| Members of the Arkansas Emigrating Company | | | | walked was food to them. They are naturally |
| were making ready for departure from | | | | pusillanimous, weak in development, sunk below |
| Fayetteville on April 17, 1849. In the pre-dawn | | | | the common baser passions of the savage, more |
| light, clouds hanging low and the air heavy laden | | | | improvident than birds, more beastly than beasts. |
| with moisture left little doubt that Spring rains | | | | It may be possible to conceive of a lower phase |
| would soon arrive in Arkansas. Finally the call rang | | | | of humanity, but I confess my inability to do so." |
| out "California Ho!" Oxen and horses strained in | | | | They met with many challenges along the way. |
| their harness and the wagons loaded with men, | | | | The Arkansans weren't particularly happy with |
| supplies and equipment rolled west. Some who | | | | their travel across the desert lands. They |
| had no wagons had bartered for space on the | | | | described it as "the most miserable, poor, sandy, |
| wagons of others who had a little space to spare. | | | | dusty, and hateful country (with a few |
| Livestock and horse riders fell in behind the | | | | exceptions) that any white man ever saw, or |
| wagons. Excitement was evident in their eyes | | | | ever will see till he comes and sees this sand and |
| although few words were spoken amongst the | | | | dust." They reported an astronomical number of |
| men. They had dreams of the gold they hoped to | | | | dead animals every few hundred yards along with |
| bring back to Arkansas. | | | | graves of prior unfortunate emigrants. The stench |
| Rains soon came and the 85 mile trip to their | | | | of rotting flesh was never far from their nostrils. |
| rendezvous with the Cherokee Company at | | | | The mountainous regions presented an equal |
| Grand Saline was accomplished under muddy | | | | challenge. Many of the Arkansas emigrants |
| conditions. The men didn't complain. | | | | elected to abandon their wagons and pack what |
| The Company left Grand Saline and headed for | | | | they could across the mountains. At one point |
| California on April 24, 1849. The Arkansas | | | | there was such a strong wind they were forced |
| Emigrating Company after joining with the | | | | to crawl to keep from being blown away. |
| Cherokees, consisted of 130 people, 40 wagons, | | | | Apparently one reason Captain L. Evans trail is so |
| 304 oxen, 41 mules, 65 horses and 31 cows, | | | | often mentioned in subsequent diaries is that |
| making in all 441 head of livestock. They recorded | | | | when he led his company from Washington |
| the miles traveled daily which averaged 5-20 miles. | | | | County and the Cherokee Nation west in 1849 he |
| Mileage was calculated using a device designed by | | | | took the time to carve on stones the fact that |
| John Rankin Pyeatte which measured distance by | | | | he passed a certain point. For example, at the |
| counting the revolutions of the wagon wheel. | | | | fork with the Santa Fe Trail Captain Evans set up |
| Other companies were plagued by sickness and | | | | a stone marked "To Fayettville, Ark, 300 |
| disease but Captain Evans Company didn't seem | | | | miles--Capt. Evans' Com'y, May 12, 1849." |
| to suffer much sickness. Cholera was rampant | | | | The Company reached the Sacramento Valley, |
| among other emigrating companies. That scourge | | | | the village of Webbersville, October 20, 1849. Part |
| didn't infiltrate our Arkansas Emigrating Company. | | | | of the group immediately left for Sacramento |
| They actually had few casualties. An August 16, | | | | City to replenish supplies. Others proceeded to |
| 1849 letter from James Crawford to his wife, | | | | erect winter shelter as best they could. At this |
| Harriett, reported that Mr. Tharpe died with what | | | | point it seems that disappointment and |
| the doctors called diabetes. Mr. Garvin, one of the | | | | discouragement took over. Yet they accepted |
| pack company, was drowned while attempting to | | | | the fact that they would have to winter in |
| cross Green River on a raft or skin boat. Aaron | | | | California so as is common with Arkansans, they |
| Tyner, Hiram Shores and others narrowly | | | | made the best of it. |
| escaped drowning. They did lose their baggage | | | | Judging by letters written to his sons, nephews |
| and their money. | | | | and friends, W. D. Crawford wasn't too keen on |
| About ten days behind the Evans party, was | | | | the expedition in the first place and took every |
| another emigrating company led by Dr. Jeter L. | | | | opportunity to remind them of the morals which |
| Thompson, composed almost entirely of | | | | they took with them from Arkansas. His first |
| Cherokees. Cholera overtook that company at | | | | letter included the following statement: "Oh! the |
| the Platte River crossing below North Platte, | | | | infatuation, boys, take care you do not get your |
| Nebraska and devastated it. John Lynch Adair and | | | | fingers burned and your morals corrupted. No |
| his brother, two adventurous young Cherokees, | | | | doubt if you have the good fortune to reach your |
| were with that party. Adair wrote in his diary: | | | | place of destination, you will be in the foulest |
| "Both sides of the river was a solid mass of | | | | crowd ever assembled on this earth at any one |
| wagons, men digging graves on each side of the | | | | time or place." Subsequent letters gave even |
