A Trip to the Idaho Mines, 1864
Clarissa Elvira Shipley
INTRODUCTION
The letter in my hand was dated November 29, 1981. It had been sent to me by Mrs. Fay Toal of Tracy, California. It reads as follows:
Dear Professor Holmes. You were on Radio Station K.G.O. a few nights ago discussing your collection of diaries, letters, etc. of our pioneers. I am the proud possessor of a copy of my great grandmother’s diary as they crossed the plains in 1864 to settle in Rocky Bar, Idaho…It is the diary of Mrs. Brice “Elvira” Shipley. I also have a story called “Days of Yore” of early days written by my two aunts — her granddaughters.
The upshot of this letter is that I phoned Mrs. Toal, and we have been telephone friends and partners since that time. She sent me photocopies of the diary, also a typescript with the heading “Reminiscence,” written by the daughter of the diarist, Mrs. Arvilla Shipley Paul, and the “Days of Yore,” the mimeographed family history written by Eva Paul Leigh and Grace Paul Hendricks.
We do not have the day and the month of Brice Shipley’s birth, but the year was 1832, which means that at the time of the 1864 journey he was 32 years old. He and Clarissa Elvira Aldritch were married in Knoxville, Iowa, on December 3, 1857. She was born on July 20, 1840. There were two young daughters with them on the trip to Idaho: Agnes Arvilla, age 11, and Emma Etta, age 9.
The 1860s were golden years for mining in the American West, and the Shipley family was attracted westward to the Idaho country. They had heard that there were fabulous riches to be mined in the Boise River area of southern Idaho, particularly in Rocky Bar, some 30 miles east of Boise. They could have gone to a dozen or so other gold regions (California, Colorado, Oregon, Montana, northern Idaho, etc.) but they chose Rocky Bar. It turned out that this locale was a short-lived source of precious metals. They arrived there on Tuesday, July 5, 1864, midst rain and snow. This would foretell a cold winter in that high country. They stayed a few unrewarding years, and in 1869 moved to Boise City. There the federal census taker recorded their presence on July 20, 1870, telling of Brice’s job: “Works on farm,” with $550 worth of personal property. At the time of the next census, the one in 1880, they were still in Boise City, and Brice was listed as a farmer.
In 1874 the Shipleys filed on the rich bottom land along the lower Boise River a mile away from the spot where the town of Parma would be established. Brice ran a dairy, becoming as a consequence one of the earliest alfalfa and clover growers in the rich lower Boise Valley. They also planted orchards. On the side Brice was able to add to their income by freighting. Elvira started cooking in a newly established hotel and eventually managed a hotel of her own. Brice died in Parma in 1895. Elvira lived on until May 29, 1923. One historian of the city of Parma described Elvira’s impact on that community as follows: “For years ‘Grandma Shipley’ was practically a community institution.” (Helen Powell and Lucile Peterson, Our First Hundred Years: A Biography of Lower Boise Valley, 1814–1914, Caldwell, Idaho, 1976).
THE DIARY
Knoxville, Iowa 1864
Thursday, April 7 Bade goodbye to Father and Mother, sisters and friends, and started our weary way acrost the plains. Camped for the night at Jerry’s sawmill, of course did not have much cooking to do for we had prepared a bountiful supply before leaving home.
Friday, 8th Sprinkled a little, but nevertheless we are not daunted by that, and with our breakfast over we start on our journey. Had quite a pleasant day, and stop for the night.
Saturday, 9th Nothing very exciting to happen — only travel along — stop for lunch at noon, and to rest our teams awhile. Then go on until evening and camp for the night in a nice place to camp.
Sunday, 10th Traveled part of the day. Arvilla not very well today — has sore throat and some fever.
Monday, 11 th Arvilla no better this morning — traveled part of the day then camped, put a fire in the tent, got it all warmed up, then I gave her a hot soda bath, some fever drops, and other medicine that were in my Drug Store.
Tuesday, 12th Well, this morning Arvilla is all broken out, and I think she has scarlet fever from her symptoms. Traveled until about 2 O’clock, then stopped for the rest of the day. Heated up the tent, and gave her another soda bath and put her in a warm bed.
