rough, and my trip was not an exception, unless it was unusually rough, which I think it was, since I have experienced many severe storms on the ocean hardly more severe. Had I been on shore, and safe at home, I would have been content to re main there and let gold -seeking go to David Jones' locker. But that feeling soon vanished after arriving at Chicago. It was, however, not the Chicago of to-day, for I think the population did not exceed seventeen thousand.

Among the incidents of this lake voyage was one on Lake Huron. There were many clergymen passengers on board who were on their return from a conference at Buffalo. In the midst of the storm Captain Whitaker passed through the saloon in a great hurry, when the ministers accosted him to know if there was any danger ? "Danger ! Yes, we will ON THE LAKES. all be in h— 1 together in less than ten minutes !" The ministers united in both audible and silent prayer till the storm abated. A passenger came aboard at some port near the head of Lake Michigan. He had been left by some other boat the day before. He was intoxicated, and after supper walked out on the hurricane deck and fell overboard. The engine was stopped and boats lowered, but to no purpose; the poor fellow had sunk to rise no more, unless at the final resurrection.

His wife came aboard at Chicago to look for him. But, alas.no husband was there, and the only memento she obtained was his hat. Thus ended my first voyage on the inland seas. From Chicago to Ottawa, eighty miles by canal, took twenty-four hours, which is now accomplished by rail in less than three. At Ottawa I found the gold excitement as intense, if not more so, than in Ohio ; so there was no hope for my recovery from the fever, since I had already relapsed from the first attack, and doctors say a relapse is more liable to be fatal than the first attack. I found it so in my case. There is no disease or desire on earth so con tagious as the gold fever. There is no asylum for the pa tient and no physician who can minister to a mind thus diseased. My mind was made up to go to California and nothing but death could stop me.

But how to get away was the only thing that troubled me. I had spent my money rather freely among my brother's friends, to whom in a short time I had become quite warmly attached, and who in compliment to my cheerful intercourse with them, unani mously voted me a "chip of the old block," however tha* THE QUESTION SETTLED. may be interpreted. Most of them are dead now (1887). A few remain in Ottawa. Arthur Lockwood is still there. William Earle now lives at La Salle, Colorado, I believe, though I have not seen him since my return to this country. Doctor Thomas, another of my early Ottawa friends, lives in Samanock, La Salle county, Illinois, and whom I recently had the pleasure of visiting. Others, if they still live, are scattered and distributed among the great states of the west, and whom I shall never probably meet again on earth.

How to approach my brother on the subject of going to California was a perplexing matter to me. Soon, however, a favorable moment came. Winter had nearly gone, and spring was approaching with all its suggestiveness of activity and labor. One day my brother asked me what I intended to do. My courage failed me when put to the test. Ianswered, of course, that I did not know. Hemade me several offers, and suggested several fields of enterprise which almost any young man, in less excitable times, would have deemed advantageous and fortunate, but ali of which I declined. My apparent indifference to his every suggestion doubtless seemed to him to indicate either stu pidity or ingratitude, and he was justly provoked when he passionately said : "Whatinh— 1 do youwanttodo? " My brother's indignation inspired me with boldness.

This was my opportunity, and I improved it by saying in the most frank and respectful manner possible, that I wanted to go to California. He made no reply, but called his wife and said to her: "This young manwants to go to California,'' and without waiting for her even to express her astonish- THE "OCEAN WAVE. ment, he told her to pack my things and let me go. She pleaded with me for my mother's sake, but to no purpose. 1 was going now, and no mistake. There were three others of Ottawa friends of Doctor Thomas and pleasant acquaintances of mine, who were making arrangements to go, and I entered into an agree ment to join them. All things being ready, and consider ing deiays dangerous, we were anxious to be off at once. So on the fourteenth of March, 1850, we left Ottawa for Peru, where we were to take steamer for St. Louis.

We found a steamer about ready to rundown the Illinois river. The captain of the Ocean Wave, for such was its imposing name, remembered, doubtless, by many even unto this day, agreed to take ourselves, four in number, four horses and a wagon to St. Louis, for the modest sum of twenty-four dollars. The only stop we made on our trip down the river of any considerable length of time was at Peoria, and I shall ever remember this place for the pleasant impressions itmade upon my mind. Even at this early day it was quite imposing — a magnificent place. I had never seen then, nor have I since, a place where nature had been so lavish in her endowments to make a beautiful city. I have thought of it and spoken of it many times in foreign lands, as the loveliest little town I ever saw. We arrived in St. Louis on the eighteenth of March, where the Ocean Wave was made fast in her place and we disembarked.

