Page 90 - Cooke's Peak - Pasaron Por Aqui

Travelers’ reports during this early migration period were nearly devoid of Indian problems west of the Rio Grande, and some indicated that they conductedtradewiththeIndiansatvariouspoints along the route. In the vicinity of Cooke’s Spring (in December 1849 or January 1850) a man identified only as [F. J.] Thibault had been out hunting alone when he encountered three mounted Apaches who were trailing a lost cow. After identifying Thibault
as an American, one of the Indians took him back to
camp riding double and, true to their promise,
returned the following morning with mules and hor-
161 ses to trade.
Subsequent to the Apaches’ falling out with the Boundary Commission in 1851, however, Indian at- tacks proliferated. Despite this ominous situation, many emigrants continued using the southern trail to California rather than risk the alternative dangers of a more northern route. The soldier diarist at Fort Fillmore recorded that a Mormon Caravan passed the military installation on June 9, 1853, and on June 21 noted another emigrant train bound for “El Dorado.” In the latter case the wagons were all pulled by cows, and the people were poorly clad and “still worse armed.”162
Some of the people who went to California in the early 1850s did not stay very long. Benjamin Shack- lett Dowell and his second wife Juana are excellent examples of this behavior. After fighting in the Mexican war and being imprisoned for eight months, Dowell returned to his native Kentucky. He wanted to move west but his first wife of nine years, the former Melvina Stith, refused so they agreed to a divorce. Dowell reached Franklin, Texas, in about
1850 and married Juana Marquez, a Tigua Indian, in 1852 or 1853.
The Dowells and a best friend, William M. Ford, left for California in early 1854. Their involvement in a local conflict, frequently called the Magoffin Salt War, may have led to their decision to seek their fortunes further west, at least temporarily. The Dowells and Ford journeyed west with one of the many trains headed for California, and settled in Los Angeles. However, following the birth of their first child, Mary, on October 31 (or 30), 1854, the Dowells and Ford decided to return to Franklin.
By May 1855 they reached Cooke’s Spring and camped for the night. Juana placed baby Mary on a pallet beside the wagon while the adults ate break-
the baby by her clothing, and loped off. Dowell heard the baby cry out, grabbed his rifle, and with careful aim, killed the coyote. Juana quickly recoveredtheunharmedbaby. WhenDowell reached Franklin a few days later, he a j°b managing a ranch for William T. Smith.
Just as the emigrants faced hazards of the road for
the expected gain of gold, fertile lands, or better
markets for their services, the Texas cattlemen also
looked to California for profit. Cattle had been
introduced into the New World by Columbus in
1493, and the Spanish carried cattle to New Spain.
The intermingling of Spanish and Anglo-American
stock from Europe produced a lean, narrow-faced,
long-horned creature ideally suited to survive in the
arid Southwest. It was an animal that men would
fight and die to possess and would become the tem-
porary economic backbone of Texas — the Texas
164
Longhorn.
The journey through New Mexico Territory to
California was hazardous for man and beast, with
barren stretches without water and Indians lurking
for a free meal. But, if the trek could be completed,
the rewards at the other end were considerable. A
steer worth $5 to $10 in Texas could be sold in
California for $25 to $150, depending on the market
fast.
Ahungrycoyotesnuckintothecamp,snatched
with the Pacific coast.
168
Aubry anticipated the
Civilian Use of the Southern Route
76
at the time.
165
Tradition has it that the first cattle
herd was driven to California from Washington
County, Texas, in 1848. T. J. Trimmer supposedly
took 500 head west by way of the Gila Trail and sold
them for $100 apiece. News traveled fast, and when
he returned to Texas in 1849, he met herd after herd
166
on the trail.
The trailing of livestock to California was not
limited to beef cattle. The Fort Fillmore diarist recorded that on June 7, 1852, a large train of many cattle, horses, and mules passed on their way from
167
Furthermore, the trailing of livestock was not confined to the Texans. The stock- men of New Mexico also took early advantage of California’s needs, but they drove mostly sheep. As Cooke had pointed out, the trail was well suited for these animals, and a few men could handle massive
flocks.
Francois Xavier Aubry was one of the early Santa
Fe entrepreneurs to exploit this market. He made two round trips to California from Santa Fe and on the return legs explored specifically for a better
wagon and railroad route to connect New Mexico
Texas to California.