Wednesday, 13 th Arvilla well broken out so we fix her warm in bed and drive until the middle of the afternoon. Stopped in a little town called Adel [Dallas Co.]. Called a doctor to see her. He said she had the spotted plague, and he could do nothing for her unless we would stay there a week or ten days. Turned and walked away. We got some more fever drops, and went on, and I continued my own treatment. Thursday, 14th Arvilla is some better this morning. I think it looks very much like rain, and so it did part of the day, but we were well prepared to keep dry.
Friday, 15th After nights rest we are now ready to move on. Arvilla was considerably better this morning — so we traveled, and just our last mile we passed over some boggy ground and mired the wagon. Had it not been for the grit of our horses to pull, we could have been left in a mud hole hub-deep.
Saturday 16th Our usual work through with we are on our march. No more in our crowd than we left home with, so we jog along, cook, and eat, and try to be merry.
Sunday, 17th This is Easter. It has rained some, and we have traveled part of the day and are now camped for the remainder of the day and night.
Monday, 18th (10:00 Oclock) Pulled into the outskirts of Council Bluffs — camped and will stay here the rest of the day and night. The menfolk will get our supply of provisions that we will need on our journey for ourselves and horses. Arvilla is up today, and will be all right in a few days with care. Here we saw our first Indians. They came to our camp while the men were gone. I found out they were friendly ones. That made no difference then, for to be on the safe side of them I had given them plenty of food to eat, and they left us unharmed.
Tuesday, 19th Today we drive out of Council Bluffs — cross the Missouri River, and drive about 30 miles out to Elkhorn. There we are to camp for 3 or 4 days waiting to make up a train to go on to Denver, but it was such slow progress. So with 5 or 6 teams we pull out and go with some that were going farther west. Some men that were from Africa,1 but no ladies in their outfit — all men. In all 7 teams and 19 people.
Wednesday, 20th Arvilla has gotten over her sick spell, eats well, and seems to be all right now. So up the road we go not knowing where we will stop and no place in view.
Thursday, 21st Up and off early in the morning — the country and roads all look alike, although it is pleasant.
Friday, 22nd Still on the go. Well, I bundle up and lie down in the wagon on a bed I had fixed up in there so I would be comfortable. Do not see much of the country.
Saturday, 23rd The same old view today, do not see much change only sandy roads.
Sunday, 24th On and on we go — it rained some today, and of course the wind blew to top it off.
Monday, 25th Pleasant day today, but we had to pull through considerable sand and are now camped for the night.
Tuesday, May 3rd Now here comes a vacation of a week. I don’t see how I missed this week, but it is gone and cannot think what all had happened, but I expect about the same travel all day and camp for the night — get up next morning, and jog along over the country.
Monday, May 10th [9th] Morning, got breakfast, and went down to the water and did a big washing. Sunburnt my arms almost to a blister. Went up to the wagons about two o’clock, and the sand was blowing so that we could hardly see. Everything was full, so we hitched up and went to a cottonwood grove and stayed all night. It makes me think of home, we talk of it too, but it is a nice place to camp. We have plenty of wood, water, and grass.
May 17th Tuesday morning — up early and breakfast over— off we go. Passed the fort,2 and bought two bushels of corn for twelve dollars. In the afternoon we came to a good spring, the best water we have had. Camped early tonight. Plenty of pine and cedar wood to burn.
Wednesday, May 18th Started very early this morning and the same thing. Off we go over the hills and up the mountains. It is very mountainous through here today, and rocks, there is no end to them. The wagon goes hop and jump over them, or we come to one that is about half a mile along and it is so rough that we walk up it. We travel this way all day, and camp for night on top of a high bluff. Pinewood to burn, and the wind blows. We are fixing our things for a hard storm.
Thursday, 19th Up this morning and everything all right, not much of a storm after all. This morning two indians come along just as we got breakfast ready, so we have to feed them. The roads today are hilly, but good. We are traveling over what is called the Black Hills. Rained on us at noon — so we wait till it quits and then we start out. Night finds us on old Platte again, and a beautiful place to camp, but the water is as muddy looking as a mud hole. It is sand, and will settle some tonight.
