Part
I: Along the Trail
As pioneers rolled covered
wagons across the vast North American continent to a new land, the love
and loyalty for the country they were leaving behind remained with them.
Even the brave men who paved the way to this new frontier for these
pioneers would stop and pause for a moment of brief celebration and
patriotism when July 4th came around. The celebration of old and
familiar holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, and other events monumental
or otherwise, gave weary
travelers something to look forward to other than the arduous work of
their journeys and expeditions. It also helped them to remain connected
to the land and the loved one's back in the States.
Corp
of Discovery Greets Day With A Bang
Diaries from these travels more often than not noted Independence
Day. Not quite two months into their journey of exploration into unknown
territories, Captain William Clark of the Lewis & Clark Corp of
Discovery noted
July 4th 1804
:
"Ushered in the
day by a discharge of one shot from our bow piece, proceeded on, passed
the mouth of a bayou leading from a large lake on the S.S. (starboard,
or right side,) which has the appearance of being once the bend of the
river, and reaches parallel for several miles. We came to on the L.S.
(larboard, or left side, known today as port side) to refresh ourselves.
Joseph Fields got bitten by a snake, and was quickly doctored with bark
by Captain Lewis.
We passed a creek
twelve yards wide, on the L.S., coming out of an extensive prairie
reaching within two hundred yards of the river. As this creek has no
name, and this being the Fourth of July, the day of the
Independence
of the
United States
, we called it "Fourth of July 1804 Creek." We dined on corn.
Captain Lewis and I walked on shore above this creek and discovered a
high mound from the top of which he had an extensive view. Three paths
came together at the mount. We saw great numbers of goslings today which
were nearly grown. The lake is clear and contains great quantities of
fish and geese and goslings. This induced me to call it
Gosling
Lake. A small Creek and several springs run into the lake on the east side
from the hills. The land on that side is very good."
No Time To Rest on the Fourth
Explorer Stephen Long led an expedition across the plains to the
Rocky Mountains
in 1820. Forty miles east of
the peak which is now named after Long, they paused briefly to celebrate
the birth of the nation they had come from. Edwin James, a physician,
accompanying Long, noted the day in his journal:
"We had hoped
to celebrate our great national festival on the
Rocky Mountains
, but the day had arrived, and we were still at a distance. Being
extremely impatient of any unnecessary delay, which prevented us from
entering upon the examination of the mountains, we did not devote the
day to rest, as had been our intention. We did not, however forget to
celebrate the anniversary of our national independence, according to our
circumstances. An extra pint of maize was issued to each mess, and a
small portion of whiskey distributed."
The maize Edwin James talked of was a delightful addition to the
soup kettle of boiling buffalo meat, instead of the usual barley.
Fremont's Trailside Celebrations
As he paved his way for his country's manifest destiny under the
direction of Senator Thomas Hart Benton, "the
great pathfinder", John C. Fremont, managed to allow his men a bit
of Fourth of July celebrating time also:
July 4, 1842
: The first of Fremont's expeditions was under way. At Brady's
Island
near present day North Platte, smoke from a distant wildfire woke up
Fremont and most of his men. The rest were aroused by an Independence Day salute
and the smell of hot coffee and fresh roasted buffalo. The men were
surprised with cups of red wine and a toast to the holiday, followed by
a cheer to the
United States of America. In the midst of the
celebration a buffalo calf barreled through the camp, with two wolves
not far behind it. The wolves circled the camp, soon to be joined by an
entire pack of 20 - 30 wolves. The wolves took turns closing the
distance between the calf and the buffalo herd. A couple of bulls,
feeding away from the main herd, began attacking the wolves only to be
driven off by the entire pack. The
men watched as the calf was half eaten before it actually died.
Following breakfast, and the wolf attack on the nearby buffalo,
Fremont
gave orders to move out. The
men were disappointed, as they had hoped they would have a day off for
the Fourth of July holiday. Gear was packed, mules hitched to carts,
horses were saddled and mess fires destroyed.
They crossed the prairie watching more buffalo herds heading to a
river for water, as they traveled along. They passed the buffalo, and
set up camp a few miles from
North Platte. Here they prepared for their Fourth of July celebration meal
consisting of preserves and fruitcakes that friends had given them when
they were in
St. Louis, as well as macaroni soup, buffalo meat, and several pots of hot
coffee. Cheyenne Indians that had joined the party showed great
curiosity about the feast, and asked if the white man celebrated many
"medicine days." A keg of brandy was passed around after the
meal, followed by a toast to the flag. The men found the Cheyenne
boy staggering around the camp drunk great entertainment.
July 4, 1843
: The expedition
traveled non stop after breakfast on this 4th of July. They waited until
they reached St. Vrain's Fort on the east bank of the South Fork of the Platte
River
to celebrate Independence Day. Marcellan St. Vrain and a few of his
employees stood at the open gates of the fort to greet the explorers. A
simple meal was served in the dining room of one of the single story
adobe buildings.