Here I was impressed with the vast number of steamers along the levee. It seemed to me they numbered thousands. For miles along the levee they lay three and four deep. The sugar and cotton steamers belonging to the lower Missis- F1T1 ING OUT FOR THE JOURNEY. 15 sippi were readily distinguished from those of the upper Mississippi. The hands on board the former were all negroes. When night came they would all assemble around the capstan, and one would lead off in a song, the others would join in, the next boat's crew would take it up, and so on until the whole was one grand concert from one end of the levee to the other. Since then I have listened to fashionable operas, and heard renowned prima-donnas, but never have I heard the human voice utter such sweetness and melody as then and there came from the lips of the dusky boatmen of the Mississippi.

We placed our horses in a livery on Third street and took up our quarters at a hotel on the same street, the name of which I have forgotten. I only remember it was the best hotel then in St. Louis. I always have had a weakness that way when traveling to patronize the best, which I have always found cheapest in the end. Besides, if one puts up at a respectable house, he has the advan tage of better associations, and many times, especially if he is a stranger, it may possibly lead him in the way of business, if, perchance, he maybe a second Mica wber, waiting for something to turn up. Our first necessity incident to the great, laborious and hazardous enterprise of trav ersing the almost unknown interior of the continent, its vast plains, great rivers, and dangerous and doubtful passes, and terrific canons of the Rocky mountains, was to purchase a stock of provisions.

This consisted chiefly of bacon, flour, hardtack, tea, coffee and sugar. Two quarts of No. 6 extract of cayenne pepper was deemed a necessity, as was also a gallon of the best brandy pro PASSAGE TO ST. JOSEPH. curable. Each purchased a Colt's revolver with ample accompaniments for the special benefit of the Indians, and which we afterwards and on many occasions, found to be a very potent and influential Indian persuader. Our next business was to look for a steamer bound for St. Joseph, some three hundred miles up the Missouri river. This was not a very difficult task, as there were many along the upper levee all ready to start, and each one offered the best advantages, and each was represented to arrive there in the shortest possible time. I may here remark that these river steamers had each its own par ticular route and river waters.

Those which ply on the Illinois river do not run on the Mississippi, only to St. Louis, and the Missouri steamers come down only to the same cit}r, and the great cotton and sugar transports and passenger boats of the lower Mississippi do not ply above the same point. It was somewhat difficult to decide upon a boat among so many and all holding out pleasant in ducements, but we finally made our selection and paid our passage — six dollars each — which also covered the trans portation of our horses, wagon, provisions and provender. It was the best and cheapest contract we could make, as we thought then, but the sequel failed to confirm our opinion. ON THE "ORIENT," 17

Chapter II

Steamer "Orient"— Passengers a Hard Lot— Thief Knocked Overboard — Complimented by the Captain — Independence and St. Joseph— Old Fort Kearney— First Camp— Drowned Out— Crossing the Missouri — Salt Creek, Now Lincoln, Nebraska — A Santa Fe Post Rider — Party of Pawnees — Deer Shooting — A Man with a Wheelbarrow. WE were now treading the deck of the Orient. The charm of the name seemed to surpass that of the Ocean Wave, but when we got fairly under way, and even before we entered upon the long stretch of the Missouri, and took a survey of our numerous companions of the voj'age, the romance and poetry suggested by the names of western river steamers vanished. I have traveled some since, but never have I fell in with such a congregation of self-conceited, ignorant, disagreeable and annoying lot of passengers as crowded the Orient.

I do not believe another such lot ever got together. Others have related to me similar experiences, but not a single instance could hold a candle to this experience of my own. I have always observed, when thrown among people that were ignorant, rough and mean, that they were jeal ous of those whom they considered better informed and better behaved and who were, in fact, their superiors. Such THIEF KNOCKED OVERBOARD. will form cliques among themselves for the purpose of in sulting or annoying you. It is on their part an uncon scious acknowledgment of your superiority. Such was the class of passengers we had on board the steamer Orient. To begin with, they were the worst set of petty thieves I ever knew. They very early set to work to rob our four Canadian ponies of their feed. Our bales of hay dimin ished rapidly and the mangers were robbed.

