The 1864 Journal
Mary Ringo
INTRODUCTION
When Mary Ringo on Wednesday, May 18, 1864, began the entries in her overland journal she was expecting the birth of her sixth child. Not once did she mention this fact in the record of her journey. It was on this date that the Ringos left family and friends in Liberty, Missouri, for the long trek to California.
This is a very special diary written by a woman of remarkable inner strength. A daughter, Mattie Bell, wrote years after the event, “I think she was the bravest woman I ever heard of…”
Mary was the wife of Martin Ringo (b. Oct. 1, 1819), a Kentuckian who had served during the Mexican War as a mounted infantryman at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.1 He was discharged on June 21, 1847, and settled down as a farmer near Weston, Missouri, just across the Missouri River from Leavenworth. He met a young woman named Mary Peters (b. Nov. 13, 1826) and on Sept. 5, 1848, they were married. Immediately after the marriage ceremony the Ringos moved to Washington, Wayne County, Indiana.
Their first two children were born in Indiana: John Peters (b. May 3, 1850), and Martin Albert (b. Jan. 28, 1854). The family later moved to Gallatin, Daviess County, Missouri, where three more children were born, all girls: Fanny Fern (b. July 20, 1857); Mary Enna (b. May 2, 1860); and Mattie Bell (b. April 28, 1862).
At the time of the first entry in her journal, May 18, 1864, the ages of the children were John, 14 years; Albert, 10; Fanny, 7; Mary Enna, 4; and Mattie Bell, 2. Mother Ringo had a very busy journey.
That first entry (May 18) in the diary was made in Liberty, Cass County, Missouri. They had relatives in that town just north of Kansas City, and there was a tearful parting for the start of the journey. The next day, May 19, they were ferried across the river and camped out near Leavenworth on the Kansas side. They followed the Leavenworth Trail, as it was called, across northeast Kansas, to join the main trail along the Platte at Ft. Kearney, Nebraska. From there they took the usual trail along the Platte, turned south to Salt Lake City on the Mormon Trail, then they went on westward by the stagecoach road to Austin, Nevada, on the Reese River. They eventually continued west to San Jose, California, where they were met by Mary’s sister, Augusta, and her husband, Coleman Younger, a well-known breeder of fine cattle. Mary and the children settled down to live in San Jose. The 1870 Census listed their address as “Santa Clara Co., California, Alviso P.O., City of San Jose, 1st ward.”
There are two dreadfully tragic events that marked the Ringo journey.
The first of these is summed up in Mary’s diary entry for Saturday, July 30: “And now Oh God comes the saddest record of my life for this day my husband accidentally shot himself and was buried by the wayside and oh, my heart is breaking….”
We have published as an “Epilogue” to Mary Ringo’s journal a letter written by a fellow traveler, William Davenport, to the Liberty, Missouri, Tribune. Davenport was mentioned many times by Mary, once, even, as “Dr. Davenport.” His letter is dated August 1, 1864, sent from “the Platte River.” It was published in the Tribune on September 16. Here are some of the key lines:
Just after daylight on the morning of the 30th ult. Mr. Ringo stepped on top of the wagon, as I suppose, for the purpose of looking around to see if Indians were in sight, and his shot gun went off accidentally in his own hands, the load entering his right eye and coming out the top of his head. At the report of his gun I saw his hat blown up twenty feet in the air, and his brains were scattered in all directions.
Martin Ringo was buried alongside the overland train. Aubrey L. Haines in his book, Historic Sites along the Oregon Trail,2 tells of the site as having a marker of native stone incised with the words, “M. Ringo.” He says the location is two miles west of Glenrock, Wyoming, 150 feet north of the old U.S. Highway 26/87. A new marker was set up by the Oregon-California Trails Association at the behest of Randy Brown of Douglas Wyoming, who has given much help to the editor of this series, with verbal and photographic information about the setting. The new marker was set up in the summer of 1987. It has a quote from William Davenport’s letter to the Tribune: “He was buried near the place he was shot, in as decent a manner as was possible with the facilities on the plains.”
But there was a second tragic event that marked the exodus of this family. On October 8 Mary Ringo wrote, “We remain in Austin, Nevada.” This was her last entry in the diary. There is appended to the journal a conclusion written by the youngest of the three daughters, Mattie Bell (Ringo) Cushing, saying that in Austin a son was born. She writes, “Fortunately it was still-born for he was terribly disfigured from mother seeing father after he was shot. Even my brother [John] who was fourteen years old noticed it and said he looked just like father did.”
After “a week or ten days,” Mattie says, they went on with one wagon pulled by mules over the Sierra to San Jose, where they settled permanently. They were welcomed by Mary’s sister, Augusta, and her husband, Coleman Younger.
Now as to the diary itself. We learned that Frank Cushing, son of Mattie Bell Cushing, and a printer by trade, had published the diary of Mary Ringo, his grandmother, in 1956. We learned also that Frank Cushing had died, but had given a copy of the diary to several friends, among them Herschel C. Logan of Santa Ana, California. Mr. Logan sent us his copy of the book, and we were able, with his permission, to make a photocopy of it. Of the rare journal Frank Cushing had printed only 45 copies, and had copyrighted it so that it could not be copied promiscuously. There is a note at the beginning of the book saying that it had been copied from the handwritten original which had become almost illegible over the many years since 1864. In this note Frank Cushing said, “We have followed the original spelling, punctuation and capitalization.”
We wrote the Register of Copyrights in Washington, D.C., and learned that under the law as it was used in 1956, the copyright had run out fourteen years after October 24, 1956. The book is now in the public domain. We hope the present publication of the precious diary in Covered Wagon Women would have met Frank Cushing’s approval.
NOTE ON JOHN RINGO
There was one person mentioned by Mary Ringo from time to time in her journal. That was John, her oldest son, age fourteen. She fondly called him “Johnny” or “Johnnie.” Johnny spent most of his time as a cowboy, handling the oxen and horses and mules. He observed the two traumatic experiences of the family’s long journey: the death of his father, and the stillborn child with the disfigured face, born in Austin to his mother.
Now it is known for a fact that this young man grew up to become the notorious cattle rustler, Johnny Ringo.3 There are songs about him, movies, television programs, and countless western articles and books. He was the man behind the myth. To sort fact from fiction is virtually impossible.
