74 ELDORADO 



knowldge of the country and the conditions to be met 

 we were much less liable to misfortune or disaster. 



The journey to Salt Lake was devoid of any unusual 

 experiences. Not anticipating or fearing any trouble 

 from the Indians, whom we had conciliated whenever 

 any hostile indications were apparent, and as feed was 

 becoming scarce we divided up the train into smaller 

 companies before reaching the Mormon settlement. 



A number of families from Racine, Wis., had consti- 

 tuted a part of our train, but traveled by themselves 

 after leaving Salt Lake. Not very long after leaving 

 that place this party was attacked by the Indians, who 

 were thought to have been instigated by some of the 

 Mormon officials. 



We followed the usual emigrant route around the 

 northern end of the lake by a little settlement at the 

 crossing of Bear river, where the city of Ogden now is 

 and thence to the headwaters of the Humboldt and 

 down the river to where it sinks into the earth. Then 

 across a 45-mile desert to Carson valley and over the 

 Sierra Nevada to Sacramento. 



Before reaching the summit of the Sierras, the snow 

 through which our road lay on either side was higher 

 than the top of our wagon bows. While in Carson 

 valley Captain Smith of the Sacramento horse market 

 offered me $1200 for one pair of horses, for which I 

 had paid $300. The offer was refused. 



To further illustrate the times and conditions of 

 those days I will relate a characteristic incident. My 

 friend Captain Smith, who had come over the mount- 

 ains for the purpose of buying horses of poor emi- 

 grants (a business of which I had once been guilty 

 myself) was out in search of a stray animal. Follow- 