At last I caught one of them taking the hay from the ponies. I remonstrated with him, but he only laughed and made fun of me. The others gathered around and jeered and laughed, told me to go home to my mother. I was told by one to hold my tongue, or he would throw me over board. My 3'oung blood was a little stirred at such a threat, and I challenged him to try it, and sure enough he collared me. He did not think of throwing me over, but only to frighten me, expecting I would beg off, when thej would have the laugh on me. But he misjudged the Ohio boy. We clinched, and struggling out by the aft gang way, near the wheel, it being a side-wheeler, I gave a sud den turn and loosed myself from him, and at the same moment planted my fist full and fairly in his face with such energy as my then unpracticed fighting muscle admitted of, andihe fell back and overboard.

I confess I felt a little frightened, but the water was not more than three feet deep, and when I saw him standing on his feet in the middle of the river, my equanimity was fully restored. The boat stopped, a skiff was lowered, and the man was soon picked up and brought aboard. His nose was bleeding and he was crestfallen. Knowing that such a class of men are THB THIEF KNOCKED OVERBOARD. A LITTLE SWAGGER. invariably cowards, and that even a little swagger will command their respect, I therefore notified his friends who wished to take a bath to avail themselves of my services, then and there — adding that it was no unusual thing for me to throw a man or two overboard every morning, to give myself an appetite for breakfast. When the captain learned how matters stood, he told them if any more of them were caught stealing and got thrown overboard, he would not stop to pick them up.

Aftei this oration from the captain, he, turning to me, said: "Come on, youngster, with me and take a drink." I did not taste strong drink in those days, but I thanked the captain and respectfully declined his proffered civility. All this, however, had its influence. The ponies were no more robbed of their prov ender, and, as for my partners and myself, we were treated with civility during the remainder of the trip. It is a lamentably strange peculiarity of mind of this class of peo ple that they will respect you only when they fear you. Trust them and deal gently and kindly wTith them, as one man should with another, and in return they will insult you, annoy you, and plunder you. Our progress was rather slow, as the current of the Missouri changes almost daily, and it is impossible for a pilot to know the current from one day to another, and hence we were obliged to tie up every night.

Our first stopping place for the discharge of passengers was at In dependence, where the worst of the lot were let off, much to our comfort and relief. On our arrival at St. Joseph, we bade farewell to the Orient and the remainder of its uncompanionable emigrants. We were much disappointed ST. IOSUPH. at the appearance of this then famous town. It was talked about almost as much as St. Louis, both before and after we were on our way to it. Our ideas of its size and importance had been greatly exaggerated, but no one could tell us anything definite about it more than I could tell them, which was just nothing at all. It was, however, important in the sense of being the last frontier town on the east bank of the Missouri, in the northwest corner of the state. Old Fort Kearney, about one hundred miles up the river, and on its west bank, was the only name then known on the map.

All the great interior passed under the general name of Nebraska. The great states and ter ritories now familiar to us, carved from that vast region between the upper Missouri and the Rocky mountains, was but the home of the red man and the range of the buffalo. Most of the houses of St. Joseph were but little temporary huts. There were a very few passably good buildings. The population would not exceed seven hun dred. There had been many arrivals before us, and all were waiting for the grass to grow before launching out upon the plains. Many did not attempt the journey until the first of May. Our horses having been on board the Orient for several days, were as pleased as ourselves at once more getting on land, and were not long in showing it, for one of them, by some carelessness, got away and started out on his own account to take in the town.

The other three seeing him enjoying such unwonted freedom, became suddenly in spired with the spirit of liberty and broke loose. St. Jo, as the place is always called, for short, suddenly advanced PONIES TAKING IN ST. JO. THE PONIES CELEBRATE. 23 from a one-horse town toa four-horsecity. Thefour Canadian ponies created more excitement than the town had ever before been wrought up to. Every man, woman and child were out to lend a hand in catching them, but all to no purpose; the ponies were going to have their time out— and they did. When they were through, all four deliberately walked into the nearest livery-stable and took their places in vacant stalls. 1 have often since thought it would be a good way to advertise horses, for the dealer to turn his whole stock loose in town and let them show themselves, for certainly no frontier town ever saw a grander sight than those four Canucks, with flowingmanes, arched necks and expanded nostrils, taking in the sights and enjoying the freedom of the infant city of St. Jo.