He was listed by the census taker in San Jose in 1870 as John Ringo, age 20. Some time after that date he made the long journey on horseback to Mason County, Texas, where he worked driving cattle. He was supposed to have been involved in several killings during his Texas years, but the historical record is quite confused. He did serve for a period as sheriff of Mason County in the late 1870’s.
He made his first appearance in Arizona in 1879, and lived out his life in the Tombstone area. There he was involved in cattle rustling, both from American ranches, and from Mexicans just across the border. A major problem for John Ringo was that he often drank too much to assuage times of moodiness and despondency. This led him into quarrels with other cattlemen. One day early in July 1882, Johnny Ringo’s body was found near the side of a road leading to Tombstone. There has been much disagreement as to how and why Ringo met his death, whether he had been murdered, or was it suicide?
A statement of a coroner’s jury dated July 14, 1882, seems to solve the problem.4
The undersigned reviewed the body and found it in a sitting posture facing west, the head inclined to the right… There was a bullet hole in the right temple, the bullet coming out on top of the head on the left side…Several of the undersigned identify the body as that of John Ringo, well known in Tombstone…His revolver, he grasped in his right hand, his rifle rested against the tree close to him — He had two cartridge belts, the belt for the revolver cartridges being buckled on upside down.
We agree with Jack Burrows, the major authority on the life and death of Johnny Ringo that death was by suicide. Gunfighter buffs have a term, “man-tally,” to describe the number of deaths that could be attributed to gunfighters as they drew on each other. Burrows succinctly says of Ringo, “For the record, his man-tally stands at one: himself.”5
THE JOURNAL
May 18, Wednesday. Left my family and started on my long trip across the plains, went 10 miles, had some trouble with the oxen and camped for the night and here I took my first lesson in camp life, cooked my supper and went to bed but couldn’t sleep until after the chickens crowed for the day and after a short nap I awoke.
May 19, Thursday. I got up and prepared breakfast and started again. We traveled two miles and come to the Missouri river at Leavenworth1 and here the children have the pleasure of seeing a steamboat. We were detained a short time waiting for the Ferry-boat being on the opposite side we got across in safety. A gentleman by the name of Owen drives the mules up in the city for me while Mr. Ringo helps Johnny with the oxen here. We get our groceries and other necessities for our comfort and then drive about four miles and camp for the night, prepare our supper and go to bed and slept much better than I did last night, we got a stable for our mules and both the oxen for which we pay fifteen cents a head.
May 20, Friday. We remain here waiting we have our family wagon tires cut and by noon Mr. Tipton and Mr. Cirby’s families overtake us, we then hitch up and travel out as far as the eight mile house and camp for the night. Mr. Tipton was so unfortunate as to get their wagon wheel broke which will detain them a short time and just after we get into camp Dr. Moores family came up.
May 21, Saturday. Still in camp repacking and repairing. Nothing occurred worthy of note.
May 22. Sabbath morning we hitch up and travel through Mount Pleasant — eighteen miles.
May 23, Monday. Travel 20 miles and have a hard storm near Lancaster a small town in Kansas.
May 24, Tuesday. Travel 5 miles could not go any farther on account of the mud.
May 25, Wednesday. Still at Clear Creek waiting for D. Gatty.
May 26, Thursday. We started again and got to a little town called Kinnekuck stayed their most of the day having the wagons repaired. In the evening we moved out two miles and camped on a creek called Grass Hopper.
May 27, Friday. Our cattle scattered, we only traveled 7 miles and camped at Walnut Creek.
May 28, Saturday. Started early this morning and traveled 18 miles and passed through a little town called Grenado and camped 4 miles this side.
May 29, Sabbath. Start to travel 20 miles today and would have done it had we not stopped at Senica — traveled 15 miles and camped on a little trail.
May 30, Monday. We traveled 20 miles and camped quite early, we passed through a town. I knew no name so called it Uncle John’s store.
May 31, Tuesday. Traveled 13 miles today and camped at Maryesvill.
June 1st, Wednesday. We laid by today on account of the rain. The gentlemen went fishing and caught a great many fish. We have quite a nice evening, some gentlemen who are camped near us came and played on their violins, which is quite entertaining to California travelers.
June 2, Thursday. We travel 17 miles and camp and have very poor water.
June 3, Friday. We travel 20 miles and camp at Rock Creek, here we have such a beautiful camp, large rocks are here with numerous names, some of them handsomely carved and conspicuously on a nice little square is a Seces [Secesh] Flag. I know by this southerners are ahead.
June 4, Saturday. We camped at Big Sandy traveled 20 miles today, nothing worthy of note transpired.
June 5, Sunday. We travel 18 miles and camp at Little Blue Lay by to wait for Mr. Guthry, while here I washed up all of our dirty clothes, at night our camp friends came and we had some more music. (Stayed here two nights)
June 7, Tuesday. Left and traveled 18 miles. Today Johnnie got his foot hurt quite badly by the wheels running over it, it seems to have been a day of accidents, a little boy was run over by a wagon and killed and a wagon master by the name of Hase killed one of his teamsters, shot him through the head. The murdered man leaves a wife and children.
June 8, Wednesday. We lay by for the gentlemen to go buffalo hunting, they stay all day and until one o’clock at night, they came back very much elated having killed a nice buffalo, the meat is very tender. Johnnie goes along not withstanding his foot is very sore, he says they saw a great many Elk and Antelopes.
June 9, Thursday. We travel 18 miles over what is called the “Nine mile prarie” it has been the hardest drive for our cattle that we have had, some places you could hardly see the men in the wagon for the dust, I was glad indeed to camp, we had good water and plenty of wood.
June 10, Friday. We traveled 22 miles and camped on thirty-two mile creek, we had a very refreshing shower while camped here that settled the dust and cooled the air.
June 11, Saturday. We traveled 15 miles and camped three miles from Platt river, we have to drive our stock to the river, this place is almost destitute of grass, the soil is sandy, we find the cactus and prickly pears grow here and we see numerous little lizzards sliding through the grass and one extremely long snake gliding down in a hole. Our camping neighbors again give us some nice music.