Friday, May 20th Up this morning, but not in much of a hurry for it rained last night. The roads are not very muddy as they are so sandy. We travel over hills and hollows. There were six of the boys went on top of one hill, it was so steep and high that I was afraid they would fall, but if we had been stopped I expect that I would have been one of their number. We camped for noon at the foot of some big hills. Dinner over, and it looked as though we were going to have another storm. Rain and hail, so we hitched up and off we go for we have some hard pulling ahead to do, and if it rains the hills will be hard to climb. We did not go far through the storm till four o’clock we obey the captain and stop On the same old stream, the Platte. It was so muddy that it was almost like cream for coffee. Plenty of wood and grass, and as I have told you before plenty of water — such as it is. It stopped storming soon after we halted.
Saturday, May 21 Morning. We did not start very early for it was wet and bad. The sun shone out very bright this morning, but it soon began to cloud up, and about noon it commenced to rain and rained all afternoon. Through the rain we go again all the afternoon. The roads are getting very bad. Plenty of “reds”3 in our camp tonight. Some of them dressed up — you had better think, with their strings of silver plate hanging halfway to their feet.
Sunday, May 22 Not a very early start for it rained hard again last night, but it is clear this morning. The sandy roads are very wet and heavy. The reds were in camp again this morning before I was up and stayed till after breakfast. At noon it commenced raining again, it has rained on us every day for ten days. It rained this evening very hard after we stopped and thundered and lightening, but it is clear and pleasant now. On the opposite side of the river right before us we can see plenty of snow on the mountains, and if it were not for the river we would have some of it. While I am writing this Brice is out guarding the horses. He stands till twelve o’clock. The children are both fast asleep, and all in camp is abed, but me. There are some seven teams camped above us tonight. They have been with us all day, and there are three families with them.
Monday, May 23, 1864 Up early — breakfast and everything done — so off we go through the sand, till ten o’clock — then we stop. We are going to stay here and wait for some more immigrants to come on so we can have a big train to go through with. There are plenty of reds in camp here. Still on the Platte — cross over today. I will be glad when we leave it.
Tuesday, May 24, 1864 Breakfast over and my house all set in order. Nothing very interesting happens. A great many reds in camp, squaws begging bread for their papooses. They would beg all we have if we would give it to them.
Wednesday, May 25 Morning, still camped on old Platte. Did my ironing today that I washed a week ago, Monday. Had some antelope and potatoes boiled together for dinner, and had what is called mountain rabbit fried for supper.
Thursday, May 26 Morning. Breakfast over and about nine o’clock we roll out. We go to where the others are camped and try to organize a company to go the cutoff. But we go the old road, for the farthest way round is the safest way home.
Friday, May 27 Not up very early this morning, it is cool and they all slept well. Everything all ready and we leave the rest. Bid goodbye to Jim4 for he is going to try the new road, but much against his will. I thought it was hard to part with friends at home, but it is nothing compared to parting with them out here. But at seven o’clock we gave a hearty welcome into our camp again, he had got Sam5 to come on. Maybe you think we weren’t a happy set of folks. The children jumped and ran to meet them.
May 28th Saturday morning. Started moving early this morning. A nice warm pleasant day and roads good. Saw an antelope that some men ahead of us had killed. Camped for noon and I am now sitting on top of a solid rock about 7 feet high, and pretty steep. Now I go to my dinner, after the horses pick the grass while we roll out. Roads some muddy this afternoon. We cross Sweetwater river, payed $1.50 to cross it, drove five miles and camped within a mile of Devil’s gate.
May 29th Sunday morning. Up this morning and work all done up and the other ladies and myself start out to see the sights. The Devil’s gate is where the river runs through the perpendicular rock four hundred feet high. I went in as far as I could for the water is about three quarters of a mile, and we had to walk about four miles to catch up with the wagons. We are now stopped on Sweetwater for dinner, took the horses across the river for grass. We are now ready to roll on. This afternoon three more teams that are going to West Bannock [Idaho], joined us. The mountains here are on solid rock. There are some on the opposite side of the river from where we are camped tonight. We have to travel on Sweetwater for 4 or 5 days yet. There is considerable alkali on it — so we have to watch our horses very closely. We saw five dead horses along the road this afternoon. Our wood is dry sage roots — we have used them for three days. Brice went out since supper and got a sack of buffalo chips to get our breakfast with. He has to stand guard tonight again. We guard our horses day and night.
