AN HISTORICAL AUTOGRAPH ALBUM. 



MRS. IRA DODGE. 



In the days when the elk, the deer, the 

 antelope and the bison roamed our West- 

 ern plains, unmolested save by the Indians' 

 arrows and the rifles of a few trappers, news 

 crossed the continent that gold had been 

 found in California. As the ball of snow 

 adds to its bulk as it rolls, so the tale grew. 

 Wondrous stories of easily acquired wealth 

 were told, and an army of hopeful advent- 

 urers sought the new El Dorado. Hun- 

 dreds of men died by the wayside; some 

 from disease, some from exposure, and 

 many fell by the hand of the jealous savage. 

 But others followed the star of hope and, 

 guided by the setting sun, reached the goal, 

 to find, as their destinies decreed, riches or 

 bitter disappointment. 



Some 65 miles from Willowglen, my 

 home, is the old California road over which 

 passed many footsore and heartsore men 

 and women. A few of those travelers put 

 their names on the wall of rock which ex- 

 tends to the foot of a steep decline, locally 

 called " Names' hill." Part of the work was 

 done with jack-knives; but the greater 

 number of names were written with the 

 '" dope " used on the old lynch-pin wagons. 



There are hundreds of names on this 

 rock-wall, and others farther down Green 

 river- I here copy but a few of those time 

 has left legible. Some names look as if 

 written yesterday, while others are fast 

 yielding to the action of the elements. 



R. Gordon, June 21, 1852. 



M. Robinson, July, '54. 



T. H. Adley, July the 16, 1850. 



S. P. Gillard. 



B. A. E. Gillard, July 3, '50. 



Jordan Lakin, June 28, '52. 



Wm. Cass, of Canton, July 1, '52. 



A. B. Davis, U. S. Survey. 



P. P. McLick, U. S. Survey, chhm. 1880. 



M. Read, July 2, 1852. 



There is one name here so nearly ob- 

 literated as to be unreadable. It had " and 

 wife " attached, and the date of 185-, the 

 last figure being nearly erased. 



Going up this steep hill, over the low 

 divide and down again to the river, we 

 come to another favorite camping ground 

 of the '4Qers. Here a fight took place be- 

 tween one party of emigrants and the Ind- 

 ians — some say Mormons — and part of the 

 wagon train was destroyed. Over 30 

 graves are found here, but none are marked 

 now. The remainder of the party took a 

 hurried departure, leaving many things be- 

 hind. Everything left was destroyed. The 

 wagons were burned and pieces of iron are 

 to be found even now. 



Quite a tragedy occurred at this camp 

 ground. A father was harnessing his team 



when he saw a band of antelope on the 

 ridge near at hand. He called to his daugh- 

 ter to bring him the rifle. She attempted 

 to pull it from the wagon by the barrel. 

 The trigger caught, the weapon was dis- 

 charged and the contents entered the young 

 woman's chest, killing her almost instantly. 

 Her grave is one of those that lie under the 

 cottonwoods, on the bank of Green river. 



On the small knoll near this place are 4 

 or more graves. How they died who sleep 

 therein, I do not know. One grave is 

 marked, and perhaps some reader may 

 throw light on the subject. The head- 

 stone is the end-gate of a wagon and the 

 lettering is plain and neat. It reads 



ALFRED B. HUNT (possibly Hunter), 

 RACINE CO., WIS. DIED JULY 1, 1850. 

 AGED 26 YEARS. 



This grave is the farthest South, and 3 

 more are ranged in line North of it. One 

 more was marked by an end-gate for a 

 headstone, but time and the elements, to- 

 gether with the burrowing work of the 

 badgers, have broken it down and the let- 

 tering is undecipherable. 



Four miles beyond Names' hill, on the 

 old California trail, are more names en- 

 graved on the rocks. In one place is a 

 huge bowlder, about 25 feet in height, that 

 is literally an autograph album. It is im- 

 possible to make out all the names, but I 

 append those time has left readable. 



Left division of rock: 



J. Higgins. 



Newton Chambers, 1856. 

 J. W. Howard, July 18, 1852. 



Henry C. French, July 14, '65. (Odd Fellows 3 

 links.) 



H. L. Roberts, 1857. 



S. O. N. H. Jeffers, i860. 



W. M. Hanks, July 4, 1850. Waukegan. 



J. Bauder. 



W. Thorp, June 4, 1850. 



These names were cut in the rock; the 

 following were put on with " dope " : 



A. C. Marsh. 



B. H. Scott. 



J. R. Baty, June 20, 1850. 

 A. Sanger, July 14, 1852. 

 G. W. Scott, July 3, 1849- 

 A. C. Roe, June, 1850. 

 L. Sack, June 18, 1850. 



A. Howard, June 30, 18 — 

 G. L. Wadley, July, 1849. 



B. F. Jones, July 2, '52. 

 A.' F. Dunn, July 15, '45. 



Central division of the rock: 



T. N. Ebey, Wis., July 15, '49. 



R. W. Ebey, '51. 



W. S. Ebey, July 7, '54- 



J. J. Stansbury, June 30, 1849. 



J. W. Ringober, July 18, '54. 