June 12, Sunday. We travel 10 miles and camp at noon, we pass through a town called Doby Town, most all of the houses are built of dirt, the prarie here is very level, we have excellent grass for the stock. In days gone by it must have been a great place for Buffaloes as we see a great many skeletons some of them extremely large. From here I write a letter to my sisters Mrs. McCown and Mrs. Miller.
June 13, Monday. Start early and travel 19 miles. We pass by Fort Kinney [Kearney], we are not allowed to go through the Fort. Mr. Ringo walked up to see if we had any letters from our friends and was disappointed as we did not receive any, mailed my letters here and go on. About two miles from this place is a small town called Kerney City. It is a right promising town. I buy myself a dress here, we find the goods about as cheap as they are in the states. We camp tonight on the Platt River, it is very wide here, we think a mile and a half. The wind is very high and tonight is quite rainy.
June 14, Tuesday. It is still raining, we hitch up and travel 5 miles and camp as it will not do to drive our oxen while it is raining. Johnnie has a chill when we stop and now seems quite sick I hope it may not be anything serious. Johnnie remains quite sick tonight. This evening Dr. Guthries train over take us. I am glad they have as they seem to be very gentlemanly.
June 15, Wednesday. This morning is cloudy but we are going to drive some 19 miles, we find the road very muddy, camp about 5 o’clock, make a corrall with Dr. Guthrie. We find some beautiful cactus in bloom today.
June 16, Thursday. Its a foggy, misty morning— we drive 17 miles, camp late this evening but on account of having stopped on Plumb [Plum] Creek so as to lay on a supply of wood — nothing of note today.
June 17, Friday. We start late and drive 19 miles and camp about sun-set. I do not like to travel so late.
June 18, Saturday. We get an early start this morning, we pass fewer ranches than any day yet, stopped at one and got some excellant water. Near this place is a dead Indian Scaffold. We drive up near so as to see how it is fixed, it is not straightened as we straighten our dead but the feet are doubled round most to his head and it is tied up in blankets its a strange looking way to put away the dead. We travel some miles and camp near the river, some of the cattle give out almost and fall down. We ladies wade over a slough and go over to the river and we have a nice time. There are some ducks swimming, the Dr. killed one and gave it to the children, we saw another large snake.
June 19, Sunday. This is a beautiful day and I am glad to say we lay by and this evening we have a good sermon by the Rev. Mr. Hodge and an exhortation by reformer by the name of Ewel. We are all thankful to have a preacher in our outfit.
June 20, Monday. We are up very early make a cup of coffee and start and travel 25 miles. We pass through a small town called Cotton Wood Springs, this is a military post, they stopped every wagon to examine if we had any United States goods, horses and etc. We think they would have taken Mr. Tiptons horse as he had a U.S. brand on him but thought he was too old to be of much service. We camp about two miles from town and have most excellant water.
June 21, Tuesday. We lay by here so as to lay in a supply of wood. Mr. Ringo, John and Allie take the wagon and go up a canyon some 2½ mi. and get plenty of good dry Cedar, they tell me it is a most beautiful place in those mountains, every variety of flowers. We hitch up at noon and travel 10 miles and camp on a lake called Fremont, it is a beautiful place to look at it you would not think any ways deep but it was over the cattles back, we had a laughable time driving them across the lake, some of them would jump in and go under as though they enjoyed it very much.
June 22, Wednesday. We traveled 21 mi. and camped where there was good grass, at noon we watered in Fremont lake and now leave it and are near the North and South Platt. To day for the first time I see some Antelope, they are beautiful. We are getting along very well.
June 23, Thursday. This morning the cattle are scattered very much and we get a late start. Nothing of note today except we cross what is called Offallins Bluff and have a heavy, sandy road. We see some Indian Wigwams and two Indians came and offer two ponies for [space] travel 17 miles.
June 24, Friday. We only travel 10 miles and camp at noon so as to make enquiries about the boat.
June 25, Saturday. Several outfits going in and buy the boat and this evening we camp some 4 miles from where we camped last night and its now raining hard, I hope we will not be detained here long — the rain increases and we have quite a storm but not near so severe as it was some two or three miles up, it blew so hard there that it turned wagons over that were heavily loaded.
June 26, Sunday. We are still in camp, I was in hopes we would have a sermon but Mr. Hodges was helping to cross over the boat, as we are anxious to get away and it was essential to be crossing.
June 27, Monday. It is a bright morning so I wash all our dirty clothes and in the evening have a headache. We have another light shower. Nothing of interest today.
June 28, Tuesday. A very warm day and I am getting very tired of lying by, would much rather be traveling. I made myself a bonnet today and am quite tired this evening.
June 29, Wednesday. I walked with Mr. Ringo down to the river, the water does look so swift, they are crossing wagons quite fast. Several Indians came to camp this morning, one of them had a saber, we asked him where he got it, he said he killed a soldier and took it. I have cut myself a dress and am going to try and make it this week.
June 30, Thursday. I did very little work today — we have a shower this evening.
July 1, Friday. We do nothing, we are getting so tired of camp and tonight we had quite a storm, such vivid lightning and loud thunder.
July 2, Saturday. We hitch up once more and start, we have quite a time for the first few miles, three teams mired down, we travel some eight miles and camp for the night.
July 3, Sunday. The boat has been towed up to this point and we are crossing slowly, very slowly, today we cross seven wagons and as it is cloudy we think best not to cross any tonight. Today Mr. Forbuses train came up, they are to have the boat 6 hours and we are to have it at noon and use it 6 hours.
July 4, Monday. Mr. Forbus is crossing wagons and we are resting, the day is very pleasant but no one is talking of celebrating Independence Day — this evening we continue crossing our wagons. Nothing worthy of note transpires today.
July 5, Tuesday. It is very warm, we ladies walk up on the river and have a nice bath and this evening the mosquitoes just swarm all over the prarie, no one can sleep for them scarcely and we are all getting very tired — we have been lying by now some 12 days and nearly all the emigration seems to be going on ahead of us.
July 6, Wednesday. We cross over the South Platt quite safely, got on a sand bar and had hard pulling for awhile to get off, the river is over a mile wide but it is not swearving many places. We are so glad to get over.
July 7, Thursday. It is a beautiful morning and as we expect to start early I wash all of our dirty clothes this evening. Mr. Moors and Mr. Tiptons families came over and at night we have some more rain with a great deal of wind.
