54
T H E U T A H HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
Extract from "Narrative of Charles Hopper, A California Pioneer of 1841." Written by R. T. Montgomery at Napa, 1871 (Bancroft L i b r a r y 1871) " . . . I set out a b o u t t h e 1st d a y of M a y , 1841 with a p a r t y of 30 m e n , 1 w o m a n a n d 1 child, from J a c k s o n County, M o . Col. J o h n B a r t l e s o n w a s Captain of o u r c o m p a n y , b u t our n u m b e r w a s increased t o 75 before s t a r t i n g , b y a n o t h e r party w h i c h w a s b o u n d t o Oregon 1 , and w h i c h s e p a r a t e d from ours at Soda S p r i n g s , n e a r F o r t H a l l . I t w a s c o m m a n d e d b y Capt. F i t z p a t r i c k . Of t h o s e in our c o m p a n y I r e m e m b e r only the n a m e s of t h e following p e r s o n s : Col. J o h n Bartleson, Col. J. B . Chiles, J o h n Bidwell (Hon. J o h n Bidwell of B u t t e Co.), Charles H o p p e r , A n d r e w Kelsey ( a f t e r w a r d s killed by t h e I n d i a n s at Clear L a k e ) , N a t h a n Toms, Michael N y e , Capt. R i c k m a n , M c M a h a n , Benj. Kelsey, C. M. W e b e r , Welden, C h a n d l e r , J o h n McDowell, Green M c M a h a n , S p r i n g e r , G r o v e Cook, Mrs. Benjamin K e l s e y a n d child 2 . W h i l e e n c a m p e d n e a r Soda S p r i n g s , M r . Bidwell became excited on b e h o l d i n g t h e snow u p o n t h e m o u n t a i n s apparently close to c a m p and asked " C a n ' t I g o t o it a n d g e t b a c k this even i n g ? " H e w a s a s s u r e d t h a t he could not, a n d t h a t t h e mountains w e r e a t a long distance. H e p r e t e n d e d t h a t he w a s g o i n g fishing, b u t s t a r t e d for the m o u n t a i n s t o see t h e snow. H e w a s gone all night, and the c o m p a n y m a d e s u r e h e w a s killed b y t h e Indians. I took his t r a c k for t h e m o u n t a i n s a n d a t last found him. Bidwell came l a u g h i n g into c a m p , b u t h e g o t soundly rebuked b y t h e captain for b e i n g so v e n t u r e s o m e a n d giving trouble t o t h e c o m p a n y w h e n t h e r e w a s n o need of it 3 . W e got safely notice except t h a t a t t e m p t i n g t o pull The company
t h r o u g h to F o r t H a l l . N o incident w o r t h y of a y o u n g m a n shot himself at A s h H o l l o w in his g u n out from a w a g o n . concluded a day or t w o 4 after leaving Soda
'Father DeSmet and party. There is some doubt about Andrew Kelsey being a member of this party; he is thought to have come later. Bartleson soon returned to Missouri. Belden became the first mayor of San Jose. Weber founded the town of Stockton. 'This probably accounts for Bidwell's unfriendly attitude toward Bartleson in his "First Emigrant Train to California." 'Eight days.
