Crossing the Plains, Days of '57: A Narrative of Early Emigrant Travel to California by the Ox-team MethodMaxwell, Wm. Audley (William Audley)
History
Crossing the Plains, Days of '57: A Narrative of Early Emigrant Travel to California by the Ox-team Method
Maxwell, Wm. Audley (William Audley)
Overland journeys to the Pacific
Directly in our course was a declivity which dropped an estimated
depth of sixty to one hundred feet below the narrow, stony flat on
which we stood, down into a depressed valley. Abrupt ridges of broken
stone formation were on our right and left, inclosing us in a small
space of barren, waste earth. The elements had crumbled the rocks down
for ages, until what perhaps had been once a deep canyon was now a
narrow flat, a mass of debris, terminating at the top of the steep,
ragged cliff that pitched downward before us. The high, rocky ridges
on both sides were wholly impassable, at least for the teams. A search
finally disclosed, at the base of the ridge on our right, a single
possible passage. It was narrow, slightly wider than a wagon, and led
downward at a steep incline, into the valley below, with rocks
protruding from both its side walls, its bottom strewn with stones
such as our vehicles could not pass over in an ordinary way.
We were confronted with the problem how to get the wagons down that
yawning fissure; the alternative being to retrace our steps many
miles.
At the bottom of this cliff or wall that barred our way could be seen
a beautiful valley, stretching far and wide away to the northwest; a
scene of enchanting loveliness, a refreshing contrast to the dry and
nearly barren hills over which we had traveled during the many days
last past. A short distance from the foot of the wall was a small
stream of clear water, running over the meadow-flat. Rich pasture
extended along the line of trees that marked the serpentine course of
the brook which zigzagged its way toward the southwest. Every man,
woman and child of our company expressed in some way the declaration,
"We _must_ get into that beautiful oasis." It looked like field, park
and orchard, in one landscape; all fenced off from the desolate
surroundings by this wall of stone. Like Moses viewing Canaan from
Nebo's top, we looked down and yearned to be amidst its freshness.
It was not decreed that we should not enter in. A little distance to
the south, near the other ridge, we discovered another opening,
through which the animals could be driven down, but through which the
wagons could not pass. This was a narrow, crooked ravine, and very
steep; running diagonally down through the cliff; a sort of dry
water-way, entirely bridged over in one part by an arch of stone,
making it there a natural tunnel or open-ended cave; terminating at
the base of the cliff in an immense doorway, opening into the valley.
The teams were unhitched from the wagons, the yokes taken off the
oxen, and all the cattle, horses and mules were driven through the
inclined tunnel into the coveted valley. The women and children
clambered down, taking with them what they could of the camp things,
for immediate use, and soon were quite "at home" in the valley, making
free use of the little creek, for whatever purposes a little creek of
pure, cold, fresh water is good, for a lot of thirsty, dust-covered
wayfarers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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