July 8, Friday. We get up our cattle and hitch up and once more start on our journey, we are all so glad to get off of this river as we have been lying by on this river 14 days, we traveled 10 miles today and camp at the old California crossing. We have another slight shower with wind enough to blow our wagons on like as if they were pulled by mules.
July 9, Saturday. This morning we leave the river and cross over to North Platt and I had such a nice walk over the bluffs and through the canyon and gathered mountain currants and we saw some beautiful flowers and when I came up with the wagons we were on the top of a very high hill and when we went down we had to lock the wagons and then the gentlemen had to hold back on the wheels and when we got down in the valley we are in what is called Ash Hollow, here we find the road very sandy. We travel some 25 miles today, most of the road is very good.
July 10, Sunday. The morning is warm and sultry, we hitch up and after having gotten up enough wood to last us some two weeks we travel some 14 miles and this is the hardest day we have had on our cattle, there is so much sand on this route and some such jump offs that it makes it dangerous. Mr. Moors wagon wheel was crashed in coming down a hill, we travel some 14 miles and camp.
July 11, Monday. This morning we have to mend the wagon and I take a long walk and climb to the top of the highest bluff, on one of them is the grave of a man by the name of W. Craner who was shot by accident. We have several Indians to come in our camps and trade for buffalo robes and antelope skins, there were also two gentlemen from Clay Co. who are returning to the states and who live near my uncles, one of them, a Mr. Johnson says he will tell them of seeing us and I was glad to have an opportunity of sending them some home messages. This evening we hitch up and start and have quite a storm, only travel some 5 miles and camp. In the night the wolves come in and howl and scares me a good deal at first. I hope we will not have the plagues to visit us again.
July 12, Tuesday. We get an early start and travel some 20 miles and camp at a large spring of as good water as I ever drank. Nothing else of note today.
July 13, Wednesday. It is eight weeks today since we left home and we ought to have been 200 miles farther on our way but we have been detained some 22 days since we left Missouri. Well today we pass the great Courthouse rock and its certainly a great curiosity. I would have been delighted to have gone up close to it but it is some 3 miles from the road at the nearest point. Some of the gentlemen rode up there and said it was surrounded by mountain currants of the largest size — near the rock is another large rock called the Clerks Office,2 tis certainly a grand natural curiosity. We camped late, traveled 22 miles, had a stream called Laurence Branch of North Platt, this is a bad crossing on account of quicksand, three wagons mired down in it, we have had a tiresome day.
July 14, Thursday. Last night Mr. Tiptons horse and our Kate mule run off and Mr. Ringo was out all day hunting them and found them some eight miles down the road, going back the picket pin had stuck in her leg and she is quite lame. Today we pass Chimney Rock this is another grand edifice, you can see it for some 20 miles, it is a 150 feet high, the chimney or cone being some 70 feet in heighth. The young ladies walked up to see it and brought me some specimans of the plants, they describe it as being beautiful. I have been riding behind the ox wagon all day as we had to tie our wagon tongue under our large wagon. Its much pleasanter than I thought it would be but not like having our mules. We travel some 18 miles today and camp on the river where there is plenty of fish.
July 15, Friday. Our mule is too lame to work today and we will have to ride tied to the other wagon — we traveled about 10 miles and reached a telegraph office, here they tell us that the Indians were committing depredations on the emigrants but we did not think much of it and had gone on some 2 miles when they attracted two of our wagons. Mr. Gouly and one other gentleman had turned out at the wrong road and we drove on knowing that they could see us and would cross the prarie and come to us, whilest we were looking at them we saw the Indians manouvering around them and then rode close enough to shoot the arrows through their wagon sheets just missing their heads, they fired at them and the Indians ran as fast as their horses could go, they crossed the river and attacted another emigrant train killing one man and wounding another. As soon as they attacted we went back to the ranch, correlled, and prepared for a fight but they will not fight if they think you are prepared for them. I do not think I ever spent such a night for I could not sleep a wink. All of the families in the train stayed in the telegraph office and anxiously waited for the morning. We sent back for another train to come up with us and here Mr. Morrices train join us and we now have in our train 62 wagons and are very careful to keep out our guards.
July 16, Saturday. We hitch up and travel some 18 miles crossing the Scotts Bluff, this is a bad road but grand scenery. I could have enjoyed it very much but I was so afraid the Indians would attack us but we got over safe and camped at a beautiful place on the river, there is an alkali slough here and some of the cattle drank of it and it killed them. Mr. Hoge loses some of his best oxen.
July 17, Sunday. We travel 18 or 20 miles and camp near the river, nothing of note transpires today.
July 18, Monday. We travel 19 miles and camp, our correll is very large as all of Mr. Forbuses has fell in with us tonight. Mr. Hoge lost another ox.
July 19, Tuesday. We got an early start and travel 10 miles by noon, we have quite an exciting time, correlled twice thinking the Indians were going to attack us but we mistook friendly Indians and one of our train fired at them, we are fearful that it will cause us more trouble as the Indian has gone to the Fort to inform against us, tis noon now and we have stopped for the purpose of having some blacksmithing done, while here Mr. Davenport3 came around to see me, he and the Mr. Morrisons are in our train and I am very glad as they are very excellent men, several persons from Clay Co. are here. Rock Stone, Lincoln and Beachem and I am partial to Missourians. I write a short letter home.
July 20, Wednesday. We travel 13 miles and would have gone farther but were detained at the Fort on account of having shot at that friendly Indian and had to recompence them by paying them some flour, bacon, sugar and coffee and were glad to get off on those terms. We camp late, had quite a shower and ate our supper in the rain. Today I received a letter from sis Mattie, the first I have had since I left Mo.
July 21, Thursday. We do not start early and only travel 9 miles over a very bad road and stop at a good place to grass the stock. I wash some clothes today. Nothing of importance transpires.
July 22, Friday. We get in to what is called the Black Hills and no one ever saw such bad roads as we have traveled and this is only the beginning of what we will have for the next 75 miles, our stock gave out and two belonging to the outfit died. We travel 20 miles today and camp after night. I am very tired and we only make a cup of coffee and go to bed.
July 23, Saturday. We remain in camp and I gather such nice currants and make some nice tarts for dinner, there is no grass here and they drive the cattle over the river where they get good grass.