Monday, May 30 Up early and everything ready — off we go again. Just as we get ready to start there comes along a California train of eleven teams, and when they went to drive around our teams one of them tipped over and spilled everything and broke their wagon bows all to pieces. I thought that could do them, but they soon went around all of them. The roads have been sandy today all along the river, but when we were off the river they were good. At noon we stop for dinner, I went up on top of the mountain — about 200 feet. It rained this evening hard for a little while, thundered and lightening, and scared the horses. We are camped on the Sweetwater again tonight. Buffalo chips are our fuel.
Tuesday, May 31 Off early. Cool misty and rainy all day. Roads are some sandy. Passed a soldier fort about noon.6 Saw more antelope today. Six of the men went after them, but as usual did not get one. Camped for the night on the side of a hill. Have good wood tonight, wild sage, it is very large and dry and makes a splendid fire. We have burned some as large as any tree.
Wednesday, June 1, 1864 Up early, but it was so cold we did not get an early start. You should have seen us hunting up our winter coats. It was raining, and the wind was blowing. It rained all forenoon, we are stopping for dinner, and it is snowing as hard as it can. I can look out of the wagon and see a snow bank. We are now camped for the night on Sweetwater again. It snowed about two hours, it had rained all the afternoon since it stopped snowing, and is raining now at ten o’clock. We have dry willow for fuel tonight. We have had good roads today. Passed some rock and saw several names that were written there, but in ’59. We thought it quite a curiosity to gather snow from a snow bank, but more of one when it began to snow. I have snow now at my side as I sit here.
Thursday, June 2 Up early this morning before it was light for we had no grass for the horses — so we started out before breakfast to hunt some. It is not raining this morning, but cold. Saw two antelopes, the men shot at them 2 or 3 times, but didn’t hit. Passed lots of snow today. It is now about three o’clock, and we are stopped, grazing our horses. Now we hitch again and go about five miles and camp for the night. Met a train of Mormons and some soldiers. Saw three men that were from West Bannock. It rained and blew tonight and threatened us with a big storm.
June 3 Did not start very early this morning for the grass was thin, and we had to give the horses time to eat, for they were tied last night on acount of the storm. We have poor grass for them today noon. Rained while we were eating dinner and hailed on us this afternoon so we had to stop and turn the horses around for they would not face the storm. Crossed Little Sandy and camped about two miles this side of it.
June 4th — Saturday We had good grass last night, so we were up early this morning, and off at six o’clock. We have had the best of roads for the last two or three days. Two horses could take our load on such roads as these. We have just eaten our dinner, and it is beginning to rain. Good grass for the horses today noon. Crossed Big Sandy this forenoon, camped for the night. It has rained all afternoon, and hailed again so we again had to turn around and back the storm. It is not raining now, but looks very much as though it would.
June 5, Sunday Not up very early this morning for it is raining. I have not been out of the wagon this morning yet — it is so wet and bad. Brice got breakfast and fetched mine and the children’s to us. We had crackers and tea for our wood does not burn very well, it is wet sage. Brice and another man was on guard last night, and it was so dark they had to stay out all night. They are fetching the horses in now and we will soon be ready to roll to find a better place for camping if we can. Crossed Green River about ten o’clock today, paid six dollars a team to be ferried across. Camped on Green River tonight. Plenty of wood and water and grass. Rained and hailed again this afternoon, and we had to back the storm again. It was the hardest hail storm we have been in yet.
June 6, Monday The guard shot off their revolvers and woke the camp this morning early, so we started a little after six o’clock. We have had bad roads yesterday and today. It is some warmer today than it has been. We are now camped with plenty of snow in front of us on a big bluff or mountain. Everything is called mountains in this country. We are now camped where the river and little streams run to the west. To look at them it seems as though they were running the wrong way.
June 7, Tuesday Up early this morning and are all ready to start. It is very pleasant and warm this morning. We crossed a little stream yesterday and it was so straight down into it that the front of the wagon had come down on the tongue and split it. The men are fixing it now. We stopped at nine o’clock at the beautiful stream of water and a good spring. We all did some washing there, and left about three o’clock. Went about five miles on some mountains. They were covered with stone and plenty of snow, yet there is good grass.
June 8 th, Wednesday Off early this morning. Roads very bad, over hills, mountains and across sloughs, some that were very bad until noon. We camped on a stream called Ham[’s Fork]. Dinner over and we cross it, and strike for the mountains — the highest we have been on yet. It was covered with rock and you had better think it was rough. We called it the “Devil’s Backbone.” We were on snow today, and the way we made the snowballs fly was a funny thing. We have a beautiful place to camp tonight. Plenty of grass and wood and water from a good cold spring right out of the bank and snow all round it.
