Howdy, In a prior posting, I concluded: " ... the VAST majority of the early OVERLAND goldrushers (1849-1852) departed from one of the Missouri River towns(Independence and St. Jo). Of these, about 75%(3/4ths) left on the old Oregon Trail along(N or S) the North Platte River ... <snip> <snip> " the remaining 25%(1/4th) headed southwest on the Santa Fe Trail to Santa Fe(&vacinity) and then the various Southern Trails..to CA <snip> <snip>." These broad brush findings surprised me. But it does focus those interested in the overland gold seekers on these staging area, MO river towns. The "Overland Diary of James A. PRITCHARD from Kentucky to California in 1849" contains probably the most quoted description of Independence, MO in 1849. .First, a CAVEAT: I have no idea whether James PRITCHARD and our Enos CHRISTMAN attended the same school/schools. But if they did, they failed to share ENGLISH teachers:-))) But let's listen to 49er/diaristPritchard as he writes on April 22, 1849: "We reached Indipendence this morning at 8 Oclk A. M & continued to the river where we found the ballance of our company & Baggage...It was 6 ms from where we stayed last night to Indipendence & 3 from there to the landing. We commenced hearnessed up our mules & loaded in our goods & chattles and moved out one mile to a good camping place on the road towards Town where we camped for serveral days. Distance to Independence 6 miles. "The whole distance from St. Louis Mo. to Indipendence according to the sta[te]ment of distances as given to me by the inhabitance along the road - from place to place & from time to time which I presume to be correct as I got it from the most relyable sources - is two hundred & Eighty Eight[288] miles. We were all ready to start on our trip across the plaines by the 24 of April but we were perswaded by the old setlers that, that was too early as we would find no grass upon the plaines for our Stock. "In view of these statements we postponed starting till the 3 of May. And remained during the time encamped in and around Indipendence. But this advice we found to be extreamly detrimental to us. It served only to place us in the reare of a great number of large traines which we were compelled eventually to pass. We prepaired to take with us grane enough to feed our mules trwice pr day fro a distance of 400 miles. Therefore we Should have started at last 10 or 12 days sooner, which would have given us great advantages in the way of selecting good camping places. "Indipendence is a handsome flourishing town with a high healthy situation, three miles from the Missouri River on the South side and Surrounded by one of the most beautiful & fertile countries of any Town in the Nation. The land is well timbered with the most luxuriant groth of black Walnut Blue & Black Ash, Hackbury large Bur White & black Oak Buckey [e] Boxelder Coffee mut [nut?] etc. Soil with that groth of timebar cannot help being abundantly productive besides is such that the climate is unsurpassed in the Union. "The emigrants were encamped in every direction for miles around the time to come for their departure. Such were the crouded condition of the Streets of Ind by long traines of Ox teams mule teams men there with stock for Sale and men there to purchase stock that it was ll most impossible to pass along. And the California fever rageing to such a fearful extent that it was carrying off its thousand pr day. "Being all ready now to bid adieu to homes, friends, and happy Country, as it were - for we were about Separating ourselves from the abodes of Civilization, it peace, comeforts, and its saf[e]ty, for a period we knew not how long, and to some for ever, to launch away upon the broad and extensive plaines, which Straches away and away, untill it fades from the sight in the dim distance, and bounded only by the blue wall of the Sky."(From "The Overland Diary of James A. Pritchard from Kentucky to California in 1849", edited by Dale L. Morgan: The Old West Publishing Co. MCMLIX) NOTE: James Budde, OCTA treasurer, suggested this book to me as a possible trail reference in my search for the wagon train that, about a year later, carried my ggmMary and her aunt and uncle, also from KY, to Sonoma.CA. This Pritchard book also lists all of the THEN known diarists, with comparison charts, that traveled west across South Pass(Northern Trail) in 1849. A little change of pace:-) If it's ok, we might look at another overland jumping-off place or two. Bob Norris in Dallas <BNorris166aol.com>