July 24, Sunday. We start at day break and travel some 6 miles to a ranch and here we leave the train that we have been traveling with and join Calon Morrices. I hated to leave the family but they are traveling with freight trains and only go ten miles a day and have camped now to remain some days and Mr. Guthrie advised us to go on, their cattle are dying so fast, the road is strewn with dead cattle. We travel some 14 miles and camp near a spring and do not herd the cattle, we have not the men to spare from camp so we only keep camp guard.
July 25, Monday. This morning early some emigrants came to camp who had a man killed by the Indians last night, they report sad times ahead. I pray God we may get along safely. Today we discovered our ox was sick and bleeding at the nose, we turned him out and he was dead in about an hour after we unyoked him. Dr. Davis cut him open to find out what disease was killing off so many cattle and pronounced it bloody murrin [murrain],4 all the entrails were full of blood and no one can tell of anything that will cure them. Salt is said to be good but they will not lick salt in an alkalie country. I am sorry to lose him but hope we wont lose anymore. Today we travel 15 miles and camp on a creek. I do not know the name of it. It is very brushy, the grass is scarce and we drive the cattle out to the bluffs. Some of the gentlemen kill a black tail deer and we have very nice steaks.
July 26, Tuesday. The cattle are scattered in every direction and we will get a very late start — we only travel some 5 miles and correll and send the cattle some 2 miles where they get good grass. We have a large spring but the water is callaciate. Mr. Forbs called to see me this evening and several gentlemen from the States came around. Mr. Summers from Platte. I think we are all going to travel together through this Indian country.
July 27, Wednesday. We got up at two o’clock and got breakfast and travel some 15 miles and stop on a creek, plenty of good water and fine grass. We find posted on a tree a notice that the Indians have killed six men near here. We hear they have had a fight ahead of us. I do hope and pray God that we may get through safely, it keeps me so uneasy and anxious.
July 28, Thursday. We do not get an early breakfast as we only think of traveling 10 miles to reach this place, a nice creek and correll and have good grass and water. Nothing of importance transpires today, above here 3 miles the Indians killed some men and took the ladies prisoners.
July 29, Friday. We do not get an early start and after traveling some 5 miles we see the corpse of a man lying by the side of the road, scalped, had been buried on top of the ground and the wolves had scratched it up. I think we ought to have buried him. We pass the Durlock ranch and camp some two or three miles this side on a beautiful grassy spot and about dark Mr. Ravel went out to bring in his horses when a man shot him through the arm, in a short time all lights were extinguished and every man to his post expecting to be attacked by Indians but we do not think it was the Indians but a band of robbers.
July 30, Saturday. And now Oh God comes the saddest record of my life for this day my husband accidentally shot himself and was buried by the wayside and oh, my heart is breaking, if I had no children how gladly would I lay me down with my dead — but now Oh God I pray for strength to raise our precious children and oh — may no one ever suffer the anguish that is breaking my heart, my little children are crying all the time and I — oh what am I to do. Every one in camp is kind to us but God alone can heal the breaking heart. After burying my darling husband we hitch up and drive some 5 miles. Mr. Davenport drove my mules for me and Oh, the agony of parting from that grave, to go and leave him on that hillside where I shall never see it more but thank God tis only the body lying there and may we only meet in Heaven where there is no more death but only life eternally.
July 31st, Sunday. We are up and start early. I could not sleep but rested tolerably well. I and Allie drive our mules they are very gentle and go so nicely. This has been the longest day I ever spent. We travel about 14 miles and camp — we keep out a strong guard but I was uneasy and afraid all night.
August 1, Monday. We travel 10 miles and cross Platte River bridge, it is a nice bridge. There is a company of soldiers here who seem to be very fearful of an attack from the Indians. We camp about 2 miles from the Station.
August 2, Tuesday. We remain in camp having some wagons repaired. I am so anxious to be moving, time seems so long to me. This morning quite early a good many of the Rappahoes tribe came in to camp but seemed quite friendly. Several ladies called to see me and every one is very kind but I am so lonely and tonight Fanny has an attack of cholremorbus and after she gets easy I rest better than I have any night since the death of my dear husband. Oh God help me to bear this hard trial.
August 3, Wednesday. We travel 10 miles over a hilly country and camp on Platte River, tolerably good grass. We meet a good many returning to the States who report no grass ahead. I fear we will make slow progress through. Nothing of note transpires.
August 4, Thursday. We are detained in camp waiting for some young men who got their wagon wheel broke and had to go back to the bridge station and buy them another and when they came up we start and go about 200 yards and break another wagon, we correll and remain in camp for the rest of the day. Late in the evening Bovey’s [Beauvais] train pass us. I was sorry to see them leave as they had some such kind friends among them is a Mr. Kella and Mr. Summers, they were particularly kind.
August 5, Friday. The cattle were scattered so it takes all day to get them together, we keep them in correll all night so as to get an early start in the morning.
August 6, Saturday. We get an early start and go some 10 miles — correll and grass the cattle, there is no water here, we do not tarry longer than to get dinner. Travel on some miles to find a good cool spring. Today we make some 14 miles and camp at Willow Spring. We find good springs here, our cattle scatter very much. I feel so sad and lonely.
August 7, Sunday. We get a late start on account of the cattle scattering. The Mr. Morrices leave our train and are traveling by themselves. I feel sorry for any one to leave as I feel safer in a large company. We noon at what is called Fish Creek and tonight we correll on Home Creek, the water is very clear and full of fish. We drive the cattle 1½ miles to good grass. We have no wood but sagebrush. The wolves howl all around our camp even after daylight. We travel 14 miles.
August 8, Monday. We start at five o’clock and drive to Sweet Water by noon where we are now nooning. There is a great deal of alkalie through this section, many places the water is crusted all over with beautiful white crust. We cross Sweet Water and camp at a sandy camping place. We passed Independence Rock and it is a grand sight, many names are carved there, some few of them I knew. We have good grass for our stock but there is a great deal of alkalie here.
August 9, Tuesday. We get a late start and drive to a point called Hell’s Gate (I do not think it an appropriate name for the grand and sublime scenery). The pass is very narrow and perpendicular walls on either side. We heard that a gentleman had fallen from the top of them and was killed instantly. We travel 14 miles and camp at Plantes Station, have a nice camp.
