drawn wagons. Walker planned well by bringing animals for the sole purpose of food, but he was still concerned about supplies holding out, so he decided to split the party up. Walker would lead the wagons up the Raft River to Goose Creek, from there to Humboldt Sink by October 22. However the other half of the party, the supply team, made a long looping swing through Southern Oregon reaching Sutter's farm in November after having ridden 800 miles in 40 days. They immediately went back to find Walker and his group but the Sierras were covered with snow and impassable by that time.
CaptSurvain Walker and his group meantime, didn't leave Humboldt Sink until November 1st thinking that the supply group was just late. Only halfway to California with 45 days gone, they cut rations and moved along as fast as the animals and people could go. Constantly tired and hungry, they still had their wagons and some of their livestock. Walker knew where they were going and the nature of the journey - if they would only have believed him.
Next time...Fremont's Survey
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On this Day in History: October 27, 1873, a De Kalb, Illinois farmer named Joseph Glidden submits an application to the U.S. Patent Office for his clever new design for a fencing wire with sharp barbs, an invention that will forever change the face of the American West.
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