Page 87 - Cooke's Peak - Pasaron Por Aqui

prevent the wolves from opening the grave
He leaves in Platte County, Missouri, a wife
describing the journey. On the way to El Paso del Norte, the wagon train suffered only one minor In- dian attack, in which they temporarily lost seven horses. The train must have been relatively large, because Louisiana noted that a company of 60 men pursued the Indians, and surely they would not have left the women and children unprotected in the event the initial raid were only diversionary. They reached El Paso del Norte on July 1 and remained
144 there 12 days.
At that time of year, they were able to purchase fruit of all kinds and fresh vegetables and even flour, but there was no bacon and little beef or mutton available, and that was of inferior quality. Louisiana noted that every day brought more emigrants to the Pass of the North. Their train divided at this point, and some of the people left their wagons and proceeded on with pack mules. The group with whom the Strentzels remained left on July 13, 1849, and proceeded slowly up the river, letting their stock graze on the plentiful grass.
Eighty miles above El Paso del Norte, they crossed the river by taking their wagon apart and floating it across to the west bank using a canoe and some emptykegs. ByJuly28theyhadtraveled20miles west and intersected Cooke’s Wagon Road. Louisiana noted that hundreds of wagons had used the road already and that the trail was very plain. However, it was only at Tucson and the Pima Indian villages that the Strentzels were able to find abun-
145
dant supplies. Not everyone, especially later,
was so fortunate.
The emigrants following the southern route placed
an additional stress on the Southwestern economy. An economy that produced an amount of staples barely sufficient for its own needs. Therefore, sup- plies were usually scarce and the prices frequently high. Sometimes more favorable terms could be had by bartering. One man traded an old sword for 350 fine onions near El Paso del Norte and reported that powder, caps, or other such material would “pur-
146
Between El Paso del Norte and the Yuma crossing, the only places that were reasonably dependable for supplies were the army establishments at Dona Ana and Tucson and the
Pima Indian villages.
Farther along the route, the train met a company
of Mexicans returning from the gold mines, and their description of the hardships ahead prompted the Strentzels and others to leave behind many of their
andfour children
139
.
The Hayes company reached the junction of the
Gila and Colorado Rivers on. December 31, 1849,
having undergone still another reorganization nearly
two weeks earlier. At the ferry crossing, Hayes met
Colonel Carrasco, serving with General Conde’s
Mexican Boundary Commission who had just
com-
pleted the boundary survey from the Pacific Coast
to the Colorado River. Through intervention by this
Mexican official, Hayes’ party was able to cut in half
the ferry fare for each person (but not for the
mules).
140
Colonel Carrasco estimated that of the
approximately 12,000 who had passed this point in
1849, probably one-half were Sonorans.141 A few
days later Hayes noted that some military acquain-
tances informed him that the United States govern-
ment had already contributed to the relief of 22
parties - 15 from Missouri, 4 from New York, and 3
142
from Texas.
Other emigrants sought California through
southern states and made use of Texas roads, developed partly by the military and partly by com- mercial interests to reach Cooke’s Wagon Road via El Paso del Norte. The route west from San An- tonio, Texas, to El Paso del Norte was initially lo- cated by Topographical Engineers under the direction of Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Ec- cleston Johnston. In the summer of 1849, a wagon road was constructed along the route, and it was immediately put to heavy use. It later became one of the major links in the way west for the overland mail, cattle herds, and emigrants bound for New
143
Mexico, Arizona, and California.
It was over this road that a company including the
Strentzel family passed in the early summer of 1849. Two Poles, John Theophil Strentzel and his brother Henry, had taken part in the ill-fated 1830 revolution against Russia. To avoid induction in the army, or some worse fate, they fled to America. On Decem- ber 31, 1843, 30-year-old John married 22-year-old Louisiana Erwin in Fannin County, Texas. With their two very small children (two-year-old Louisa and baby John), they started toward California by wagon on March 22, 1849, where John intended to resume his medical practice. The family would ar- rive at San Diego Mission on November 29, and here Louisiana would write a long letter to her family
chase considerable.”
Chapter 3
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