INTRODUCTION
By Marian Albright Schenk
FOREWORD
By Dean Knudsen
SECTION 1
Primary Themes of Jackson's Art
SECTION 2
Paintings of the Oregon Trail
SECTION 3
Historic Scenes From the West
 |
| With William Henry Jackson's experience as a bullwhacker it is tempting to speculate about his thoughts as to the amount of freight that could have been hauled using the elephants he encountered in his 1895 trip to India. (SCBL 3115) |
Section 2: Paintings of the Oregon Trail
THE CALIFORNIA TRAIL
By the time William Henry Jackson left Salt Lake City in December of 1866, the overland trail to California was a well-worn road. The California Gold Rush had peaked in 1852, and the number of emigrants had dropped considerably in the intervening years. However, in Jackson's time there was still a steady stream of wagons hauling freight from Salt Lake City to California that continued until the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869.
Jackson's experience on the California Trail was very different from what he had known on the Platte. For one thing, he was a paying passenger, and the demands on his energy and stamina were much less tiring. Also, the pace that these freighters set was almost leisurely. Early starts were rare and the travel day was considerably shorter than when Jackson had been a teamster.
 |
| The Nevada desert was an especially difficult section of the road to California. William Henry Jackson apparently sketched this portion of what he called the "Salt Lake & Los Angeles Trail" during his return trip to the East in 1867. (SCBL 136) |
The trail Jackson followed wound south of the Great Salt Lake before joining up with the primary route and heading to the southwest. Initially there were several small Mormon communities along the trail. These included the towns of Nephi, Cedar Creek and Fillmore.1
Traveling through the Nevada desert in December must had been unusually pleasant as Jackson makes little mention of any difficulties or discomfort. Jackson did sketch wagons climbing out of the Valley of the Virgin River, and the grade does look impossibly steep, but his notes only express a concern about the sobriety of the teamsters.
Another subject noticeably absent from his diary is any further mention of pursuing his fortune at any of California's gold sites. After a little more than a month on the California Trail, William Henry Jackson's wagon train arrived in Los Angeles. In describing the Los Angeles he first visited, Jackson also reveals his opinion of the city it later became:
Los Angeles, a town of less than 5,000, had in 1867 all the charm it lacks today. Single-storied Mexican houses were almost universal—the genuine article, not a professional booster's Spanish nightmare. Orange and lime trees lined the streets, and traffic was sparse and slow-moving. Los Angeles was honestly quaint, rather than merely blatant.2
Of course, by that time the gold fever in California had subsided. New strikes had been made in Montana and Nevada and most of the original "forty-niners" had moved on to new ventures. However, Jackson was undoubtedly exposed to the stories of the few men who struck it rich, as well as those of the many who never did hit paydirt.
After the many months of effort to reach the West Coast, Jackson suddenly found himself at a loss as to what he would do. Apparently he did not entertain any idea of staying very long. Instead he worked at odd jobs to make enough money to support himself, while also taking the time to enjoy the climate and relaxed atmosphere. However, within a few months Jackson was anxious to make his way back east—his dreams of striking it rich forgotten.
1. Hafen, Jackson Diaries, 103-106.
2. Jackson, Time Exposure, 150-151.
 |
| Marshall Finds Gold. Signed and dated 1941. 23.5 x 33.7 cm. (SCBL 42) |
 |
scbl/knudsen/sec2t.htm Last Updated: 14-Apr-2006 |
 |