Show I In n nth 1 the h e Beg B Beginning e g inn I n n j I n g 9 B By J. J Cecil cr Aller Some Stansbury Stories On several early day topics we have from Captain Howard Stansbury's Stansbury's Stans- Stans burys bury's official government reports report the only particulars of the kind in existence These statements were no part of his surveying project but fortunately for lot the present consideration he has preserved for forus forus forus us these fleeting pictures of at rare I early scenes I The captain left Salt Lake City with teams and pack mules September September Sep Sep- 12 1849 for Fort Hall to explore a 3 road as required but butmore butmore butmore more especially to procure supplies supplies supplies sup sup- plies for lor his party that had been forwarded by an army supply train attached to Colonel Lorin Lorings Loring's s 's command bound for Oregon The majority of or the surveying party remained with Captain J. J W. W Gunnison Gun Gun- nison to make a s start rt on the survey survey survey sur sur- vey of or Great Salt Lake Cantonment Cantonment Canton Canton- ment Loring Fort Halls Hall's newly open opened ed m military ii establishment was found lound to be some five live miles beyond Fort Hall hail Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Andrew Andrew An An- drew Porter in m command Place liace Names Recorded There Captain Stansbury was detailed until October 6 awaIting awaiting await awaIt- ing the supply train from Fort Leavenworth Colonel Porter and Captain Stansbury then conj conjointly conjoint int- int ly made a detailed reconnaissance of Cache valley to ascertain its fitness for the location of a permanent permanent perma perma- nent military post It is interesting to note note that they entered the the valley valley val val- val val- ley Icy and skirted it along the route of the present electric railroad line They also recorded names then In Iii existence for lor Bl Blacksmiths Blacksmith's Fork Logans Logan's Fork and High Fork streams That ought to dispose of such fiction as asa asa asa a Mormon Blacksmith shop in the first a settlers settler's off ox named Logan Lo La- Lo- Lo gan gm as 13 the origin of the second and Summit Creek Smithfield for lor High Creek as having been given by the later settlers Summit Summit Summit Sum Sum- mit Creek by the way passes from the canyon over a high delta of the mud washes of or ages So impressed were these officers ott cers Colonel Porter ordered all the army animals at Cantonment Loring brought to Cache valley for Wintering on n the fm fine forage and the word of the trappers that their animals Invariably grew fat there through the winter In the s sequel quel b by far the thc worst winter known with the deepest snows mows caused cawed the loss of or more than halt half of or the an anImals animals ani anI- mals including many of Stansbury's Stans Stans- burys bury's herd Birds Impressed Stansbury The captain continued southward southward southward south south- ward through the present Sardine Sardina canyon canon Mantua valley and Box BoxElder BoxElder BoxElder Elder creek to Brigham Cit City I 1 had hoped he admits the route would afford a passage over th the Wasatch range for lor wagons but this I 1 found to be impracticable What a thrill the captain would get today over that picturesque skyline skyline skyline sky sky- line automobile ribbon Stansbury's heart was oriented westward in a circuit of ot Great Salt Lake preliminary to and a requisite of th the Jake lake survey Trappers Trappers Trap Trap- pers and Indians advised against it and reported many failures Thus was the captain forewarned but not deterred Loading Londing every pack with dried meat and bags of water the party forged its way westward on the emigrant trail from Bear River ford lord October 19 Just over the Malade l however they turned southward between Promontory point and the lake The salt lake which lay about a half haU mile to the eastward was covered by immense flocks nocks of wild gese and ducks among which many swans were seen being distinguished distinguished distinguished dis dis- dis- dis by their size and the whiteness of or their plumage says Stansbury probably mistaking pelicans pelicans pel pel- pelicans for tor swans I had seen large flocks locks of these birds before in various parts of our country and especially upon the Potomac but never did I behold like the immense numbers here congregated congregated congregated congre congre- gated together Thousands of at acres as far lar as the eye could reach seemed literally covered with them presenting a scene of or busy animated cheerfulness in most graceful contrast with th the dreary silent solitudes by which we were immediately surrounded The Bear River bird refuge In 1849 Vocabulary Equal to Any Task Rounding Promontory point at atthe atthe lh the water yater level spending a night thereat the captain records his disappointment in the want of or a asea asea sea smell in the air Seventy five years later I Sp spent th the night nih on those sands with him but absorbed absorbed ab ab- ab- ab orbed none of ot his d discontent content Returning Returning Re Re- turning to the mainland on the north noting and describing the features on the way the party hastened westward into the seven seven- mile ty-mile desert desert- There the mules gave ave out when the forage and water gave e a out only Stansbury's excellent vocabulary vocabulary ular seeming to sustain all levies upon il it He could make one pity a mule as if it were human and the average mule knows just how todo todo to todo do it and in the same eloquence eloquence elo elo- do- do quence throw in a description of a mirage a 1 geologic formation or a anal gnat nal He mentions following the trail made by Fremont in 1845 who thereon had lost ten mules and several horses in effecting the passage of or the desert inadequately inadequate inadequate- ly provided with Ith water and forage Luckily for lor Stansbury's party it rained and drenched them dail daily on the way out At Pilot Peak east base on November 2 1849 the they used wed the same spring ring patronized by Fremont n 18 1846 1844 arid d the D Donner party in jn laIG 1816 after crossing the tile desert in great disorder This was the HastIngs HastIng's cutoff to California and to perd perdition tion Reminders of or Donner Party Parly At that point Stansbury noted the usual destruction o ot of property clothes books cases of or medicine wagon wheels tools and so forth la lay strewn about abandoned abandon d by their owners who had laboriously brought them two thousand miles only to throw them away three years earlier carlier two Eighty-two years later I also cun camped d at that spring and on the hard white saline plain lay Jay more than one rusty circle with radial lines connecting to a dingy mound In the middle those middle those same wagon wheels just disappearing disappear disappear- ing from view Stansbury returned over the Donner trail traveling at ni night ht to reduce suffering from thirst During During During Dur Dur- ing the party's first night they ther passed pas five live wagons and one cart left leet by bythe the Donners who obviously obvious ly had abandoned everything fearful fearful fearful fear fear- ful of perishing in this inhospitable inhospitable able able N desert themselves Large quantities of or excellent clothing tool chests trunks scientific books and In fact everything us useful rul and usel useless s was strewn loni hn th the mis- mis ld c-ld ery erv n trail W. W G s sl stood d dI I bo ed In the mrs mr d lorf-d down wih goods The o of or s I oxen lying bin about explained the whole business |