Distinctly Montana Magazine

31 w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m July 16— Thursday. Near noon came in sight of the re- nowned Chimney Rock and the first sight of it was really like a chimney. The atmosphere was smoky and made the rock seem more like a large chimney from some great manufacturing es- tablishment from which the smoke had settled down over the surrounding country. It seemed quite near us when we camped at noon and Hattie and I were determined to go over it but all said we were crazy; we could never get there . . . however we start- ed with Henry and Wilbur with the pleasing assurance from Mr. Booth that it was seven miles at least. In the midst of the hardship of frontier travel, Lucia and the oth- er members of her party found ways to enjoy themselves. They collected wildflowers, swam in swift, cold riverbeds, and in the evenings around the campfire some pioneers played musical in- struments while others sang and danced along. On August 13, 1863, the wagon train stopped at a small military camp of twenty Ohio soldiers. A celebration of sorts was held that night to welcome the emigrants to the scene. We are in camp near their barracks and they seem very glad to see anyone from the States. A soldier's life here is very monotonous and very uncomfortable in winter. During the evening, the soldiers came over and sat around the stove and Mr. Everett brought over his violin and we had a swing. After we had finished singing the sol- diers danced a cotillion or two which they entered into with energy. On a good day, the wagon train could travel between fifteen to twenty miles. When the day's journey ended, people took turns guarding the vehicles and livestock in the evenings. On Septem- ber 3, 1863, Lucia stood in as a lookout for her uncle. I sat up and watched the cattle and the stars all night with our In- dian pony for company. The number of Indians and bears I saw on each side of the camp among the willows in the moonlight I did not count, but have decided today in broad daylight that it was all my imagination. Uncle set his gun out of the tent and I kept my revolver close to me. Wonder what I would have done if I had seen one, either a bear or Indian. I presume I should have screamed, perhaps not. The driven schoolteacher arrived in Bannack, Montana, in mid-September 1863. An onslaught of winter weather kept the wagon train from moving on into Idaho. It was decided that the pioneers would stay there until spring. The drive west had been a trying one for Lucia, but the sight of a civilized town after three and a half months on the trail made her temporarily forget the struggles. In looking back to that journey from Ohio. I think of nothing that interested us more than our arrival in Bannock. The growth of a day whose existence and fame went hand in hand and spread over the entire contingent in a single season. Bannack was a wild and wooly gold-mining town. It was found- ed in 1862 by a prospector named John White who dipped his pan into nearby Grasshopper Creek and came up with chunks of glittering yellow rock. News of the rich gold deposits in the area spread quickly. Min- ers, businessmen, and families rushed to the spot. By 1863 more than three thousand residents lived there.

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