In 1849, the allure of untold riches called to countless adventurous souls, including a young Lorenzo Dow Stephens. This extraordinary narrative chronicles Lorenzo Dow Stephens’ Journey from the familiar comforts of Illinois to the distant, promising California goldfields. On March 28, 1849, Stephens, then just 21, embarked on this perilous expedition, a decision that would etch itself into the annals of American westward expansion.
The early stages of Lorenzo Dow Stephens’ Journey were marked by both the profound emotional weight of departure and immediate physical challenges. Stephens recounts the difficulty of leaving behind “home, all that was near and dear,” a sentiment that almost led him to retreat. Yet, pride prevailed, and the expedition moved forward, laden with provisions, bedding, and clothing – often too heavily, as they would soon discover.
The Perilous Start: Navigating Early Obstacles
The spring of 1849 proved exceptionally wet, transforming roads into impassable quagmires and swelling rivers beyond their banks. Bridges were frequently washed away, forcing the party to spend considerable time repairing and constructing new ones. For larger waterways, they fashioned log rafts to transport wagons while cattle were made to swim. In Iowa, seemingly bottomless prairie sloughs necessitated cutting and layering sod to create makeshift paths.
Having commenced their journey early, before natural forage was abundant, the company had to purchase feed for their livestock until they reached the Missouri River. Iowa itself was sparsely populated, with farmhouses often twenty miles apart and villages consisting of unpainted, rudimentary structures. Despite the challenges, game was plentiful, offering sustenance in the form of deer, wild turkeys, and prairie chickens.
Establishing Order: The Missouri River and First Encounters
Upon reaching the Missouri River at Council Bluff, Iowa, the party traveled downstream to Traders’ Point, a critical staging area. Here, they paused for a week, allowing the grass to grow sufficiently for their stock and organizing into a larger, safer expedition. Recognizing the slower pace of a massive group, they eventually divided into smaller, more manageable companies to expedite their progress.
The crossing of the Missouri River presented its own set of formidable hurdles. A small scow, propelled by two men on each of two oars against a swift current, could transport only one empty wagon at a time. This arduous process for fifty wagons was compounded by the initial difficulty in getting the cattle to swim. After a failed attempt where cattle swam in circles for two hours under the midday sun, they discovered that an early morning crossing, before sunrise, made a significant difference. A few men towing a steer led the way, and the rest of the herd followed safely.
Their first direct encounter with Native Americans occurred shortly after crossing the river. While setting up campfires, the sudden sound of gunshots, volley after volley, heralded the approach of 200-300 Pawnee Indians. These Pawnee, engaged in conflict with the Sioux tribe, rode directly into the emigrant camp seeking protection. The pioneers, armed and ready, allowed them in under a white flag but ultimately ordered them away, asserting their neutrality to avoid animosity with the Sioux, whose territory they still had to traverse. This incident prompted the emigrants to adopt a more formal military structure, appointing colonels and captains, and establishing vigilant picket guards to prevent false alarms.
Dangers on the Plains: Native American Encounters and Wildlife
Despite initial vigilance, a degree of carelessness often set in amongst the travelers. Stephens vividly recalls a close call when he and a companion ventured ten miles from camp to hunt. After speaking briefly with an Indian, they were suddenly showered with arrows from unseen assailants. It became clear the Indians coveted Stephens’ rifle, adorned with 27 pieces of silver. The two men made a hasty retreat, much to the amusement and skepticism of their fellow travelers back at camp.
Continuing westward, the company passed the grave of Chief Black Hawk, a significant figure in the Black Hawk War. A minor rafting mishap near this location resulted in a wagon sinking, though its valuable load had fortunately been transferred. Another occasion saw three barrels of essential hard bread ruined when a wagon overturned during a stream crossing – a serious loss for pioneers dependent on their provisions.
Roughly twenty miles from the Missouri River, the emigrants discovered the abandoned winter quarters of the 1846-1847 Mormon excursion. Here, they acquired a Mormon Guide Book, which proved invaluable. It meticulously detailed road measurements and distances between camps, charting the 1,031-mile route from winter quarters to Salt Lake City, with only two established posts along the way: Fort Laramie and Fort Bridger.
At Fort Bridger, an amusing incident unfolded when Stephens and his companions, eager for advice from the old mountaineer James Bridger, found themselves amidst a flurry of excitement as Indians reportedly approached. Doors were barred and rifles prepared, only for the “Indians” to be revealed as an emigrant pack train from Arkansas, whose unfamiliar appearance had caused the alarm.