| river, men dying in their wagons, hallowing and | | | | more stern admonitions. His dire warnings proved |
| crying and cramping with cholera, women | | | | to be prophetic as stealing, lying, swearing, |
| screaming and praying. Oh, my God, if there were | | | | drinking, gambling and murders were rampant |
| ever two boys that wanted to get back to their | | | | around the gold fields. It seems that every outlaw |
| mothers, we did." | | | | from every corner of the earth had converged |
| One letter to home offered the following | | | | upon the hapless miners and perpetrated every |
| explanation for the good health of the Arkansans: | | | | crime and illegal activity that could be imagined. |
| "Nothing else could be expected from men who | | | | The discovery of gold drove up prices for |
| cook their food with buffalo chips, snuff the pure | | | | everything. While the average worker might |
| bland breezes of the boundless plains and braced | | | | make $6 to $10 per day, food and supplies could |
| up with a 'lively hope' that all the wildest dreams | | | | cost much more than they earned. Many people |
| e'er wove in fancy's loom of 'ingots of gold and | | | | had spent 6 months earnings, or more, getting to |
| bags of dollars,' will be realized beyond the | | | | California. |
| Cordilietas" | | | | John H. Miller, writing to the "St. Joseph Valley |
| They did, however, suffer many inconveniences if | | | | Register," October 6, 1849, gives the following |
| nothing else. Their diaries tell of horses stolen by | | | | prices at Webberville, 60 miles from Sacramento: |
| Indians and oxen lost. It seems some of the oxen | | | | Wagons ........................................ $40 to $80.00 |
| rebelled and turned back home without the | | | | Oxen, per yoke ............................... 50 to 150.00 |
| consent of their owners. Letters exchanged | | | | Mules, each ................................... 90 to 150.00 |
| between James Crawford with other relations | | | | Board, per meal, $1.50, or per week ... 21.00 |
| back home continued to mention "Old Tuck," who | | | | Beef, per pound .............................. 40 cents to .75 |
| must have been a favored ox. So far as is | | | | Salt Pork, per pound ........................ 40 cents to .75 |
| recorded Old Tuck never made it back home to | | | | Flour, per pound ............................. 25 cents to .30 |
| Cane Hill, although another team of oxen still | | | | Sugar, per pound ............................ 30 cents to .50 |
| yoked together, did come home. So often was | | | | Molasses, per gallon ........................ $2 to 4.00 |
| he mentioned that one must wonder about the | | | | Mining Cradles ................................ $20 to 60.00 |
| fate of "Old Tuck." | | | | Mining Pans ................................... $4 to 8.00 |
| Many references were made to Indians stealing | | | | Obvious from letters written to home, the gold in |
| horses. One particular incident referred to a mule. | | | | California was pretty much a disappointment as |
| As a group of men set out to recover the stolen | | | | there were thousands of gold seekers and while |
| horses, they met a group of Indians returning the | | | | some did acquire a fortune, most did not. |
| mule they had inadvertently taken along with the | | | | According to diaries and letters the Divins, |
| horses. Having a bit of experience with mules | | | | Edmistons, Eperson and J. Wham found a |
| myself, I wonder if the Indians found the | | | | somewhat more lucrative mine but nothing is |
| personality of the mule frightening and perhaps | | | | written about what, if anything, they brought |
| they felt it was filled with evil spirits. | | | | back to Arkansas. As the family story goes, The |
| While most of the Indian tribes encountered | | | | Divins and Edmistons, from whom I descend, |
| appeared quite friendly, anxious to trade and | | | | were an impatient lot and when they were ready |
| hopeful of receiving gifts, the most problematic | | | | to return to Arkansas they saddled their horses |
| were the Diggers. They were a nomadic tribe of | | | | and struck off cross-country alone. (Perhaps I |
| Indians who lived in the desert. Their bows were | | | | inherit my impatience from them). It is said that |
| not strong enough to kill an ox, but could wound | | | | they would not even make fires lest they attract |
| one to the extent that it had to be left behind. | | | | the unwanted attention of Indians. |
| Very little historically is known about them. They | | | | A sad finale to this story is that of James |
| lived in burrows and obtained a miserable | | | | Sawyer Crawford. He elected to return to |
| existence by digging roots and insects for food. | | | | Arkansas via ship. He reached the Port of |
| They harassed almost every wagon train which | | | | Arkansas on October 31, 1850, about 12 miles |
| crossed the desert such that subsequent | | | | below Pine Bluff. From this point James Sawyer |
| emigrating parties shot them on sight. Whatever | | | | Crawford made his way across country to |
| became of these miserable people has not been | | | | Fayetteville. He died somewhere in the few miles |
| recorded. Hubert Howe Bancroft, the noted | | | | between Fayetteville and his home at Cane Hill. He |
| historian, said in his massive treatise on Native | | | | is buried in the Crawford Cemetery north of |
| American people, "Anything that crawled, flew, or | | | | Lincoln. |