Columbus and Other Heroes of American Discovery

by N. D'Anvers

On the 4th February, two Indians joined the party, and one of them, an old man, made a harangue, much of which was understood by Fremont, who had now learned something of the language of the mountaineers. “Rock upon rock, rock upon rock, snow upon snow, snow upon snow lies before you,” said the speaker, “and even if you get over the snow, you will not be able to get down from the mountains.” The guide, on whom no word was lost, was so overcome by the apparent hopelessness of the situation, that he covered his face with his blanket and wept bitterly. “I wanted to see the whites,” he moaned; “I came away from my own people to see the whites, and I wouldn’t care to die among them, but here....” Sobs checked his voice; “and,” as Fremont adds with the quaint humor which runs throughout much of his narrative, “seated round the tree, the fire illuminating the rocks and the tall boles of the pines round about, and the old Indian haranguing, we presented a group of very serious faces.”

The next morning, the guide, overcome by the horror awakened by the Indian’s prophecy of disaster, ran away, and Fremont, rallying his men about him, offered to go forward on snow-shoes, with one companion, a Mr. Fitzpatrick, and make a reconnaissance. The result won by this prompt measure imbued the whole party with fresh energy. From the summit of a peak ten miles from the camp, a view was obtained of a low range of mountains, which could be none other than those of the coast of California. Between the explorers, then, and this seaboard chain lay the valley of the Sacramento, and, when they eagerly scanned the intervening space with glasses, the course of a river could be made out, with dots of prairie land on either side.

Another six days of struggle with ice and snow, and the camp was pitched on the summit of the pass, 2,000 feet higher than that of the South Pass of the Rocky Mountains, in the dividing ridge of the Sierra Nevada, and in N. lat. 38° 44′, W. long. 120° 28′. Thus, for the first time, was revealed to the white man of modern days the phenomenon of a range of mountains at the extremity of the continent higher than the great Rocky Mountains themselves. The existence of the Great Basin was accounted for, and it was evident that here too there must be a system of small, land-locked lakes and rivers which the Sierra Nevada forever prevents from escaping to the Pacific Ocean.

The mountain barrier was conquered at last, and, descending the western slopes, with hearts beating high with hope and triumph, the heroes soon struck the waters of a river which turned out to be the American fork of the Sacramento. Following it through a beautiful and fertile country, they came, on the 6th March, to Sutter’s Fort, outside which they were met by its owner and founder, who, as will readily be imagined, gave them an enthusiastic welcome.

Thus ended one of the most romantic and perilous journeys ever made in the United States. For the first time, the Sierra Nevada had been crossed by white men, and for the first time, the existence of an overland route between the East and the West had been proved.

The remainder of the trip to the sea, through the beautiful valley of the San Joaquin, though interesting, was tame in comparison with the transit of the mountains. After approaching the now well known Bay of San Francisco, Fremont made his way back by a more southerly and less difficult route than in his westward journey to the Great Basin, again visiting the Salt Lake of Utah, and making acquaintance with many a fine specimen of the southern branch of the great Shoshone family.

Toward the close of May, the Great Salt Lake was left behind, and a fort-night’s journey, through the comparatively familiar districts overlooked by the mountains dividing the Pacific from the Mississippi rivers, brought the party once more to the South Pass of the Rocky Mountains, first scaled by Fremont three years before. A slight detour southward, to examine three peaks well known to the hunter and trapper, but hitherto unnamed, was succeeded by a journey across the Rocky Mountains, rendered somewhat exciting by a struggle going on between the Arapahoes and the Utahs, but on the 18th June the summit of the ridge, 11,200 feet above the sea-level, overlooking the head-waters of the Arkansas, was reached in safety. The Arkansas was now followed to its junction with the Mississippi, on the broad waters of which the explorers embarked on the 18th July, arriving at St. Louis on the 6th August.

CAMPED IN THE DESERT.

In 1848, the indefatigable Fremont made another journey to California, this time at his own expense; but in attempting to cross the mountains between the Rio Grande and the Colorado in the depth of winter, his guide lost his way, and nearly all the men and animals died a miserable death. Fremont himself escaped, but we have been unable to obtain any record of his adventures, or of the geographical discoveries made on this last trip, which, however, took place after the discovery of gold near Sutter’s Fort and the admission of California to the Union had completely revolutionized the aspect of affairs.