Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Reminiscences of a trip to Pike’s Peak and down the Rio Grande in the year 1859, at the time of the Pikes Peak gold craze (Peter Westerlund)
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found it impossible owing to falls and rapids. They
even reported that the river passed under a mountain
and persuaded us not to undertake the trip. They
also said we would come in contact with the Apache
Indians ten or fifteen miles below. In fact they did
everything in their power to dissuade us from taking
the trip. When we all got together, we had to settle
down to some hard thinking and planning. The
reports were so discouraging we could not believe all
that was said, and thought that even if there were
falls and rapids, we were twelve strong men and
could carry our boats around such places. The
report that the river passed under a mountain we did
not believe at all.
In a dav or two after the sale notices had been
posted the people came and offered to buy us out.
Wc got what we thought a fair price for our oxen
and wagons. The purchasers were Mexicans. The
next thing for us to do was to get lumber and build
boats. There was no lumber-yard in Albuquerque,
but we were told that forty miles up in the
mountains there were tbose that sawed bv hand any kind
u f-
of lumber wanted. There were no saw-mills in this
region at that time. We made out our lumber bill
and hired some Mexicans to go there with it and to
bring the lumber back to us. It was very good
lumber they got, It cost us $35 for the three skiffs.
In about three or four days we were ready to build
our boats. Our boats were to be 18 feet long and
31A to 4 feet wide at the top and in the centre, wide
enough to carry four persons and our luggage. There
were three men in our company that were carpenters
by trade and two of then had tool chests witih them
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