August 10, Wednesday. We travel 12 miles and camp below Split Rock, nothing of importance transpires today. Some of the cattle die and we travel slowly.
August 11, Thursday. We travel 13 miles and camp near three crossing at a beautiful place but everything seems lonely to me. I hate to see night coming and do hope we will soon get through to Salt Lake.
August 12, Friday. Our cattle scattered and we get a late start and traveled some 10 or 12 miles by noon. We hitch up and start at 4 o’clock and travel till 9 o’clock at night and camp at Ice Spring, its very cold, we keep our cattle in the correll so as to get an early start in the morning.
August 13, Saturday. We start early and come some 14 miles and rest our stock and then travel some 4 miles and camp on Sweet Water. The stock have good grass tonight.
August 14, Sunday. We pass a ranch at the foot of Rocky Ridge. We leave Sweet Water here and travel over a hilly country with scarcely any grass, we rest our cattle till late and then travel till 9 o’clock. We make some 20 miles and camp on Strawberry — the night is beautiful. We pass several trains and their campfires look so cheerful.
August 15, Monday. We start by sun-up and travel some 3 miles here. Mr. Morris train passes us. Mr. Davis comes to see me I am always glad to see him for he is the last one Mr. Ringo ever talked to. Oh God thou hast sorely afflicted me — give me strength to bear this heart tryal. We traveled about 11 miles and camp on Sweet Water near a ranch. Nothing of importance transpires today.
August 16, Tuesday. We come over South Pass and camp at Paciffick Springs, these springs are very cold and its quite mirey. We travel 15 miles today.
August 17, Wednesday. We get a late start and noon on dry Sandy — here the cattle have no water and but little grass. We travel some 6 miles and camp where there is neither grass or water, correll our cattle and horses.
August 18, Thursday. We start very early and travel to a station on Little Sandy where we have fine water but little grass. We are nooning now — we hitch up and travel some 7 miles farther and camp on Big Sandy — grass very scarce and one of my oxen gives out and we unyoke him and let him rest.
August 19, Friday. We get breakfast and start — have traveled 10 miles and are now nooning, tis very windy and we have a sandy camping place — we travel very slowly and camp 4 miles from Big Timbers and our camp is far from water, we correll our cattle to keep them from scattering.
August 20, Saturday. We start early and drive to Green River some 16 miles and correll after dark. I do not get any supper for I am too tired — we have had a sandy hilly road. Mr. Dewey drove down some of the long hills for me.
August 21, Sunday. We remain in camp today, our stock are on good grass and they are going to let them recruit for a few days. This is the most beautiful river I ever saw — tis very rapid and the water looks green and is very clear. I have not spent my Sabbath as I would like to — I have been cooking and first one thing and then another. I did not read any.
August 22, Monday. We cross Green River and camp on this side. We separate here from Forbuses train and we go with Mr. Davises, Mr. How and Mr. Campbells train. We only have seven wagons in all and I am afraid to travel with so few but no one seems to apprehend any danger but me. Dr. Davenport stays in our correll and writes a letter to his wife. He has been very kind to me since the death of my husband and I am sorry to separate from their train. Mr. Forbus and family were more than kind. I hope they may do well.
August 23, Tuesday. This morning we start our train for Salt Lake and have traveled some 16 miles and camp on Black Creek Fork. I do not think we have much grass and its raining and very disagreeable, do not get any supper as its raining too hard.
August 24, Wednesday. We start our train out at ten o’clock and noon on Black Fork, we then start again and travel some 11 miles by traveling in the night, our mule is a little alkalied and seems quite sick and I walk several miles pass Church Buttes, the sand hills are grand looking domes — we find tolerable good grass for our stock and camp near a mail station, I am glad we are once more in the mail line, it seems more like civilization.
August 25, Thursday. We passe Millesville and camp some three miles this side, have good water and grass. Tonight we keep up a guard as we are in Indian settlement.
August 26, Friday. We get a late start this morning and have only come 6 miles are now nooning in sight of Fort Bridger. My ox team has come and I am going some three-quarters of a mile beyond the Fort and camp. I go to the Post Office and mail one letter only there is no Eastern Mail, the Indians are too bad for the coaches to run. We camp this side of Fort Bridger and have fine grass.
August 27, Saturday. We travel 13 miles today, are traveling the new cut-off, so far the road is very good, we are camping on Muddy Creek we find the government corrells here, a Mr. Bently comes and takes supper with us. Mr. Donly also comes round to see us. I am so lonely and sad and I wish I was at my journeys end.
August 28, Sunday. We lay over today as it is the Sabbath. I am glad that we do. I do not think it is right to travel on the Sabbath. I have the headache today Mr. Buell and family leave our party and go back to the Fort, they were very pleasant people.
August 29, Monday. We start early and travel 19½ miles and camp on Willow Creek, here we see potatoes growing and buy some turnips for 25 cts. a dozen, we also get some cheese at 50 cts. a pound, it is very nice. This is a good camping place and I sleep better than I have for a long time.
August 30, Tuesday. We travel on 8 miles and correll for the night. It is rainy and we do not cook supper, have crackers and cheese.
August 31, Wednesday. We start tolerably early but fall in behind the Government train and have to travel very slowly. At noon we pass them and travel but a short distance as tis raining. We stop for the night having made only 6 miles today.
September 1, Thursday. We lay by and wash. I wash most all of my dirty clothes, we have another shower, it has rained every day this week. I was quite tired but rest very well tonight.
September 2, Friday. We start late and have come 4 or 5 miles, have passed Huffs ranch where I see the first corn growing I have seen this year. I sent Johnny to see if he could buy some potatoes and he has not caught up with us yet, he does not get any potatoes but gets some nice turnips.
September 3, Saturday. We travel some 18 miles and correll on Silver Creek where the canyon is so narrow that we hardly have room for our wagons.
September 4, Sunday. We lay over till afternoon and would not travel now but we have no place for our stock so we hitch up and travel some 6 miles where we have a good camping ground and nice grass.
September 5, Monday. We travel some 20 miles and camp near a station where a Missouri lady comes to see us, she is stopping here for the winter, her name is Hueston.
September 6, Tuesday. We start early and have reached the great Salt Lake City. I have not been up in the City are camping on the Emigrants Square. Expect I will go up in the morning. I received two letters from sister Mattie and one from Mr. Halliday and no tongue can tell how sad I feel for each letter was written to my dear husband for they know not that he is dead.