Soon after passing Wood River, the party entered the vast buffalo country. They witnessed thousands of these magnificent beasts, all migrating northwards. While some settlers senselessly slaughtered buffalo for sport, Stephens presciently lamented this behavior, noting its future devastation. He observed different species of wolves, particularly the large, long-legged “Buffalo Rangers” that preyed on calves, constantly terrorizing the herds. These wolves were known to be ferocious, even attacking men when hungry.
Stephens recounts a harrowing night when five boys, caught in a rainstorm, sought shelter under a bank with their buffalo meat. A band of hungry wolves attacked them relentlessly throughout the night, forcing the boys to fend them off with their guns. Shooting proved ineffective; only the coming daylight dispersed the persistent predators, leaving teeth marks on the gun barrels as a stark reminder of their ordeal.
Life on the Trail: Amusements, Ailments, and Anomalies
Despite the omnipresent hardships and dangers, life on the trail wasn’t without its lighter moments. The company boasted talented musicians, and almost every night, dances were held around the campfire. To distinguish partners in the absence of women – a stark reality of the 1849 emigration where women comprised a mere one in five hundred – half the men wore handkerchiefs on their heads. Stephens himself humorously notes his two decades as a bachelor before finding his mate.
However, the journey was also shadowed by tragedy. The cholera epidemic of 1849 was devastating, with wagon trains daily stalled by its ravages, and many dying along the Platte River. Stephens himself contracted cholera past Fort Laramie but, driven by an unyielding resolve to reach California, pushed through. He believed many deaths attributed solely to cholera might have also involved fevers, given the apparent inevitability of death once attacked.
Everyday interactions with Native Americans offered both unique and amusing anecdotes. Friendly Indians often visited camp, trading or begging for food. Stephens recalls a man with false teeth who, by repeatedly removing and reinserting them, terrified a group of Indians into fleeing, believing him to be an evil spirit. Along the Platte River, they observed Pawnee burial customs, where corpses were wrapped in bark and tied to tree limbs. Further west, where trees were scarce for hundreds of miles, buffalo chips became the essential fuel for cooking, providing a hot fire when dry but leaving them with cold provisions during rainstorms.
The Great Expanse: Landmarks and Final Stretches
The vastness of the plains often played tricks on the eye. Distant objects like Chimney Rock appeared deceptively close, leading a party to walk all day only to realize their futile effort. Pikes Peak, over 200 miles away, seemed an insurmountable landmark. In the Black Hills, they passed through Crow Indian country, but never saw any, as the Crow were notoriously unfriendly to whites. Conversely, the Shoshone (or “Snake”) tribe, though disliking the latter name, proved amicable. Stephens and a friend even visited a Shoshone camp of over 500 people, where the chief’s English-speaking wife extended royal treatment. They were invited on a buffalo hunt but declined, later encountering the chief and his wife again in Salt Lake City, much to their mutual delight.
Thunderstorms were a frequent and terrifying hazard along the Platte River and into the Black Hills. Stephens recounts finding a team of four yokes of oxen, all struck dead by lightning, a catastrophic loss for their owners.
Internal conflicts were also a reality of wagon train life. Disagreements over trivial matters sometimes led to the drastic measure of dividing property, with wagons literally cut in two, and teams and provisions split between parties, who then continued their journey on two-wheeled carts.
Reaching the Sweet Water River, the pioneers encountered the iconic Independence Rock, a vast landmark named for its discovery on the Fourth of July. A short distance further lay Devil’s Gate, a formidable gorge rumored to be impassable. While many had attempted and failed, a party from Stephens’ company pressed on, though only two completed the treacherous passage, one nearly losing his life.
Conclusion: The Enduring Spirit of the Forty-Niners
Lorenzo Dow Stephens’ chronicle offers a profoundly personal and vivid account of the monumental California Gold Rush Journey of 1849. His narrative brings to life the extraordinary resilience, resourcefulness, and sheer grit required to traverse the American frontier. From the deep emotional pangs of leaving home and the constant battle against nature’s fury – swollen rivers, impassable terrain, devastating cholera epidemics – to the complex interactions with diverse Native American tribes and the ever-present threat of starvation or animal attacks, Stephens’ journey was a testament to the pioneering spirit. The experiences shaped not only the individuals who undertook them but also the very fabric of the expanding nation, forever imprinting the tales of hope, hardship, and unwavering determination on the path to the Golden State.
