Source: "The Journal of Captain John A. Bell," edited by Harlin M. Fuller and LeRoy R. Hafen. The Far West and the Rockies Historical Series 1820-1875, Vol.VI. (Glendale, Calif.: The Arthur H. Clark Co.,1957).
“Our horses being quite enfeebled from the fatigue of travel, we gladly availed ourselves of the presence of buffalo to prolong our stay at Cherry creek some ten days, and meanwhile found no difficulty in procuring a continued feast of good things from the dense herds that thronged the country upon every side. “The severe weather and frequent snows of the past two months, had driven these animals from the open prairie into the creek bottoms and mountains, whose vicinites were completely blackened with their countless thousands.
“The antelope, too, seemed to have congregated from all parts, and covered the country in one almost unbroken band. Their numbers exceeded any thing of the kind I ever witnessed before or since. We amused ourselves at times in shooting them merely for their skins, the latter being superior to those of deer or even sheep in its nicity of texture and silky softness ....
“Two or three snow-storms occured shortly after our arrival; but having constructed commodious shantees in regular mountain style, with large fires in front, we were both dry and comfortable.
“These occasions, too, afforded their own amusement. Snugly stowed away in bed, with our rifles at hand, whenever a straggling wolf ventured within gun-shot, in fond hopes of a deserted camp, he was almost sure to fall a victim to his own temerity.
“Bands of five or ten would frequently approach almost to the camp-fire, totally unsuspicious of danger till the sharp crack of a rifle told the fall of some one of their number.
“A swarm of ravens, allured by the carcases of these animals, peopled the grove near by. Having devoured the timely feast, still the poor birds remained, making the day dismal with their tireless croakings, as if in importunate supplication for a further boon.
“Three of them soon became quite domesticated, and would approach fearlessly to the very verge of the camp-fire in quest of the offals of our culinary department.
“One, however, by far exceeded his two companions in boldness, and would venture within a few feet of us at any time.
“So audacious was his conduct, and so insatiate his appetite, his comrades took occasion to bestow upon him frequent chastisements; but all to no purpose. At length abandoning all hope of effecting the desired reformation, they set upon the offending bird, nor relinquished their purpose till the life of the luckless gormandizer had expiated the crime of his unravenlike conduct, and his executioners were left to enjoy their daily repasts without the annoyance of his presence.”
Source: Rocky Mountain Life, by Rufus B. Sage. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1982).
“Sayings of the Boys while wrafting the Platt - No one speak but the Captain - Will you hold your tonque you scoundrel - hold on, pitch on to that raft fellows a dozen or two of you - push it off -now she rides - Let her swing - hold to the rope to the right you Rogues - Run out to the right with the rope - Cordelle there on the Left Rope. pitch ashore my lads - all Right - Let her come - now she Rides - Get off the Rope there Behind - I cant pull the Raft and you on the Rope. Get away Bill from behind, you'r so short, you pull down instead of along - who did that? There now the rope is Broke - Back she goes - pull her up - stop that fellows mouth and hear what the Captain say, - I'll spill you into the River the first thing you know - Look out I'll see if I can throw a rock over, who saw a Kan Kaven - he did? who killed a deer with a Black tail -oh it was a sheep - no it was a Goat - No it was a donkey - that was a qood one by Gum - George pull my finger whey didn't they marry. now is the time to hold your tater - Into it Dugan - Etc Etc
“June 21 Finished crossing at two oclock. Left the Platt and traveled 6 miles to creek. Good water, grass & timber Camp 44.
“We called this Ralstons creek because a man of that name found gold here
June 22 Lay Bye. Gold found.
June 23.This morning, all except three messes who traveled on, concluded to stay and examine the gold ....
“June 24th Only 14 waggons. Snow topped mountains in view today. Left Ralstons Creek and made twenty-six miles....”
Source: "Diary of John Lowrey Brown," Chronicles of Oklahoma, XII.
“The California trail, which we had been following, crosses the South Platte here, just below (north of) the mouth of Cherry Creek, and seems to take through the mountains, while we leave it and follow down the right bank of the river, on a dim wagon trail that did not appear to be used much.
“This part of Kansas Territory was literally a 'howling wildernes,' with little indication of its having been occupied or traversed by white men, except the old wagon-road we had been traveling, with here and there a stump and a few chips by the roadside, as the mark of some California emigrant. Game was very abundant, and comparatively tame. Herds of elk, antelope, and deer were frequently seen from the trail as we marched along, and occasionally a bear. Old Fall Leaf and his Delawares proved to be expert hunters, as well as good guides and trailers, for they almost kept the command in french game meat while we were traveling through this foot-hills country.”
Source: "R.M. Peck's Account of the Sedgwick Division," Transactions of the Kansas State Historical Society, !903-1904, Vol. VIII.
“Leroux, our guide, built a boat of hides today but we have not yet tried it.
“May 12th This morning we tried out the boat of rawhides & found it answers very well. The rope was carried over in it & by 12M was stretched across the river. We then swam the horses over without loss. The mules were not quite as fortunate. Five were drowned. At 3 P.M. the flatboat was finished, & by 9 P.M. all the infantry had crossed.
“May 13th Still twenty-eight wagans remain to cross.”
Source: Campaigns in the West 1856-1861, by John Van Deusen Dubois. Edited by George P. Hammond. (Tucson: Arizona Pioneers West Society, 1949).
“We went as far north as Boulder and Big Thompson and south to Bear Creek and into the mountains a short distance. Finding nothing of any importance we concluded to recross the Platte which we did about the 24th of June ]July] .... We then camped there for a day or two and there had another split-up of the company .... We had in one month's time been reduced from the formidable number of one hundred and four to only thirteen ....
“On the very day that we were left alone we started up the Platte .... As fortune would have it, some three and a half miles up the river, while the wagons were ahead of me, some one hundred or two hundred yards, I discovered on the bank of the river a bed of alluvial gravel, and under it was a conglomerate or cement bedrock. I ran ahead to the wagons and got a pan, pick and shovel and had taken out a handful of the gravel and had it about two-thirds panned when Green Russell came up to me and finished washing it. We had about six or seven cents' worth of nice scale gold. He then says in rather an excited tone: ‘Our Fortune is made! Run and stop the wagons and tell them to come back here ....’
“We camped there several days and made a hand rocker out of a cottonwood log and mined out something over $200 in thin scale gold. In the meantime Green Russell and Sam Bates found another little deposit in a bar up Dry Creek, some two miles from the river, that was richer than the one on the Platte.
Source: "With The Green Russell Party," by James H. Pierce. The Trail, Vol.XIII, No.12 (May, 1921).