June 9th, Thursday Camp stirs by daylight this morning so we get an early start. We came only about one and a half miles when down went one of the fore wheels to our wagon.7 Every spoke broken out but one so we are trying now to fix it. We take the stick we have for a spreader and our neckyoke and Jim’s and Mr. Smart’s spreaders and make 8 spokes and make four more out of spruce and pine. It is ten o’clock we have our wagon fixed and are now ready to start over some big mountains this afternoon. The worst ones we have had to climb. Up and down, rock from top to bottom. No more bad luck to us. There were 4 men going through in a small wagon, and they broke down a wheel.
June 10th, Friday Off early again this morning. Good roads and we get over them pretty fast. Stay on Bear River for noon, good grass here. We are camped for the night, camped early for we have some mountains to go over again, and they say it is 8 miles over them, and we could not make it this afternoon — so we stop and try it in the morning. We have paid three dollars and a half for ferrying today. It looks like a storm tonight.
June 11, Saturday Another beautiful morning and we are off for the mountains. We had some speckled trout for breakfast. After we left the mountains we had good roads, and the mountain road was not bad as we have come over. We are now camped by a Mormon Town,8 saw some sheep and chickens. Good roads this afternoon, passed another Mormon settlement, saw corn, peas, beans, onions, and sorgham growing. It is in Bear River Valley.
June 12 Another Sabbath morning dawns on us, it is cold, we look out upon the mountains and behold they are white with snow. It rained last night. The roads today have been middling good. Saw great many curiosities. Passed Soda Springs [Idaho]. We are camped by some of them. They boil up out of the ground all the while. Some of the men made bread out of it tonight. It looks very nice.
June 13, Monday Monday morning finds us all up at an early hour for some of us want to go and see the wondrous sight, the Steamboat9 Springs. Some went to see them last night. It boils all of the time and every little bit it puffs up like a steam boat. It used to puff up and out of the ground, but the Indians have thrown rocks in the hole and steamed it up. Just a few steps from this is a rock in the shape of a big kettle. It will hold two barrels of water. Etta says it looks like a tub.
June 14th, Tuesday Morning finds us all well. Everything ready, breakfast over and all for an early start. All the country that we traveled over yesterday was a curiosity. Pools of soda water walled in with solid rock, and the rocks laying all piled in every shape, they have been blown up. We are camped tonight not far from them. We have reds in camp with their ponies.
June 15th, Wednesday Off early this morning, roads good all but some sand that makes the wagons run very heavy, but we took the wrong road and that made it worse. We crossed Snake River about 1 o’clock on a ferry. Paid six dollars for passage again. Drove 7 miles after we crossed the river then stopped and got supper and at six o’clock hitched up and drove 9 miles after night for we have thirty miles to drive before we can get water for our horses.
June 16th, Thursday Off this morning by five o’clock to try our long day drive! Oh! but the roads are rocky. Bill and Pall10 came pretty near going out, but we had our keg full of water. We stopped about 3 o’clock and gave them a gallon of water and a pint and a half of flour apiece. At 6 o’clock we stopped for awhile for we thought we had come to a spring, for one of our men had traveled the road before. We could not find it, so we hitched up again for we have ten miles to make it to water, if the horses can get there. Some of them I think will not get farther.
June 17th, Friday Did not start very early this morning for our horses are all tired. W’e came about a mile and a half last night, and then we found a spring. The horses and mules were almost crazy, they number some 50. We do not think of going far today. Ten miles to Skunk Creek. It is a beautiful stream of water and we have a nice place to camp. I busy myself boiling some beans and dried apples and peaches. Also washed the children’s bonnets and baked some bread as we can get an early start in the morning.
June 18th, Saturday Off this morning by half past five o’clock for we have 20 miles to make today with out water again, and the roads are so very rough. Saw six or seven prospectors and packers. They tell us we are within 150 miles of our stopping place, but one day we are 150 and the next 250. We make our calculations to get thereby the 4th of July. We have had some of the roughest roads today that were ever traveled. Over rocks by the bushel, they look as though they were burnt. Everything has the appearance of a great volcano.
