A PIONEER GIRL'S JOURNEY TO CALIFORNIA
(Frances Anne Cooper)
by Emily Davis
Links by Emily Davis
During the 1840's, many people dreamed of coming to the Mexican Territory of California. News about free land in California was travelling rapidly, and for those pioneers who made the long and dangerous journey, California brought the promise of new opportunities.
"Frances . . ., Frances. It's 5:00am. Time to get up," father called as he knocked on my bedroom door. Father had already been up for two hours that morning loading the wagon for the long journey our family was about to begin that morning in May of 1846. I was twenty that spring.
He opened the door a crack, and peeked his head in. "We just need to load a few more things in the wagon, and we'll be set to go. I wanna' make a good start today!" he spoke softly, but with obvious anticipation in his voice. I rubbed my eyes, looked at father, and then out the window to the covered wagon that sat waiting for us. An excited grin began to spread across my face, almost as though I was a little child again. This was the day I'd been waiting for!
"Well, let me fix breakfast for us before we leave," I said, feeling a little guilty that I hadn't woken myself up earlier to help father and mother load the wagon.
I had no idea what the next few months had in store for our family and about 75 other pioneers who would join us on our journey from Iowa to California. But with eager anticipation, I quickly got out of bed and began to dress, make final preparations, and fix us some breakfast - the last meal we'd ever eat in Iowa. This was the day we'd been planning for months, and it was finally here!
I thought about the first time I'd heard about California . . . Oh, I must have been only ten years old. I'd found a pamphlet written by a man who had actually been to California. Imagine that! In it, he described the "beautiful flowers" that bloomed in winter, the "glorious scenery" of the rugged mountains and huge redwoods, "the great herds of Spanish cattle in lovely fields", and the great expanse of blue sky under which few white folk had ever tread. Ever since then, I'd dreamed of the day when I would experience this land whereSpanish vaqueros rode their horses and where Indian rancherias dotted the dusty landscape. My mother also had an adventuresome spirit and wanted to go, but for a long time father felt it may be too dangerous. Finally, he "put it to a family vote," and now, ten years since I first read the pamphlet, I've been given the opportunity to pursue my dream of going to California.
. . . Not that I haven't already had some exciting experiences . . . Oh, I've had plenty of adventures in the 20 years I've been alive! I was born Frances Anne Cooper, in Howard county, Missouri. When I was still a child, father and mother packed all our belongings and moved us to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where my father was appointed Indian Agent. For a long time, we were the only white folks besides the blacksmith and one other family. So we children grew up with the Indian children. They were our best friends, and I learned to speak Indian from a young age. There were Chippewas, Ottawas, and Pottawattomies at Council Bluffs.
But we left our home and the Indians at Council Bluffs, Iowa for good that day in 1846. Our destination: California. Imagine if you can, a long train of covered wagons - 80 people total- making its way across hundreds of miles of plains and rugged mountains. It was dusty and hot as we travelled through the summer months. It wasn't easy travelling west in the 1840's; in fact, sometimes I felt like turning back. But I just had to remind myself that the reward would be great if I persevered.
Some things were especially hard for me to get used to while on our journey. To be sure, we didn't have the conveniences of our home in Iowa. We couldn't receive mail or send messages for the whole trip. We often ate the same food day after day. We had no baggage but bedding and provisions that we took with us on our long journey. But we had enough to live on, and for that I was thankful. On really hot days we would ride in the wagon that carried the bedding, and lounge on top of it all. This made a soft, comfortable place to relax and get relief from the hot sun.
We lived an adventure each new day, always moving forward to new territory. First, we crossed vast plains (the Great Plains) where I felt like we were the only people on earth, and where the sunsets were more beautiful than anywhere else on earth, I think. There were no roads, no trails; just the sun and the stars to guide us. As we crossed the plains, sometimes we travelled up to 14 miles in one day, and father, following the sun, took us straight west!
One day, about a month into our journey across the plains, we were attacked by Cherokees! Because the Indians settled the west long before us white folks, they didn't take kindly to us invading Indian territory. So about 500 of these Cherokees began to circle our wagon train! Needless to say, we were outnumbered. But, as I said earlier, our family had lived among the Indians in Iowa, and father especially knew how to befriend the Indians. What he did next was quite a scene. First, we got all the wagons as close together as possible. Then father, the captain of our wagon train, bravely got out to bargain with them. He knew two things for certain: first, Indians absolutely loved flour (they would mix it with water; then cook it on hot stones to make tortillas); second, they were also crazy about tobacco. With these two facts in mind, father measured out a cupful of flour and some tobacco for each Indian. They accepted his offering, and then they all smoked the "pipe of peace." The funny thing is that father hates tobacco smoke, but there he was "puffing away" with the rest of the Cherokee leaders. We had to laugh at that turn of events.
