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 ditch was trampled into soft mud by the buffalo, however bad and disgusting as it was we were glad enough get it at that time I took up a pint cup full and swallowed it mighty quick. we could not let our horses near it they would kill themselves but we gave them a few pailsfull for the present. However we were glad to get it. we pitched our the tent and camped for the night. we had a hard struggle of it that night preparing something to eat. our supply of buffalo chips was very scarce, and we could not half boil the thick dirty water. a little tea thrown into that and some half cooked corn dodger formed out evening meal. The next morning one of our horses showed signs of giving out, one of his legs was greatly swelled we though it was from the bite of a snake and that it would soon wear away. But he continued to fail rapidly and the next day he was so swelled that he could not travel any more and we had to leave him behind. I felt the greatest regret as we abandoned the poor creature on the prairie. he seemed to be conscious that we were deserting him he made the most desperate exertions and followed us about a mile then he grew intirely exhausted and gave up the chase, but we heard him whining most pitiously for a long time afterwards, it was the hardest thing that occurred to us on that long journey, abandoning that poor faithful creature, after traveling so many hundred miles and now so near our journeys end. In about four days more we crossed the Little Blue River, there was plenty of buffalo in this locality. we stopped on this stream two days to recruit one horse for we now had only one and the poor thing was almost exhausted from pulling a two horse wagon and about six hundred pounds of equipage. We had quite a hard job to rig up fills? for a single horse an axe was out only tool, with that we chopped down two small cotton woods, and with ropes we soon made a temporary ?

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 2427px × 3804px 26.44 MB

File Created 08/21/2023

Filename 991330378805867_Ayer_MS_3210_00066.tif

Unique Identifier NL11LVQY

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