June 19th, Sunday Another beautiful day has dawned on us here among the mountains. Another day without water for 20 miles, and another day of rough roads and climbing over the mountains. We have traveled at the foot of them for 2 days. It is a curiosity to see the rocks here, they are piled every way and shape, some on the top of others, in some places they are rolled up and look like plowed ground.
June 20th, Monday 6 o’clock finds us ready to go, so I start ahead of the teams to take a walk. We have some mountains to go over today, but not so bad. The roads are some better, but they are rough enough. Plenty of water today. We cross [Big] Wood River, it was in such shape that we had to go through six different streams before we were on the other side. We camped last night in Spring Valley, and tonight we are camped on a little stream.
June 21 st, Tuesday At the usual hour we are ready to leave camp. It is quite cool this morning, and has remained so all day. Looks some like rain. The roads continue to get better. We had one very bad hill to come down today. Crossed Wood River again, and it is as much of a curiosity as it was yesterday, for we had to cross it 8 times in succession. Camped tonight on the outskirts of Camas Prairie,11 by a spring. Dry willow for fuel.
June 22nd, Wednesday This is a pleasant morning and we are all in a stir and off. We travel till 8 o’clock when we cross Soldier Creek,12 and where we find some campers that had not been with us and had gone on ahead. They had found pretty good prospects for gold, so we stopped with them. Six of our number started out, it is 12 miles over the mountains. Mr. Downing, Mr. Smart, Henry Warren, Jim, Harvey Jones, and Sam — leaving 6 with the wagon train. If it pays we will stay here.
June 23rd, Thursday Not up very early this morning. There was a heavy frost last night. We are close to snow for the mountains are not more than 12 miles. 6 more teams drove in and camped below us last night, they are going to stay a day or two among us. Brice found an old acquaintance. George’s wife’s brother, he left in Ohio in February. He is a miner and has been in California 7 years, and is on his way to Bannock or Boise Basin. I have done a big washing today. Our crowd numbers 12 men to we women. Mrs. Jamison, myself, no children except my two.
June 24th, Friday Morning finds us not up very early, for we are all on a rest and we want to improve the time. Ironed some today, and at 11 o’clock our boys came in and not much of a show, at least they did not find much. We did not stay any longer there, after dinner we drove out. Some 10 or 11 miles today and camped about a quarter of a mile from a little creek. We have plenty of dry willows wood, grass and water. Brice went fishing today, but didn’t catch anything.
June 25th, Saturday We are all up early for we want to get an early start. Last night we sold three pounds of sugar for $1.75 in hard money to some prospectors. Saw 6 or 8 more packers again today. At noon the children went up on a big rock that was close by. We hitched up and drove till 4 o’clock when we called a halt for there were more gold miners and silver miners through here and we are going to stay and see what can be done. We passed a ranch today, they were just hauling their blocks for a house, it was a lonely looking place to stay. It is for a stage station, the daily mail route is laid out through here. It commences to run some time soon.
June 26th, Sunday Another Sabbath morning dawns on us here, with mountains on all sides of us. I have my work all done up so I pass the day reading in the Testament and the Hymn Book and Evangelist till an hour of sun down. In the cool of the evening, Mrs. Jameson and I take a walk up on top of one of the mountains, about a mile and a half in height. It has been very warm today. James and two of the other boys have gone over to the town of Rocky Bar.13 They will not be back for 3 days. Two more teams drove into our camp today.
June 27th, Monday Up early for one of the boys is going out prospecting. This has been another warm day and I have knitted some and read some to pass the time. I would like to find a place to stop and make a home. I am getting tired of traveling, although we have had a pleasant trip, indeed.
June 28th, Tuesday Not up very early for we have nothing to do. The boys that went out yesterday came in about 11 o’clock today, and it is all of a hoax again. Nothing worth staying for James comes in this evening just as we are eating supper. The two other boys stayed back in Rocky Bar. In the morning we start for that place. He says it is rough road, but we are used to that.
June 29th, Wednesday Out this morning by nine, so as to get ready to try our rough road. James leaves us and starts to Boise City with two packers that came in with him last night from Junction Basin.14 He thinks he can get a hundred dollars a month from them. He will be back Sunday or Monday, if he goes on farther than the city.
