168      NEVADA HISTORICAL SOCIETY PAPERS

MANUSCRIPTS OF NEVADA PIONEERS

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The following nine manuscripts, written by Nevada Pioneers for the  use of Hubert Howe Bancroft in the production of his "History of the Pacific States," are now in the Bancroft Library at the University of California. Through the aid of Governor Boyle permission was secured to copy and publish them. Thanks are hereby extended to the University of California for this courtesy and to the directors of the Bancroft Library for their assistance in the work. In the texts brackets [ ] always indicate an insertion made by Mr. Bancroft or an assistant. The italics are also his.

THE FIRST IN NEVADA

By H. S. BEATIE (1884)

            I was born in Washington County, Virginia, in 1826. I left there in 1836 in company with my Father and went to Boone County, Missouri, and from there to Lexington, Mo., in the following year '37. Remained in Lexington and La Fayette County until the Fall of 1840. I then went to Kentucky and remained there that Winter, and from there went back to Virginia to College where I was till Sept. 13, 1843, but did not graduate. During that time my Father had remained in Missouri, and I joined him in Andrew County. I was not connected with the Church until I came here. I came here in company with Mormon Emigrants, in C. T. Benson's company arriving here on the 26th of October [1848]. I married in Missouri. My first thought on coming in here was the thought that if I had ever struck a country town I did when I struck Salt Lake—Nobody but my wife & family and a few of the Company. I acted as Clerk of the Company coming here. The people seemed to have scattered off in the different settlements. I stayed here till the 18th of the next April when I started with a company under Captain DeMont for California. I went with my own outfit. There were 80 souls in the Company and I was elected Clerk of it. None of the teams took anything but supplies. My idea, as well as that of the Company, was to go there and mine a short time and then come back. I didn't belong to the Church then, though some of the company did, but most of them did not. The Mormon portion of the company went to mine temporarily, leaving their families here. I don't think they asked the advice of the Church authorities before going.

            Mr. Ban. wished to know if this kind of thing was sanctioned by the Church leaders—that is Mormons going away to seek gold and to mine.

            F.D.R. As a rule this was not sanctioned. There was a company of brethren went one time to California on business to get some seed & c., and while there they may have done a little mining as each of them brought a little gold back with them. But the advice of the authorities in those days to the people was for them not to go after

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gold, but to settle down here and make homes for their families, and not suffer themselves to be lured away after gold mining &c. Prest. Young said that everyone who stayed at home and worked would in 5 years be able to buy out all those who went off for gold & then came back.

            H.S.B. There were two Mormons by the name of Smith & Brown from Farmington and another named Parson. Most of the Mormons were from Farmington. There were 15 of the party that I went out with that Spring returned that fall. I also came back in the Fall. On our way to California I took up some land and built a house in Genoa. We got there sometime early in June 1849. There were 7 of us stayed there—DeMont, Blackburn, Carter and the others I can't think of their names. There was no other white man in that region when we arrived there. Plenty of traders came over during the Summer. I did not see a white man for several weeks after we camped there, nor did I hear of anyone in that country camping. The traders that came in were from the west and not from this way. Each of the 7 had one team. When we got the house built I and Mr. Blackburn were appointed to go over the mountains and bring supplies back as we began to learn that there was going to be a heavy emigration. We went over to Placerville with our teams. In Genoa we settled right west of Reese's place, where he afterwards built his sawmill. My place was about 50 yards from the place where built his trading post. We put up a log cabin. It was not standing when I went back there. Timber was very plentiful. I left there in September and we sold out to a man named Moore. I think Reese bought this man out. We did no fencing or planting. We went to make a station for the purpose of supplying provisions to the emigrants who came along. We built a corral there to keep the stock in. The cabin was a double-logged one story house about 20 by 60 feet containing two rooms. We put no roof on nor a floor as it did not rain that season. At that time we did not know but what we would winter there when we would have put a roof on I don't recollect the object of our putting up the log house only we had nothing to do so we put a house up. We had no trouble with indians.

            Mr. Blackburn & myself took 6 yoke of cattle and disposed of half of them and with what money we raised we loaded the team with flour, dried fruit, bacon, sugar & coffee. We went through Carson Canyon & over the mountains—the old emigration route. We then came back & disposed of our stock and started again for California. We took 15 pack animals and went over what was known as the Jumptown (?) route which strikes over the mountains 3 miles S. of Genoa. We passed all the streams on a log. That was my last trip to California.

