The Upper Class Goes West

As the western trails became more traveled, families of social status began to move west.  These families carried servants to do the cooking, driving the oxen teams, and tending the livestock.

Harriet T. Clarke and her husband had "seven or eight wagons, 200-300 head of cattle, and about 100 horses."  Their wagon train included 30 work hands.  Ladies traveled sidesaddle and brought their own "poland" chickens to "furnish us with eggs all the way."

Harriet described the memorable journey: "we rode in a carriage not a spring wagon, and were the first carriages to cross the plains."  Harriet considered her journey as "a pleasant trip and a perfect delight.  In the evenings we sit around the campfire and sing and tell stories or go visiting."

Jane Kellogg's party included "four oxen teams, three yoke of oxen to each wagon and one light horse

carriage for mother and Melissa to ride in."  With enough cash, the Kelloggs were able to pay for settler's hospitality and often slept in houses instead of tents.

Among the upper class emigrants, the lower class were referred to as "Missourians" and the term came to refer to everyone and everything mean and common.

Even though her journey was "pleasant" Harriet was well aware of the hardships of less fortunate travelers on the trail as she recorded:

"As we passed other trains there were always plenty of babies.  We saw many women traveling or carrying a child on their hips.  We found people with nothing at all, footing it alone, sleeping anywhere they could.  They walked because their cattle had died and they had to leave their wagon behind, taking just what they could carry."

Of course there is no indication that anyone in her party offered to assist any of those in need...

Next time...we are taking a 2 week break while I go cruising in the Caribbean :)  We'll continue this subject when we return.

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Today in Pioneer History:   On November 5, 1862,  more than 300 Santee Sioux are found guilty of raping and murdering Anglo settlers and are sentenced to hang in Minnesota. A month later, President Lincoln commuted all but 39 of the death sentences.

Celinda Hines - Death Be Repressed

Celinda Hines' large family began their trek west in 1853 from Oswego, New York with well equipped wagons.  Celinda wrote of her appreciation of nature's beauty when she noted, "Chimney Rock was awfully sublime by moonlight."  When Indians came to camp "to fish in exchange for clothing, we brought a number...they understood swap and no swap...they seemed anxious to get shirts and socks."

August 29, 1853 started pleasantly enough.  The family reached a ferry stop on the Sweetwater

River.  With cash low, the decided to cross the livestock and wagons without hiring a ferry master.  The men began to guide the animals across, but were caught in a sudden swift current.  While the women watched, Celinda's father was swept away and drowned.  The rest of the men didn't dare risk a rescue.  Celinda wrote, "an Indian chief whom Uncle Gus could talk in Chinook dialect with, took several of his men who were expert swimmers and divers and made every possible exertion to get the body, but were unsuccessful.  Uncle Gus swam in to get Pa's hat."

Celinda wrote that "with hearts overflowing with sorrow, we were under the necessity of pursuing our journey immediately, as there was no grass where we were."  She noted that the "wolves howled", no doubt in mournful sympathy.

Celinda consoled herself that her father was "yet living" and that he "would watch over me and continue to guide me".  A week later she was able once again to note the beauty of her surroundings, all mention of her grief gone.

Women's journals recorded incidents of death, but seldom the grief that followed.  They suppressed emotions that threatened self-control.  As a simple phrase in another woman's journal stated, "we must endure trials like good soldiers."  The trail was cruel as many families experienced.

Next time...The Upper Class Goes West
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Today in Pioneer History:  On November 2,1912, the XIT Ranch of Texas, once among the largest ranches in the world, sells its last head of cattle.