The Gold Rush On January 24, 1848,
James W. Marshall and his crew found gold at Sutter's Mill in
Coloma, California. This discovery would lure tens of thousands of people from the United States and foreign nations. People packed their belongings and began to travel by
covered wagon to what they hoped would be new and better life. Since the first great influx of these pioneers began in 1849, they are generally referred to as 49ers. However, the
Donner Party pioneers had provided a sobering lesson after mis-scheduling the overland trip to California in 1846–47. Those pioneers had started late and elected to follow the
Hastings Cutoff, a new route which slowed the group, and they reached the
Sierra Nevada late in fall 1846. There, a storm trapped them in the mountains, resulting in the infamous disaster. The stories of the Donner Party were still fresh on everyone's mind when a group of wagons arrived at Salt Lake City and organized in early fall 1849. This was too late in the season to reach and cross the Sierra Nevada without risk of being similarly trapped, so it appeared the group would have to wait out the winter in Salt Lake City. They heard about the
Old Spanish Trail, a route that went around the south end of the Sierra and was safe to travel in the winter. It was not certain if wagons could navigate the route, but some had recently headed for the trail to try, so the group found a guide by name of
Jefferson Hunt who had previously traveled the route in 1847 These individuals would become part of a story of human suffering in a place which they named
Death Valley. In addition, Hunt instructed the group to wait a few more days before departing, as cooler weather would prevail during the southern route's path through the desert. presumably reducing the distance. Instead, Hunt led the party west down the Beaver River, to present day
Minersville, Utah, where they camped for two nights to rest and prepare for a long stretch with no water. They then turned south and traveled on October 21 and made a dry camp.
The parties split up The group's patience and confidence in Hunt was diminished by the gaffe at the Beaver River, which showed a route west across the Escalante Desert to Walker Pass. Yet another alternate account stated the map was a copy of one made by
John C. Fremont during his military campaign in 1845. Smith and the pack train had been able to traverse the canyon on foot and hoof, but the wagons could not. The oxen grew weak from lack of nourishment and water, and the pioneers began discarding treasured items in late November, approximately west of "Mount Misery" near present-day
Hiko.
Burnt Wagons (Jayhawkers) At Furnace Creek, the groups split again. The
Jayhawkers decided to head northwest toward a rough pass ("Towne Pass") The Jayhawkers arrived at
Rancho San Francisco on February 4, 1850; the survivors later held reunions and celebrated annually on that day from 1872 to 1918.
Long Camp (Bennett-Arcane) Meanwhile, the
Bennett-Arcane group attempted to cross the Panamints to the south at Warm Springs Canyon, where Manly had reported seeing a lake, but failed and retreated to the valley floor. At the start of 1850, they dispatched two men,
William Lewis Manly and
John Haney Rogers, with two weeks of supplies and to purchase relief and return. They mistakenly thought the Panamints were the Sierra Nevada and were expecting a quick return. Instead, Manly and Rogers walked nearly to Mission San Fernando, purchased supplies, and rode three horses and a one-eyed mule back to rescue the survivors, returning 26 days after they had set out. Incredibly, only one of the Bennett-Arcane group had died during the month-long wait at what is now the
Bennett-Arcane Long Camp, although several other survivors had left to find their own way out of Death Valley. Reportedly, as the last survivors left with Manly and Rogers, someone proclaimed "Goodbye, Death Valley", naming the area. ==Death Valley '49ers nonprofit==