            On the whole we done very well down there. Traded for horses mules, and anything that was needed. Our principle trade was horses & mules. People from California would come in the Valley & dispose of their stock and then go back—there were none from this way. None of them built cabins during my stay there. They had their wagons & tents but mostly pack mules. I don't know of anyone else camping farther off. My house was the first one built in the Valley and I think in Nevada.

Our party was the first to discover gold in Nevada. This Mr.

170      NEVADA HISTORICAL SOCIETY PAPERS

Abner Blackburn was the first to find it. He made the discovery in July while I was gone over the mountains with his brother for supplies. When Abner Blackburn first went over the mountains it seems he had an idea that there was gold in the vicinity of what is now Virginia City; and while his brother & myself had gone over the mountains it appears that he went out prospecting and discovered gold, but got only a small quantity. No other mining was done by our party at that time. Flour at that time was worth $2.00 a lb., fresh beef $1.00, Bacon $2.00. A friend of mine went of the mountains and left a yoke of cattle with me, and one day I got a thousand dollars for one of those oxen in the shape of beef. We had not sufficient flour to sell out in large quantities and therefore we used to deal it out in small quantities thereby benefitting more people. One time a Captain of a train of emigrants came along & wanted to buy 500 lbs. of Flour @ $2.00 a lb but I refused him not having sufficient to deal out in such large amounts.

            There was a good deal of emigration that year & a great amount of suffering. For a few loaves of bread I could get a good horse. I had friends over in Sacramento where I got my supplies. from, and should have made all the money I wanted that Summer if I could have got the provisions, such as flour, sugar, &c. Demont & Kimball went over to California and I never seen them since. That left 5 of us and 10 more came from California making 15 in all, and we journeyed together back home. We came back with packs. We had a many horses but we sold a few of them and brought the others along—we had over a 100 head. We traveled independent—every man for himself. Went over the Indian Road over the Humboldt. On the 4 or 5th of Oct. as we were traveling along we discovered that a man had been killed, his body laying on the ground. We stayed there about 1/2 an hour & looked around, and 3 Indians came up who could talk a little English. We found out afterwards that they were just a reconnoitering party sent to discover how we were armed &c. We went on to an open piece of ground where we stayed all the night. Next morning we saw a band of Indians on a high knoll several miles ahead. We knew then that they calculated to make an attack upon us. We crossed the river & dismounted and there engaged in a little fight with them. Most of the Indians were on horseback and they encircled us round. Only one Indian was killed so far as we know and some horses. None of our party were struck at all. We then desired to make peace with them, and one man of our party volunteered to go out to meet them & obtain peace if possible, but they shot at him & killed the horse under him, so he returned. While we were catching wild animals the Indians came & drove all our band of horses off and we did not get them again, as we did not go after them not wishing to have any more trouble. The Indians were Bannocks. No more trouble after then with Indians. They also took all our possessions except a little sugar & coffee. When we got to Bear River there was a camp there, and after an amount of talking &c. we got a 50 lb sack of flour for $50.00. This camp were on their way to Fort Hall with provisions for that place. The first house we struck in Utah was at Brigham City I believe. We got in here the 19th of Oct 1849. Before the Winter was out a clerk of Col Reese's came and

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asked me to go into his (Reese's) store, and I went & clerked for him, stayed there till sometime in 1853.

            Utah Lake was frozen over at the time of the Indian trouble at Provo.

            In 1853 I went out to Carson Valley with an escort with Marshall Hayward and Judge Stiles who were going for the purpose of organizing Carson as a County in pursuance of an Act of the Legislature the winter before. Enoch Reese went with the Company and I was in his employ. Took 30 or 40 head of mules and disposed of them in the Sacramento mountains. Took provisions from here for the Colonel's station out there.

            Then I found houses built extending through the whole length of Carson Valley—frame houses, blacksmith shop and a mill had gone up. There were no mines in the country then unless there were some in the hills that were not known. Farming & stockraising was the principle trade. The Indians that came in were friendly disposed and would help to get in the harvest &c. Produce was sold to the emigrants still. There was about a dozen houses in the valley at that time. No house anywhere else. There was a trading post called Ragtown on the emigrant line E. of Genoa, which was trading with emigrants. In connection with Hayward & Styles & Orson Hyde went over to California and we separated at Placerville.

            F.D.R. My impression is that Marshall Hayward, Judge Styles & Orson Hyde were the three Commissioners appointed by the Government to run that line & organize that County.