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from Junior Scholastic, November 15, 1999
Westward Wagons
by Suzanne McCabe
In the 1850s, more than 200,000 pioneers headed to California. They crossed blistering deserts, ice-covered mountains, and mosquito-infested rivers, in search of a better life.
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If I did not feel so anxious to hear from home I should feel quite
happy. I want to get a home of my own again & hope to soon. . . .
Mr. & Mrs. W. are very kind to me. It is really a favor to find such
friends in a strange land.
 Mary Stuart Bailey wrote the diary entry above on October 12, 1852. Bailey and her husband, a doctor, had left their Ohio home in April, “amid the tears and parting kisses of dear friends.” Their only child, Harriet, had died a few years earlier, before her first birthday.
The Baileys left behind family and friends to try their luck in wide-open California. They had lots of company along the trail.
During the 1850s, more than 200,000 pioneers headed west to California. Many had heard fabulous tales about “a land of milk and honey” bordering the Pacific Ocean.
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The Gold Rush
The U.S. acquired California and most of the Southwest in 1848, after winning a war with Mexico. That same year, James Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's Mill in California.
Almost immediately, eager gold seekers arrived from Mexico and Peru. By 1849, Americans were swarming across the Missouri River, bound for El Dorado (the land of gold). Most were men who dreamed of instant wealth. Between January 1848 and December 1849, California's population swelled from 15,000 to more than 100,000.
Many gold seekers returned home disappointed. But, in 1852, a new wave of emigrants (individuals who leave one region for another) set out for California. This time, men brought their wives and children. They wanted to build permanent homes and create better opportunities for their children. Although most of the trails they followed were now clearly marked, they risked hardship and discomfort along the way.
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“Pretty Well Drenched”
About four o'clock a terrific storm broke upon us. The wind blew
and it rained, hailed, thundered, [lightninged] in a way never before
seen. . . . The thunder crashed at our very heads. . . . The men,
although in oil cloth suits, were pretty well drenched.
—Helen Carpenter
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"Westward Wagons" by Suzanne McCabe from Junior Scholastic, November 15, 1999. Copyright © 1999 by Scholastic Inc. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
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