September 7, Wednesday. I wait for Major Barron5 to come down and as he does not I go up to see him and present my letter of introduction, he receives me very politely and promised to assist me in selling my outfit and procuring me a passage in the coach for California but took good care not to come down. I am at a loss what to do. Mrs. Belt called down awhile this evening to see Mrs. Davise. This City is handsomely laid out, every house has an acre of ground ornamented with trees and flowers but I would not live here if the whole city belonged to me among such a class of community. I haven’t seen a handsomely dressed lady since I have been here. Morman communities are poor excuses to me and there are more dirty children running around begging than a few, we buy some nice peaches but they are 25 cts. a dozen. I tell you you have to pay high for everything you get here.
September 8, Thursday. I sent up for Major Barron to come down as I did not know what to do, he came down looked at my wagons, oxen and mules and seemed to think they were worth so little that I thought I had better not try to sell them and have hired a Mr. John Donly to drive my oxen and am going to try to go through in my wagons. We leave Salt Lake City about noon and travel some 15 miles and camp near a ranch where they have a large spring but the water is salty and makes us all sick.
September 9, Friday. We lay over all day.
September 10, Saturday. We hitch up and travel some 12 miles and camp at a village called E. T. here the water is very salty as well as the grass, our mules come very near dying from the effects of it.
September 11, Sunday. We leave Mr. Davises family and travel on to a small town, I do not know the name of it and here we get some hay for the stock and buy some nice peaches. We drive out about a mile from town and Mr. Davises family come on and correll with us.
September 12, Monday. We drive some 10 miles and camp by some fine springs and our stock has fine grass, we stay here for the rest of the day.
September 13, Tuesday. We hitch up and go through a settlement where we buy some excellent Irish potatoes. We drive some 21 miles and my mules give out, we have poor grass and I buy hay and oats for the mules for which I pay $6.00.
September 14, Wednesday. We travel some 5 miles and camp near a mail station and we have to drive our stock 6 miles to grass, we stay here the rest of the day and I buy some most excellent mutton. Mr. Davises overtake us again.
September 15, Thursday. We go some 10 miles to a station called Look-out, stay here all night.
September 16, Friday. We travel 12 miles and camp at Government Springs and have excellent grass for our stock.
September 17, Saturday. We lay over here and I wash our dirty clothes, they cut some excellent grass for the stock as we will soon cross the great desert and will need all the feed we can haul for them.
September 18, Sunday. We lay over here as our stock is improving so much.
September 19, Monday. We leave this place and travel some 10 miles to Indian Springs, here we again lay over for the rest of the day so the stock may all fill up.
September 20, Tuesday. We remain here until one o’clock and then start for the desert. We travel all this evening and all night and have come some 36 miles and are now resting in the desert.
September 21, Wednesday. We travel some 10 miles and noon at Fish Springs Station, our Bet mule is a little sick and we fasten our wagon under the ox wagon and go to the next station from here we move up some 2 miles to a fine spring and camp for the night. The grass and water here are quite salty.
September 22, Thursday. We hitch up and start again, the stock seem rested and we have traveled some 10 miles and are now nooning but there is not a sprig of grass for our teams. We travel some 24 miles and camp at Willow Springs — good water and grass.
September 23, Friday. We start before day and travel some 30 miles and camp at Deep Creek, this is a narrow stream but very deep, grass good.
September 24, Saturday. We remain here until noon and then travel some 6 miles and camp as this is the last good grass we will have for some miles.
September 25, Sunday. We start early this morning and travel 28 miles and camp but find very little grass, our mules are very tired as well as the oxen and we camp for the night, it rains very hard and is very windy.
September 26, Monday. We start early and travel 16 miles, we find some good bunch grass and stop and let the stock grass.
September 27, Tuesday. We travel 16 miles and camp near a station and have good grass, the water here is quite warm.
September 28, Wednesday. We travel 25 miles and pass through Egan Canyon, here we see a good many emigrants stopping here for the winter to try their luck in the mining process, tis thought that these are rich mines. At night when we camp we have a fine camp fire, near us is camped a woman who is confined and gives birth to a son, her name is Richardson.
September 29, Thursday. We travel 27 miles and have a very tiresome drive our mules and cattle both give out and we do not get into camp till almost midnight. I am very tired.
September 30, Friday. We start as early as we can and go some 10 miles to Ruby Valley, we stop here and rest our stock, we find everything very dear, I buy some coffee at one dollar a pound and give them my tin can to pay for it.
October 1, Saturday. We start early, travel 24 miles and camp at the foot of Diamond Mountain, this is a very high peak, the highest I have seen yet — our mules give out again and we haul our wagon with the oxen, it is a very cold night.
October 2, Sunday. We hitch up and climb the high hill, we get up safely and then descend to a beautiful valley and remain there the rest of the day and night and have a very windy evening and night.
October 3, Monday. We get an early start and have traveled very well but our mules are tired and I am getting so tired traveling. This evening we have a great time climbing to the top of a high hill and are very glad to get to the top, we then camp near a ranch and buy some hay for our oxen — we taveled 24 miles today.
October 4, Tuesday. We travel 20 miles have no grass and poor water.
October 5, Wednesday. We travel 22 miles and have good grass and water — camp in a canyon.
October 6, Thursday. We travel 20 miles over a very bad road, had a very bad hill to climb and a worse one to descend. I walk down which brings on a spell of sickness for tonight I am very poorly. We camp in Simpson’s Park.
October 7, Friday. We travel 10 miles and reach Austin,6 Nevada, where I have the pleasure of seeing cousin Charley Peters and my old acquaintance Mr. Ford from Liberty, Mo. They are very kind to me and assist me to dispose of my oxen and wagon.
October 8, Saturday. We remain in Austin, Nev.
IN CONCLUSION: Written by Mattie Bell (Ringo) Cushing, daughter of Mary Ringo.