After crossing the Great Plains, we came to the Rocky Mountains. Goodness . . . If I thought the plains were difficult to cross, the Rocky mountains were so much worse! While crossing the plains, we rode in the wagons the whole time; but when we reached the steep slopes of the Rockies, we had to walk alongside the wagons. Some of the rocks on the incline were as high as my waist, and it was a difficult task to get all our wagons across safely! Some days we only travelled three miles the whole day! On one particularly rough day, one of the wagons got lodged between two large rocks and it wouldn't budge. Father called about eight of us over to help and together we lifted the wagon. Through trying times such as these, we all learned the importance of teamwork.
Finally, on October 3rd, 1846, we arrived in Napa valley, California. I was over-joyed! The whole journey took us five months, and as I thought back on our trip, I realized just how far we had come! Certainly we had left much behind, but here was a new land with new opportunities. I, Frances Anne Cooper, was truly a pioneer!
(This is a fictional story that is based on fact. The information for my story came from the September 9, 1900 edition of The Chronicle- out of San Francisco. In it, Francis Anne Cooper herself - who later became Mrs. F.A. Van Winkle - told the story about her journey to, and life in, California.)
When the Pioneers of 1846 arrived in California, they "thought California would be a great stock country, a fine place for farming, an elegant climate to live in, but no one had any idea then that there was gold[there]." In three short years, though, everything changed as the Gold Rush of '49 hit. Soon California was swarming with thousands of men who were after one thing: gold.
*To find out how a covered wagon was constructed, and what provisions it carried, Click here.
*To view actual photos from Pioneer times, (and to hear fun songs, such as "Home on the Range" and "On the Road Again"), Click here.
*To find out more interesting facts about California's history, Click here.
Comprehension Questions:
1. Where did Frances grow up after her family moved from Missouri when she was a little girl? What was something unique about where they lived?
2. What are some of the reasons families, such as the Coopers, desired to move to California?
3. If you lived in the Midwest in the 1840's, and were given the opportunity to join a wagon train to California, would you do it? Why or why not?
4. How many months did it take the wagon train to reach California from Iowa?
5. What were the two main land areas that the story mentioned the wagon train had to cross in order to reach California?
6. Describe some characteristics of California in the 1840's.
Emily Davis
"A Pioneer Girl's Journey to California"
Outline
I. Morning of the trip - May 1846.
A. Father wakes Frances up; eagerness
B. Father had been loading wagon.
C. Frances - fix breakfast/ get ready; eagerness.
II. The journey ahead.
A. Iowa to California
B. 75 other pioneers
III. How Frances first heard about California
A. Ten years old; pamphlet
B. Description of California: scenery, cattle, Spaniards, Indians.
C. Always wanted to go to California
IV.Growing up
A. Howard county, Missouri to Council Bluffs, Iowa
B. Life with the Indians; only white people
V. Journey to California
A. Covered wagons; 80 people
B. Difficult; hot
C. Perseverance
D. Special difficulties - not mail; same food; no baggage.
E. Lounge in wagons on hot days
F. The Great Plains - no trails, desolate, 14 miles per day
VI.Cherokee Indian story
A. Attack!
B. Peace: flour and tobacco
C. "Pipe of Peace" - father hates tobacco smoke
VII.Crossing the Rocky Mountains
A. Rocks as high as waist
B. Rough day - team work.
VIII. Arrival in California!
A. October 3rd, 1846 in Napa Valley, Ca.
B. Five month trip.
C. Left much behind, but new opportunities ahead.
D. Truly a pioneer!
Props: bedding, provisions, or a large trunk, "pamphlet", small covered wagon or picture of one(set on table for students to see), cup of flour, pipe.
Answers to Questions:
1. Council Bluffs, Iowa; they lived among the Indians; they were one of only a few white folks.
2. Possibility of free land; desirable climate; farming; beautiful scenery (answers will vary).
3. Answers will vary
4. 5 months
5. The Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains
6. It was a new frontier; It was only a Mexican Territory at this point, not a state; Many Spaniards lived there; Indians; There were lot's of cattle; It wasn't very populated yet; Spanish vaqueros and Indian rancherias; dusty, etc.
Sources:
http://shell3.ba.best.com/~sfmuseum/hist5/foremoms.htm