Show ehte ES 0 part ry y released through the ilia courtesy oatho of the utah historical landmarks Ass association ocla newhouse so building g sa salt take t ake city utah dy by edgar al ledyard president after Jed jedediah edlah Smith ff historic his foric trek salt desert sonic across the great four years passed before it was traversed again in 1841 john bartleson a colonel ot of jackson county missouri was the leader ot of a second party ot of white men to successfully of ully cross this great waste from sapling grove missouri to I 1 soda springs idaho tho the Dart bartleson leson party was a unit of a composite le group father pierre jean DOS desmet met ot of the society ot of jesua and his aboc lates father nicolas point and father err gregory Men garIna lna three lay bo b 0 others a blacksmith a carpenter a tinner thiner separated with others from the bartleson Bart leaon party at soda springs and made their way to tho the northwest ot of father desmet it was the purpose and till his associates to carry on missionary work there they emalia sized the practical side bide by taking artisans with them the ambitions 0 of this group did not over shadow those ot of some other members of the original party particularly bidwell and lila ills associates who believed bel loved in the tabled fabled buenaventura buena ventura river connecting great salt lake with the pacific and accordingly accords took along tools to build canoes on great salt lake with which they hoped to make their way to tho the pad paci tie fie ocean A sidelight side light on human nature la is shown in iii the case came of john bidwell who was ono one among the five hundred organizers ot of the western emiera boin society each ot of whom signed a pledge to make the trip and all ot of whom withdrew with the exception ot of bidwell Dl dwell like many other expeditions this ot of the determined one was a combination remnants of 0 other organizations sixty nine people started out from sapling grove with john bartleson as captain who was chosen not because he was the best man but because I 1 lie he refused to go it IE he did not occupy a position as leader the party was fortunate in having as its guide the experienced trall amen and indian strategist thomas fitzpatr fitzpatrick ick lck according to father desmet fifty of the sixty nine carried guns and y could us uso bem advantageously oxen mules and horses were the motive no cows were taken along which chic AA pr ve a hardship on the children f fach each ach member ember of the party was presumed to pave hava riot not less than a barrel ot of flour with sufficient sugar to carry him through for meat the party depended upon game along the route bidwell states that his gun was an old flintlock but a good one he chose this rather than one of the newfangled tangled ones with percussion caps since old hunters told him that the caps capa might become lost or wet whereas it alln flint were lost another one could be picked up on the plains there was probably not more than in cash in tho the entire party had thero there been more there were few places to spend it the entire party followed the south fork of the platte river crossed the north fork passing noted landmarks like courthouse rocks scotts bluff chimney rock reaching fort laramie safely after a few experiences with indians independence rock hock and devils gate cate were noted as they passed ed along the sweetwater after which they struck tao taj e nig big sandy green river blacks fork tile the bear river and soda springs As noted above the party divided at soda springs the original party of sixty nine now numbered sixty tour four sin coone had been accident accidentally aily shot a man by the name of simpson left tile the party at fort laramie Lar anite and three peyton rodgers and frye r ye I 1 turned back at green river I 1 aiji when len fath father desmet turned to the northwest with his immediate party fitzpatrick and others there were only thirty two in he bartleson bir aldwell I 1 w e 11 group who were determined to go to california by way of great salt lake and the humboldt tn in the words of bidwell Bl dwell the country to the west was was a veritable terra incognito tto and the only thing the party knew was that C ili forAt lay in that direction Bartleson The party did sonic some little exploration work around soda springs mostly in response to curlo 13 ity tho the expedition was delayed while le awaiting the arrival of the tour four nien men sent to fort hall to obtain information regarding the route across the desert ton ten days clays were required for the fort hall trip but the men returned to the main party without any definite information regarding the bo j route it was september SO P when they reach i i ed the northern extremity of great greata 1 salt lake traveling in this sect section loil j was vory vcr difficult and delays of an hour or 01 more occurred dally daily tile the aspect of tile the country was forbidding with its alkali and stunted sage brudi the water at the south bear river while salty quenched ched the thirst of the animals and saved their lives but the alkali vegetation they refused jaded as they were two mora scouts were sent out it to obtain information five days passed before these me men returned with tho the information formation Iti that they ir rould see bee mountains mount atris in the dirance dl di sance tho the party then decided to throw away awa all unnecessary equipment pack their possessions on tile the oxen mules ard horses borses and make a race across tho the desert pilot peak was finally reached re ich and from that point po the party part made southwest following somewhat tile the present line of the western JV estern pacific railroad in this vicinity then through steptoe valley into ruby valley and north through secret pass i striking the humboldt in the vicinity of halleck according to some authorities and beyond elko according to others tile the humboldt with its boggy bogey hanks and non palatable water victor was followed full owed to the sink while camped on walker river olgat men were sent ahead to explore the country to the south these men probably reached what Is now called carson lake the indians there were friendly and supplied them with fish and pine nuts captain bartleson Bart leon overweight when I 1 he h e left missouri was reduced to a shadow shado and remembering the delectable things of that state said boys if I 1 ever get back to missouri I 1 wl will not leave that country I 1 would gladly eat out of the troughs with my hogs bertleson left the party twice and benjamin kelsey was in charge whon when part par of the sierras were crossed SOMO some of the emaciated horses were stolen and kill killed ed by the horse thief indians the party finally arrived in california without knowing krOwl ng where here they were and sonic some thought thOu glit that five hundred more miles of travel lay ahead mt diablo now famous as a triangulation point was sigh sighted the san joaquin river was crossed and soon afterward they reached dr marshs marahs ranch where the tired travelers learned that they were in ill el dorado bidwell Is warm warin in III his admiration for jimmy john lost for two months but finally making his way ay to fort suiter MAUL r and 1 equally enthusiastic over the treatment of the party by dr marah strange as it may seem the entire enire party finally final ly reached r s fort without the loss of an Bartl esons memory Is lost in the j maelstrom of california occupation the gold rush and other early events ot 01 california 1 j bidwell learned ranching from sutter also how to handle indians I 1 f diew the contract contract between sutter and marshall for the building of the mill where gold was discovered wrote the declaration of the bear flag revolution took in gold out of Bl Bi dwells bar founded chico became Cali fornias first f candidate tor for oe presidency and was noted for his splendid philanthropy the original party contained two great early western journalists bidwell and father desmet to these these two men posterity is indebted tor for most of the knowledge of the personnel of this expedition and the conditions under i which it was made |