Newberry Library - A trip to the gold regions of the Rocky Mountains in the summer of 1860 1860

A trip to the gold regions of the Rocky Mountains in the summer of 1860 1860

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Open book A trip to the gold regions of the Rocky Mountains in the summer of 1860 1860

Title A trip to the gold regions of the Rocky Mountains in the summer of 1860 1860

Creator Young, John D. (John David), 1839-1898

Date 1860

Place Colorado, Great Plains, Illinois--Chicago, Overland Trails, Saint Joe Road

Language English

Subjects Frontier and pioneer life, Gold miners, Gold mines and mining, Indians of North America

Summary John D. Young's narrative of his 1860 round trip from Chicago to the Colorado gold fields and his experiences there, probably composed in Chicago after the trip. Contains full descriptions of encounters with frontier justice, friendly and hostile Indians (Potawatomi, Pawnee, Comanche, Arapahoe, Ute, Sioux, Cheyenne), a Rocky Mountain forest fire, great buffalo herds, a "hurricane" at Marysville, and a prairie dog village. Also discussed in detail are rich Missouri farmlands poorly utilized under slavery, the Pony Express, towns and forts (Quincy, St. Joseph, Marysville, Fort Kearny, Denver, Tarryall), scenery and terrain, road conditions, diet, clothing, equipment, diggings (Tarryall, Blue River, California Gulch, etc.), methods of gold extraction, claim salting, etc.

Biographical/Historical Note Colorado gold rush participant and Ottawa, Ill., lumber merchant.

Extent 1 v. (120 p.) ; 32 cm

Format Sources, Manuscripts, Travel literature, Transcripts

User-Contributed Transcription that afternoon and got down to Grand Island at sunset We now had our choice either to take the road through Kansas or by continuing on down the Platt reach the Missouri River at Platts mouth after making all the inquiries possible we made up our minds to take the former route. The buffalo were now around us in swarms in every direction on both sides of the Platt far as the eye could reach was covered black with cattle. You could not from description form any idea this great mass of moving life. They were seemingly intirely regardless of our presence all the afternoon they crossed the road going down to the river to drink sometimes they would crowd on us so that we had to stop the horses to avoid mixing up with them, After we had camped about ten double teams belonging to the Fort and loaded with timber passed us they broke through the buffalo at a gallop scattering them right and left the drivers yelling at them like tame cattle, We were afraid they might stampede over us in the night for they were unpleasantly close to us we built a great fire trusting that that would keep them off for we were so wearied out by suffering from misquitoes and starvation that we were unable to keep watch I was woke several times during the night by a loud bellowing seemingly right by the side of our camp. I always looked out to see that our horses were safe, they were in deadly fear and trembled all the night. Yet if they once got loose with the buffalo when on a stampede it would be impossible to ever get them again, the lowest spirited critter that ever crossed the plain will run off with them and it requires the greatest precaution on the part of the traveler to keep his cattle from getting away from ? with the wild herd.

Transcription Status Needs review

Transcription Note This document was transcribed by volunteers as part of the Newberry Transcribe crowdsourcing initiative.

Archival Collection Title Edward E. Ayer Manuscript Collection

Link to Catalog View record

Call Number VAULT Ayer MS 3210

BibID 991330378805867

Rights Status No Copyright - United States

Contributing Institution Newberry Library

Newberry Open Access Policy The Newberry makes its collections available for any lawful purpose, commercial or non-commercial, without licensing or permission fees to the library, subject to these terms and conditions.

IIIF Resource Type Canvas

Size 3054px × 3797px 33.21 MB

File Created 08/21/2023

Filename 991330378805867_Ayer_MS_3210_00063.tif

Unique Identifier NL11LVR9

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