| Preparingfor California |
Submittedby Lela Hite Newell
[email protected]
Excerptfrom “A TRIP ACROSS THE PLAINS, MARCH 28TH TO OCTOBER 27TH, 1853”
Writtenby Mary Fetter (Hite) Sanford
Myfather, Alexander Hite farmed in Illinois in 1852. My brother Abram was22 years old and worked for a neighbor for 12 dollars a month, with roomand board. Abram heard of the the gold in California and asked our fatherto help him outfit a wagon for a trip West.
Thefamily decided to all go rather than split up the familly. Alexander askedAbram to wait one year while the whole family got ready to go.
Myfather sold his horses and bought oxen, horses could not last the longhaul and the prairie grasses were to dry for them. He ordered two wagons,they were old and needed a lot of work and painting. One of the wagonswas pulled by 2 horses and was for Mother and the littlest kids to ridein. The other was a large wagon to carry all the supplies needed for thetrip. It was about 11 feet long and 4 feet wide, the men placed 3bows of hickory on each wagon high enough in the middle so you couldwalk from end to end, supplies were stored on both sides, and therewere pockets sewn inside the tops for storage of different things. We woveheavy domestic cloth, sewed together by hand in 3 widths to cover the bows,then 2 more were soacked in oil and added to the top to keep out the hotsun and the rain. Out of the same domestic cloth we hand sewed a 9 by 11foot tent for the men and boys to sleep in. The children andthe women slept inside the wagons.
Wepacked flour, peas, hard biscuits, cornmeal, dried beef and put sides ofbacon in bran to preserve them. We hired a strong German girl namedDoris Rhodovolt, she spoke no English and was hired for 75 cents a week. Father paid her a dollar a week at the end of the year because she wassuch a good worker. The family all worked together making dried fruitsand vegetables, peas, beans, applebutter, pickles, 5 gallons of vinegar,5 gallons of honey, 100 pounds of maple sugar, 5 gallons of butter,coffee beans, tea, and salt. We wove clothe and made heavy clothes,knitted sweaters, mittens and socks. Doris could knit one sock anight after chores.
Threeyoung men were hired for 100 dollars and room and board, Bob Mack, JamesSnyder and Richard Kirkman. They in turn would help drive the teamsof oxen and would have a way to travel to California.
Mothertalked to the local doctor and he helped her fill a medicine chest forthe trip. Mostly it was filled with roots and herbs. Cholera,Dipheria, Typhoid and Dysentery were the common illiness of the time.
Westarted for California, 2 P.M., March 28th, 1853, 4 covered wagons,2 more haveing joined us, 12 yoke of cattle, 2 milk cows, and severalhorses. I was 13 years old.
Thefirst day we traveled only a few miles. We stayed with our nearestneighbors. They had a fine feast for all of us and had all 12 ofus inside to sleep in their home. My Sunday school class walked halfthe way there before saying goodbye.
Onday 2- Harrison Hite, father’s brother, met us and traveled with us allday, then turned back with a sad face and we never saw him again.
Copyright1999-2001 Lela Hite Newell; all rights reserved. For personal use only.Commercial use of the information contained in these pages is strictlyprohibited without prior permission. If copied, this copyright must appearwith the information.
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