Death Valley in 49

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Death Valley in '49, by William Lewis Manly

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Title: Death Valley in '49
Author: William Lewis Manly
Release Date: May 2, 2004 [EBook #12236]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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DEATH VALLEY IN '49.
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IMPORTANT CHAPTER OF California Pioneer History.
* * * * *
--THE--
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A PIONEER, DETAILING HIS LIFE FROM A HUMBLE HOME IN THE GREEN MOUNTAINS TO THE GOLD MINES OF CALIFORNIA; AND PARTICULARLY RECITING THE SUFFERINGS OF THE BAND OF MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN WHO GAVE "DEATH VALLEY" ITS NAME.
BY WILLIAM LEWIS MANLY.
1894.
* * * * *
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1894, by WM. L. MANLEY, In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D.C.
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TO THE PIONEERS OF CALIFORNIA, THEIR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN, THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED, WITH THAT HIGH RESPECT AND REGARD SO OFTEN EXPRESSED IN ITS PAGES, BY THE AUTHOR.
* * * * *
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Birth, Parentage.--Early Life in Vermont.--Sucking Cider through a Straw.
CHAPTER II.
The Western Fever.--On the Road to Ohio.--The Outfit.--The Erie Canal.--In the Maumee Swamp.
CHAPTER III.
At Detroit and Westward.--Government Land.--Killing Deer.--"Fever 'N Agur."
CHAPTER IV.
The Lost Filley Boy.--Never Was Found.
CHAPTER V.
Sickness.--Rather Catch Chipmonks in the Rocky Mountains than Live in Michigan.--Building the Michigan Central R.R.--Building a Boat.--Floating down Grand River.--Black Bear.--Indians Catching Mullet.--Across the Lake to Southport.--Lead Mining at Mineral Point.--Decides to go Farther West.--Return to Michigan.
CHAPTER VI.
Wisconsin.--Indian Physic.--Dressed for a Winter Hunting Campaign.--Hunting and Trapping in the Woods.--Catching Otter and Marten.
CHAPTER VII.
Lead Mining.--Hears about Gold in California.--Gets the Gold Fever.--Nothing will cure it but California.--Mr. Bennett and the Author Prepare to Start.--The Winnebago Pony.--Agrees to Meet Bennett at Missouri River.--Delayed and Fails to Find Him.--Left with only a Gun and Pony.--Goes as a Driver for Charles Dallas.--Stopped by a Herd of Buffaloes.--Buffalo Meat.--Indians.--U.S. Troops.--The Captain and the Lieutenant.--Arrive at South Pass.--The Waters Run toward the Pacific.--They Find a Boat and Seven of them Decide to Float down the Green River.
CHAPTER VIII.
Floating down the River.--It begins to roar.--Thirty Miles a Day.--Brown's Hole.--Lose the Boat and make two Canoes.--Elk.--The Ca?ons get Deeper.--Floundering in the Water.--The Indian Camp.--Chief Walker proves a Friend.--Describes the Terrible Ca?on below Them.--Advises Them to go no farther down.--Decide to go Overland.--Dangerous Route to Salt Lake.--Meets Bennett near there.--Organize the Sand Walking Company.
CHAPTER IX.
The Southern Route.--Off in Fine Style.--A Cut-off Proposed.--Most of Them Try it and Fail.--The Jayhawkers.--A New Organization.--Men with Families not Admitted.--Capture an Indian Who Gives Them the Slip.--An Indian Woman and Her Children.--Grass Begins to Fail.--A High Peak to the West.--No Water.--An Indian Hut.--Reach the Warm Spring.--Desert Everywhere.--Some One Steals Food.--The Water Acts Like a Dose of Salts.--Christmas Day.--Rev. J.W. Brier Delivers a Lecture to His Sons.--Nearly Starving and Choking.--An Indian in a Mound.--Indians Shoot the Oxen.--Camp at Furnace Creek.
CHAPTER X.
A Long, Narrow Valley.--Beds and Blocks of Salt.--An Ox Killed.--Blood, Hide and Intestines Eaten.--Crossing Death Valley.--The Wagons can go no farther.--Manley and Rogers Volunteer to go for Assistance.--They Set out on Foot.--Find the Dead Body of Mr. Fish.--Mr. Isham Dies.--Bones along the Road.--Cabbage Trees.--Eating Crow and Hawk.--After Sore Trials They Reach a Fertile Land.--Kindly Treated.--Returning with Food and Animals.--The Little Mule Climbs a Precipice, the Horses are Left Behind.--Finding the Body of Captain Culverwell.--They Reach Their Friends just as all Hope has Left Them.--Leaving the Wagons.--Packs on the Oxen.--Sacks for the Children.--Old Crump.--Old Brigham and Mrs. Arcane.--A Stampede [Illustrated.]--Once more Moving Westward.--"Good-bye, Death Valley."
CHAPTER XI.
Struggling Along.--Pulling the Oxen Down the Precipice [Illustrated.]--Making Raw-hide Moccasins.--Old Brigham Lost and Found.--Dry Camps.--Nearly Starving.--Melancholy and Blue.--The Feet of the Women Bare and Blistered.--"One Cannot form an Idea How Poor an Ox Will Get."--Young Charlie Arcane very Sick.--Skulls of Cattle.--Crossing the Snow Belt.--Old Dog Cuff.--Water Dancing over the Rocks.--Drink, Ye Thirsty Ones.--Killing a Yearling.--- See the Fat.--Eating Makes Them Sick.--Going down Soledad Ca?on--A Beautiful Meadow.--Hospitable Spanish People.--They Furnish Shelter and Food.--The San Fernando Mission.--Reaching Los Angeles.--They Meet Moody and Skinner.--Soap and Water for the First Time in Months.--Clean Dresses for the Women.--Real Bread to Eat.--A Picture of Los Angeles.--Black-eyed Women.--The Author Works in a Boarding-house.--Bennett and Others go up the Coast.--Life in Los Angeles.--The Author Prepares to go North.
CHAPTER XII.
Dr. McMahon's Story.--McMahon and Field, Left behind with Chief Walker, Determine to go down the River.--Change Their Minds and go with the Indians.--Change again and go by themselves.--Eating Wolf Meat.--After much Suffering they reach Salt Lake.--John Taylor's Pretty Wife.--Field falls in Love with her.--They Separate.--Incidents of Wonderful Escapes from Death.
CHAPTER XIII.
Story of the