The Reign Of The Prairie Schooner by Randall Parrish

Prairie Schooner - Page 2

Freight Traffic to the Pacific in the Sixties

In the rear of this immense emigrant traffic there immediately sprang up a vast freighting interest, which at this day seems almost incredible. We can but roughly estimate its importance. We know this, that during the sixties five hundred heavily laden wagons frequently passed Fort Kearney in a single day. In 1865, within six weeks, six thousand wagons filled with freight rolled past that isolated post on the Overland Trail. Frank A. Root, about that time an express messenger, who later published an interesting volume, "The Overland Stage to California," records that in a single day's ride between Fort Kearny and old Julesburg, he counted 888 west-bound wagons, drawn by 10,650 oxen, horses, and mules.

A female bullwhacker leading a freight train.

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In illustrating the slowness of this mode of travel, Root, starting one day from Atchison on his stage, spoke to a bull-whacker who was just pulling out. Root went through to Denver, and doubled back, meeting his friend on the road. This experience was repeated again and again, the express messenger seeing the bull-whacker for the last time as he rolled into Denver. Root had accomplished five single trips, having covered 3,265 miles, with eighteen days' lay over, while the freighter had wheeled slowly 653 miles.

Freighting across the Plains attained to its greatest magnitude during and for a short time after the Civil War, from 1863 to 1866, but during the entire decade from 1859 to 1869 it was of immense proportions. The major portion of it was carried on along the mainly used trails to Santa Fe and California, but the minor trails, soon established, and leading from post to post scattered throughout the Indian country, were often traversed by freighters in Government employ. In such cases small detachments of troops, commonly riding in an ambulance drawn by mules, accompanied the lumbering wagons as escort. These found many a bit of strenuous service to perform in bringing their charges safely through. On the long trails, however, the hardy wagoners had to rely upon their own ready rifles to assure their passage, and usually traveled in long trains, under a rude yet effective discipline. It was sure to be a long, tedious trip, but usually contained sufficient incident to relieve the dull routine. During all the later years the Indian tribes were restless and dangerous, seldom venturing on open attack, but always seeking opportunity to run off stock, or dash down upon a loitering wagon, or a straying hunter. This hostility of the savages can be traced back to the reckless barbarism of the teamsters themselves. The Santa Fe Trail became a trail of blood, yet it was peaceful enough until wanton shooting of Indians by whites compelled the tribes to retaliate. In the earliest days an unarmed man could have walked in safety the entire distance. In the height of the freighting enterprise oxen were more commonly used than any other animals. They made from twelve to fifteen miles a day with loaded wagons, and averaged twenty miles when returning light. With good care oxen covered two thousand miles during the usual season of Plains travel, extending from April to November.

The Teamster and the Indian

As well illustrating the constant danger hovering over careless stragglers, a reminiscence related by General Forsyth of an incident that occurred during the construction of the Kansas Pacific Railroad, is apropos. It is thus related in "The Story of the Soldier":

"On one occasion, near the Smoky Hill River in Colorado, five or six of the teamsters during noon hour on a hot midsummer day, despite positive orders to the contrary, strayed over toward the river bank, a good quarter of a mile away, and dropped down in the shade of a solitary cottonwood tree that grew there. In a few moments a well-mounted war party of eight or ten Cheyennes, who were lying concealed in the river bottom just under a cut bank on this side of the river, suddenly dashed out and made for them. But one of the party had any arms, and he had only a revolver. In a moment the Indians were upon them, and the men, running for their lives, started toward the railroad, while the soldiers, grasping their rifles, ran to their rescue, opening fire on the Indians as they ran. Two of the teamsters were shot down and scalped, but the man with the revolver kept his head, and by threatening the nearest warriors caused them to sheer off as they closed on him, and the soldiers getting within range soon made it so hot for them that they fled. One of the men, however, a long-legged Missourian teamster, had been headed off on his way to the track by an enterprising warrior, who sought to run him down and transfix him with a spear after he had failed to hit him with a rifle shot. This teamster happened to have had a new leather-thronged bull whip issued to him that day, and having some misgivings as to whether he would find it in his wagon on his return from his dinner, had, fortunately for himself, taken it with him when he and his companions sought their noon siesta under the cotton- wood tree. Running for dear life, he unconsciously held the whip in his hand, and just as the Indian was upon him, and about to transfix him by hurling his spear, he glanced over his shoulder and almost instinctively made a backward cut with his whip at the Indian's pony, the lash striking the animal full In the face. The horse swerved so suddenly as to divert the warrior's aim, and, though he hurled the missile, the spear missed its mark, and as the pony dashed close by him our teamster saw his only chance.

"Grasping the tail of the now frightened and fleeing animal, he began a hail of strokes on the bare back of the Indian that only one who has seen the way in which a Western bull- whacker can handle a blacksnake whip can fully appreciate. Every stroke drew blood, and the teamster rained down the blows unsparingly and savagely.

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