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"St. Joseph is a very Flourishin
place" wrote James Tate on April 24, 1849. Tate was one
of thousands of emigrants to choose St. Joseph as their
outfitting and jumping-off point for the approximately 2,000
mile wagon journey to California or Oregon in the mid-1800s.
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The earliest known wagon train to leave
from the St. Joseph area was in 1844. After outfitting
in St. Joseph, Cornelius Gilliam led his Oregon-bound
party a few miles north to Caples Landing where they
crossed the Missouri River. Each spring for nearly two
decades emigrants would gather on the banks of the
Missouri River to await the greening of the grass on the
prairie. The grass, which would support the stock, was
usually tall enough by mid-April. From then until about
the middle of May, the emigrants lined up and waited
their turn to cross the Missouri River and begin their
journey west on the St. Joe Road.
This route was extremely popular during
the California gold rush and according to trail
historian Merrill Mattes, more emigrants left from St.
Joseph during the major gold rush years of 1849, 50, and
51 than any other Missouri River jumping-off point. |
John
Banks, 1849:
We arrived at St. Joseph, a dirty town
on the frontier of Missouri. Its growth has been very
rapid, but its appearance is uninviting. Here we begin
to see what an excitement California has created.
Eleazar
Ingalls, 1850
St. Joseph is quite a village, and doing
a great deal of business at this time. But the way they
fleece California emigrants is worth noticing. . .. The
markets are filled with broken down horses jockeyed up
for the occasion, and unbroken mules, which they assure
you are handy as sheep. It is the greatest place for
gambling, and all over rascality that I was ever in. |
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W.S.
McBride, 1850
St. Joseph resembled in some respects a
vast besieged city - Along the bluffs to the west, were
some springs, long rows of tents were pitched closely
under the bluff rocks. All the principle roads leading
to the town were thickly beset with white tents on
either side - while the height immediately to the south
of the town were also covered with tents waggons, &
horses, and thronged with men.
Crossing the Missouri River was an event
of great importance: |
Lodisa
Frizzell, 1852
Teams crossing the river all the while,
but there is not half ferry boats enough here, great
delay is the consequence, besides the pushing &
crowding, to see who shall get across first. |
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Catherine
Sager, 1844
arrived at the crossing, where we found a
number of wagons ready to cross. We waited here for several
days' then the word was given that all was ready for the
crossing, and we drove down. Many of the emigrants had friends
who had accompanied them thus far and now bid them a long
farewell. Some wept for departing friends, and others at the
thoughts of leaving all they held dear for a long and
uncertain journey, and the children wept for fear of the
mighty waters that came rushing down and seemed as though it
would swallow them up; so that taken altogether, it was a sad
company that crossed over the Missouri River that bright
spring morning.
For more information on St. Joseph:
Jacqueline A. Lewin and Marilyn S. Taylor, A Traveler's Guide: The St. Joe Road(St. Joseph, MO: A St. Joseph Museum Publication, 1992
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