That is the last Mother wrote in her diary so I will have to finish the best I can from things she told us at different times. I think she was the bravest woman I ever heard of — left as she was with five children to look after and to have everything else to attend to and in the condition she was in. In Austin she had a son born, fortunately it was still-born for he was terribly disfigured from mother seeing father after he was shot. Even my brother who was fourteen years old noticed it and said he looked just like father did. On the way out when we reached Fort Laramie, Wyoming, the government offered her an escort of soldiers to go back to Missouri but she said she was as much afraid of the soldiers as she was of the Indians and besides it wouldn’t seem like home without father.
I don’t know how long we stayed in Austin, probably a week or ten days and I don’t know how we made the rest of the trip. We took the mules and one wagon to San Jose and she told of stopping in San Francisco, California, and how high up the beds were, my sister had to climb on a chair to get in it.
We finally reached San Jose where Mother’s sister lived. My aunt and her husband had a very large place and Mr. Younger raised blooded cattle. They had a small house on the place that had formerly been a carriage house and had been made into a house. We lived there a year as mother was not able to do anything for some time but she paid our living expenses as of course she had some money but it was confederate money and she lost 36 dollars on the hundred.
We moved to San Jose and lived on Second Street where mother began the task of providing for her little family, the way was rough but with her sheer determination she raised her family unaided.
EPILOGUE: LETTER OF WILLIAM DAVENPORT
From the Liberty, Missouri, Tribune, September 16, 1864
From the Plains
Platte River Idaho Ter.
August 1, 1864
Mr. R.H. Miller — Dear Friend. I write to give you the melancholy information of the death of Martin Ringo. Owing to some difficulties we had with the Indians below Fort Laramie at Scott’s Bluffs the emigration formed themselves into large companies. Our company consisted of the Morris brothers and Jas. Reed of Clay county, Forbes, Irvin, Lucas & Co., from Platte and Buc[h]anan counties — Beauvais & Co. from St. Joseph with Mr. Ringo and family and others, making in all about 70 wagons, have been traveling together for mutual protection. We passed through the Black Hills, where the Indians have committed most of their depredations this season without being molested, and camped the night of the 28th July about three miles this side of Deer Creek, and about twenty five miles from this point. Shortly after dark a gentleman by the name of Davis, from Kansas, went out about fifty yards from the camp to look after his horses that were picketed out, and an Indian shot and wounded him in the right arm and side, making a painful tho’ not dangerous wound. The Indian succeeded in stealing three horses — one from Mr. Davis, one from Mr. Irvin and one from David Morris. There was only one Indian seen, and I think his only object was to steal horses. The shooting of Mr. Davis created considerable excitement in camp, as we expected to be attacked by Indians in force. The whole company stood guard during the night so as to be prepared in case we were attacked. Just after daylight on the morning of the 30th ult. Mr. Ringo stepped on top of the wagon, as I suppose, for the purpose of looking around to see if Indians were in sight, and his shot gun went off accidentally in his own hands, the load entering his right eye and coming out at the top of his head. At the report of the gun I saw his hat blown up twenty feet in the air, and his brains were scattered in all directions. I never saw a more heartrending sight, and to see the distress and agony of his wife and children was painful in the extreme. Mr. Ringo’s death has cast a gloom over the whole company, and his wife and children have our sympathy. The ladies in our company are very kind and attentive to Mrs. Ringo, and every gentleman in the company is disposed to do anything in his power to make her comfortable, or promote her interests. Mr. Ringo was a very mild, pleasant and unassuming gentleman, and was duly appreciated by our company — all of whom esteemed him highly. He was buried near the place he was shot in as decent a manner as possible with the facilities on the plains.
Mrs. Ringo thinks of going to Salt Lake and of disposing of her outfit at that point and taking the stage from there to California. There is a portion of our company that are going to California via Salt Lake, the larger portion are going to Idaho via the South Pass, and a portion of them are going by Bridger’s Cut Off, sixteen miles from here.
We do not anticipate any further Indian troubles on our journey, as there is no report of their committing any depredations beyond this point. We are going to travel in sufficiently large companies to protect ourselves, and by keeping strict guard we do not expect to be molested — their only object being to steal horses.
Our company are all enjoying excellent health.
Your friend,
Wm. Davenport.
1 Much of the detailed information about the Ringo family has come from Ringo Family History Series, Volume V, Line of Descent from Major Ringo (Alhambra, CA, 1980), pp. 11–34.
2 (Gerald, MO, 1981), p. 178.
3 Much of the material on Johnny Ringo we have gleaned from an excellent study of both the man and the myth in Jack Burrows, John Ringo: The Gunfighter Who Never Was (Tucson, 1987), passim. Burrows study is a definitive biography of John Peters Ringo.
4 This coroner’s report on the death of John Ringo has been published in several sources. We have used the version published in Allen A. Erwin, The Southwest of John H. Slaughter, 1841–1922 (Glendale, CA, 1965), pp. 203–4.
5 Op. (it., p. 197.
1 Merrill J. Mattes, in his Great Platte Road (Lincoln, 1969), describes one of the “Jumping-off Places” as WESTON – FORT LEAVENWORTH. The Leavenworth Road lay from Leavenworth, Kansas, to Fort Kearney, Nebraska. Mattes’ section on “The Fort Leavenworth Road and the Pony Express Route” (pp. 149ff) is of inestimable value to students of the overland trail.
2 This was one of the terms used for a smaller formation near Court House Rock, now called Jail Rock. It was occasionally called “The Clerk,” meaning probably the clerk of the court.
3 This was William Davenport whose letter is published at the end of Mary Ringo’s journal. She calls him “Dr.” in her entry for August 22, below. He was of great assistance to the Ringo family during the journey. He was from Liberty, Missouri.
4 Murrain was the name applied to several cattle diseases, the most likely one being anthrax. See introduction to Volume V of this set, pp. 15–16. It could also have been foot and mouth disease.
5 We checked all of the soldiers named Barron listed in J. Carlyle Parker’s Personal Name Index to Orton’s “Records of California Men in the War of the Rebellion, 1861 to 1867,” (Detroit, 1978), and found only privates. A careful check with Orton’s original work (Sacramento, 1890) listed no officers by that name.
6 Far and away the best reference to this silver mining town is Oscar Lewis’ book with the attenuated title: The Town That Died Laughing, The Story of Austin, Nevada, Rambunctious Early-Day Mining Camp, and of Its Renowned Newspaper, The Reese River Reveille (Reno, 1955). We have used the 1986 edition with a new foreword by Kenneth N. Owens.