Pioneers in the Mojave Desert

There were those wishing to settle in the new lands of California, they came in wagons with their families. After Edward F. Beale rode to the east with news of the discovery of gold, hundreds and then thousands came across the Mojave, at first along the Old Spanish Trail. Mormons made significant use of the trail and variations became known as the Mormon Trail.

Wagon parties of note during this period were the Bennett-Arcane party and Rose-Bailey. Bennett-Arcane had decided to try an ambiguous short-cut which ended in stranding them in Death Valley without food or ample water. The Rose-Bailey party was attacked by Mohave Indians while attempting to cross the the Colorado River. Lives were lost and the Rose-Bailey party made the long trek back to Sante Fe. The 'Lost 49ers,' as the Bennett-Arcane party became known, were rescued by the heroic efforts of two of its young members, William Manly and John Rogers. Although the massacre of the Oatman family occured far to the south, Olive and Maryann Oatman were held as slaves by the Mohave Indians for several years. Maryann died of malnutrition during a famine, and Olive Oatman was eventually rescued.

Mormon Pioneers

The history of the Mormon Trail cannot be understood without an awareness of the Mormon religion itself. The great Mormon migration of 1846-1847 was but one step in the Mormons' quest for religious freedom and growth. ...

The Lost 49'ers

The first two weeks of travel on the Old Spanish Trail were easy, but the going was slower than most of the travelers wanted. The leader of the group, Captain Jefferson Hunt, would only ...

The Life and Times of Aaron G. Lane

He had barely settled in before his ranch was raided by Indians. Other attacks followed throughout the years, and once he was even forced to ...

Rose-Bailey Wagon Train

Too impatient to wait for the new road to be completed, two wagon trains of emigrants left Santa Fe in 1858 to try it out, one headed by L. R. Rose, and following it another led by Gillum Bailey. ...