Samuel Franklin Emmons 



King started on a horseback trip 

 across the continent. Upon reaching 

 St. Joseph, Missouri, then the west- 

 ern limit of railroad communications, 

 they were invited to join the party 

 of a well-to-do emigrant family, whose 

 favor King had unconsciously gained 

 by his characteristically tender care 

 for their children during the latter 

 part of the railroad journey. Their 

 line of march followed, in general, 

 what was known as the Old Fremont 

 route, up the North Platte river and 

 the Humboldt river in Nevada. The 

 rate of travel of such a party was 

 necessarily very slow, and the young 

 explorers, being mounted on good 

 horses of their own, were able to 

 make excursions into the neighboring 

 mountains for the purposes of ex- 

 ploration and study, which, owing to 

 the hostility of the Indians, were not 

 always without danger. 



After having crossed the deserts of 



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