June 30th, Thursday We camped on Boise River last night, by the side of a ranch. We had hard road yesterday. While we were camped for dinner the reds caught a big salmon that weighed 20 pounds. We traded them some bread for enough for supper, and, Father, that was the best fish I ever ate. I wished for you to have some. I told them I would willingly do without myself if you could only have it for your supper. Another day of rough roads, but not so bad as yesterday. We crossed Boise River too, today, and just before we crossed it the last time our wagon broke down again. Every one of the spokes broke out of our hind wheels and let us down again.
July 1, 1864, Friday Some of the boys went over to Rocky Bar and some went over to Happy Camp15 today, but Brice and Jim went back after our wagon and things. Took Jim’s wagon to fetch our things in and bring the wagon up on a pole. We will take it to town that way, and sell the old frame. We are camped on Boise River in the timber. The timber is principally all large pine trees. I have a good spring to get water from today.
July 2, Saturday Brice and Jim and one of the other boys are going up to town today to see the big rocks that are in the streets, and see what they can do. Sam is not very well, so he stayed in camp with me. I baked bread, boiled some beans, and cooked some dryed apples and peaches, so as to have supper by the time they got back.
July 3, Sunday This is another beautiful morning that has dawned on us, and I have my house all in order. I pass the time off reading and writing letters to dear ones at home and wishing I had a letter from them to read. Where we are now we are surrounded by mountains.
July 4th, Monday, 1864 This is the 4th of July the day of our Independence, and I have spent the day in getting our things into packs so we can go up to town tomorrow, and talk about where we spent the 4th last year. Billy and Dock, two of our horses, have the mountain fever. Dock is past danger, but I do not know whether Billy will get well or not.
July 5 th, Tuesday We are up early so we can get an early start, it rained yesterday and this morning. It is cloudy now. We hired a packer and his ponies to pack our things through for us. I got one of his ponies to ride. Brice rode Billy and took the children one behind and one before. I got on the cayuse pony and off we go for a ten mile ride over the mountains along the pack trail. It began to rain about the time we were half way, and rained and snowed the rest of the day.
July 6th, Wednesday Spent the day drying the things that got wet yesterday.
1She evidently means African-Americans or Blacks.
2Fort Laramie.
3Her term for Indians was “Reds.”
4“Jim” was James Aldritch, Clarissa’s brother. Another “James” accompanied them: James Shipley, her husband’s brother. She always distinguishes them as “Jim” and “James.”
5Samuel Gray was a neighbor of the Shipleys back in Knoxville, Iowa. He, too, was drawn to the west by the lure of gold.
6This was evidently the Three Crossings Military Station. In the 186os there was a telegraph and stage station there, near the mouth of Sage Hen Creek. Aubrey L. Haines, Historic Sites Along the Oregon Trail (Gerald Missouri, 1981), p. 219.
7The making and repair of wheels is well discussed in Eric Sloan’s classic book: A Museum of American Tools (N.Y., 1974) pp. 96–97 and passim.
8This could have been Montpelier or Bennington, both founded by Mormons in 1864. Lalia Boone, Idaho Place Names(Moscow, Idaho, 1988) pp. 26 and 259. This is a major new geographic history source that has just been published.
9This was a spouting spring in the bank of Bear River, part of the Soda Springs complex; now covered by Soda Point Reservoir. Boone, op. cit., pp. 359–60.
10Horses.
11Camas root was a major Indian food. There are numerous camas creeks and valleys. This is in Camas and Elmore counties in Idaho. Boone, op. cit., p. 351.
12Several localities in south Idaho are called Soldier Creek. This is probably the one in Camas County. Boone, op. cit., pp. 62–63.
13Roeky Bar was their destination in the Idaho mining area. It was a typical rough and ready mining town. It was laid out in 1864 after gold was discovered there. It had a relatively short life span. Most of the gold was gone by the end of the decade of the 60s. There are two classic sources for the Idaho gold rush: William J. Trimble, The Mining Advance into the Inland Empire, reprint (New York, 1972), and Merle W. Wells, Gold Camps & Silver Cities, Idaho Bureau of Mines & Geology, Bulletin 22, (Moscow, Idaho, 1964).
14This was so-named because it was at the junction of the Bannock Road from the east and the Mormon Road from Salt Lake City, Boone, op. cit., p. 203.
15This was so-named for the joy in the hearts of miners who took part in the first gold rush in the area in 1864. Boone, op. cit., p. 170.