We had half the town at the stables to see the ponies. The offers made for them were without number. One hundred dollars apiece, and even much higher. It would have been a good stroke of business if we had sold and gone back to Detroit and bought more, as they cost only forty dollars a head there, and fifteen to land them in St. Jo. After getting what information we could respecting routes and river crossings, and making a few purchases, we concluded to pull out, and the next day started up the river on the east side, for Council Bluffs, about one hundred and fifty miles distant. Our reasons for taking this more northern route instead of going directly west, was that there were some settlements on that side of the river, and we could obtain hay and corn of the farmers much cheaper than at St. Jo.

We needed it then, as grass had not yet started ; besides the distance was not much, if any, greater FIRST DAY'S LAND JOURNEY. than crossing the river at St. Jo, and taking the Indian territory, as it was then called. Our first day's land journey was uneventful, but favor able, and we made about twenty-five miles, pitched our tents on the bottom land near a small creek; fed the ponies; cooked our supper ; told stories ; talked over our plans for the hundredth time; made our bed and turned in, as happy as so many bugs in a rug. It was my first experience of genuine camping out. I had only before had knowledge of amateur camping out, when a few of us lads would make a night of it in some one of the many great sugar camps around my Ohio home, where we would boil sap, "sugar off," and sleep but little; yet how much of happiness was there, and real fun, for otherwise lonely country boys.

But now we had entered upon the nightly necessities of camping in real earnest, and we were prepared to enjoy it after our day's journey, with the excitements and novelties of our new life, and were soon asleep. We had no pre monitory dreams of what we had got to endure before our campings should become a history and a memory. About two o'clock we were awakened by water coming in upon us and into our bed, for we were sleeping on the ground. We hastily got ourselves out of our blankets and found that the whole flat was one sheet of water, and still rising. Dressing as soon as possible, we harnessed the ponies, hitched them to the wagon, and undertook to find high ground. But this was more easily planned than executed. The flat was wide, the night was dark, and just as we were, coming to high ground there was a low swale at the C/vMP flooded. foot of the hill with still deeper water, into which the ponies plunged and were soon floundering in bogs and mud.

All was dark and in confusion, it rained hard, and all four of us were in the deep and muddy water, trying to loosen and extricate the floundering ponies. We finally got out of the slough with the ponies. Morning came at last, though it seemed long in coming, and showed us a sad and crestfallen party, looking out over a dreary waste of water where we had camped but a few hours before. "This is awful," saidone; "I wish I was back home again." However, we soon hitched up again and got our wagon out, which we had been compelled to leave in the slough, and pulled out for a farm-house which we saw about a mile off, and where we got a good warm breakfast and plenty of hot coffee, all for the modest sum of ten cents each. Here we spent the whole forenoon drying our clothes and bedding, when we again set out rejoicing, but with less exalted notions of camping on creek bottoms.

We arrived on the fourth day at a little town called Lebanon, consist ing of a grocery, a blacksmith shop, a hay-stack and one man, who was proprietor and manager of the whole business. There were about a dozen people thcis patronizing the grocery and drinking its bad whiskey. Here we met two men, who told us they were camped jn the other side of the Missouri, waitingfor a few more to join them before starting out. We liked the appearance of the men, who said their party consisted of twenty persons, and our party added would make the proper complement, and urged us to join them. We consented to join them. The ferry-boat, thev said, would charge us twenty dollars for crossing witsi CROSSING THE MISSOURI. our wagon and sour horses, but that they had a contract for fifteen dollars, and when they went back they would tell the boatman that more of their party were coming, and to be ready to take us over in the morning.

Some times, they said, it took a whole day to cross, and much depended on the wind, for if it blew up the river they could not cross at all, but must wait a calm or reverse wind. We promised if the wind was favorable to be at the river the next morning. In the meantime, we concluded we wanted anotherhorse, and seeing the men at the grocery had one that suited us, we asked the price. One hundred dollars was the sum asked. We offered seventy-five dollars, which they de clined. But when they saw we were going to give up the idea of purchasing at their price, their horse-trading ther mometer dropped rapidly several degrees, and until it stood at seventy dollars, when we closed the bargain. The horse was a good one, and rather than not have got him we should have given the sum first named. But I was not so young and inexperienced in buying and selling horses in Ohio, as not to know the advantages of a little finesse in such negotiations.