July 4, 1844
: Already in Bent's Fort, Fremont
remained there to celebrate Independence Day in the finest style. A
feast was served, consisting of buffalo meat, roast beef, turkeys,
chickens, fresh pies, and cakes. Fine coffee with milk, and
"hailstorms" ( a form of mint julep made of ice from the ice
house, and wild mint found in the shade and dampness of nearby streams
& whiskey), washed down the meal. The men enjoyed
cigars and aguardiente while watching Cheyenne, mountain men, and
locals chant, yell, and dance around. Cannons were fired off. Three
cheers were made for the Yankees, followed by
"to hell with the British", and another round of drinks
to toast the day. Meanwhile a long bearded fiddler stomped his foot for
yet another dance.
July 4, 1845
: One hundred and ten miles out of Westport
on the
Santa Fe Trail
, the Fremont
expedition rolled out of bed once again for another Independence day
celebration on the trail. They had their rifles in hand for a Fourth of
July Salute over Captain Fremont's teepee, and the brandy was passed
around. This time they remained in camp after hard traveling, so animals
could rest, men could bathe, launder and mend clothes, and enjoy a
little shooting match fun. Traders and teamsters from a Santa Fe
caravan joined in the celebrations with their own jugs of whiskey. It
was later reported that the men "did some high drinking" that
day.
Pioneers
Pine for Home On The
Holiday
Diary of Mary Stuart Bailey
July 4, 1852
:
"Started at
3 o'clock
to find feed or know where it was. Had to go 4 or 5 miles off the road.
Found water & good grass. Camped on the sand with sage roots for
fuel. It is wintery, cold and somewhat inclined to rain, not plesant.
Rather a dreary Independence Day. We speak of our friends at home. We
think they are thinking of us. "Home Sweet Home". I dare not
think of it while so far away from the hundreds of dear friends so dear
to me from where I haven a long, long time separated. They now find very
easy access and grateful admission into my heart. It is sad to think
that everyday takes me farther from them."
Mary Stuart Bailey and fellow travelers found themselves at
Independence Rock on July 6th, instead of the 4th. They were behind
schedule, so did not stop.
Diary of Helen Carpenter
July 4, 1857
:
"This has not seemed at all like
"Independence Day" but just the same old jolts with plenty of
dust thrown in. I did succeed in finishing my book, "Dread or the
Dismal Swamp
." Have been quite a while in getting through it. It is hard toread
when it is too warm and the mosquitos bite and the wagon jolts and the
dust comes in until you lose the place. Do not think I will try to read
anything else. We had a beautiful camp beside the river. Directly
opposite perpendicular bluffs 74 or 100 feet high rose from the very
bank of the river making a delightful change from the levels we have had
to look at so long.
As it was the 4th
Reel wanted something extra for supper. Well what should it be? He said
"Corn starch." I never heard of that being a rth of July dish
and further more I did not know how to cook it. But he did "just as
Aunt Hannah used to." So I stood by and saw him burn his fingers
and scorch the starch which when done was of the consistency of very
thin gravy. But we ate it, for on a trip like this one must not be to
particular."
A footnote to Harriet Bunyard's 1869 diary found in "Ho For
California: Women's Overland Diaries from the Huntington Library"
which had no mention of the
Fourth of July, "It is rare for overland travelers not to comment
on the nation's birthday and to have some sort of celebration. However
it is likely that most of the train were former Confederates and not yet
ready to return fully to the celebration of the
Union
they had so recently fought."
Ho for Independence
Rock!
Independence Rock, mentioned in Mary Stuart Bailey's diary, was
discovered in the 1820's. Fur trappers were the first white men to
encounter the giant granite outcropping measuring 1,900 feet long, 700
feet wide, and 128 feet high
as they traveled across Wyoming
to the
Far West
. A man known as M. K. Hugh was said to have carved the first
inscription on this humongous boulder in 1824, although time and weather
have taken away all evidence that he ever did so. Legend has it that
mountain man Thomas "Broken Hand" Fitzpatrick named the giant
slab, "Rock Independence" as he passed
by on the Fourth of July. William Sublette, who stopped with the
first wagon train across the new overland route known as The Overland
Trail, is usually credited for the naming of Independence Rock.,
however.
July 4, 1830
Sublette and 80 pioneers camped and celebrated the holiday, Sublette
declaring the rock Independence
after that celebration. The parade of wagon trains that followed in the
upcoming years made it their goal to stop at the 27 acre landmark on the
Fourth of July also. They knew if they arrived by this date, there was a
good chance they would get to their eventual destination before weather
kicked in and hampered their efforts. Over 5,000 emigrants carved their
name on the "Great Register of the Desert" that towered over
the vast prairie.
Bibliography
Seeking Pleasure in the Old West
by
David Dary
University
of
Kansas
Press
Fremont
: Explorer for a Restless Nation
by
Ferol Egan
University
of
Nevada
Press
Ho
For
California
: Women's
Overland
Diaries from the
Huntington
Library
Edited
& Annotated by Sandra L. Myres
Huntington
Library
Journals
of Lewis and Clark
by
John Bakeless
A
Mentor
Book / New American Library
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