Howdy, Having previously posted 49er/author Reuben Cole SHAW's trail's end experienes at Carson Pass, Webber town & Sacramento City, let's back track to his earlier Northern Trail journal entries. But first a short bio on our author: Reuben Cole SHAW was born at South Boston, MA on March 14, 1826. Shaw's father died when he was young and his widowed mother(name unknown) raised three small children. As per the fashion of the time, the fatherless Shaw became a BOUND boy; first becoming a carpenter's apprentice, and eventually reaching the rank of master carpenter and joiner. On May 2, 1847, Shaw married Rebecca P. SMITH and in due course they had five children. When their first born, Walter C. SHAW was less than a year old, Shaw decided to join in the gold rush to CA. He remained in CA for two years and rejoined his family in Boston late in 1851 - bringing home little or no gold. For his CA sojourn, Shaw joined the Mount Washington Mining Company of Massachusetts - originally consisting of 50 members mostly from the Boston area, although some were from NJ and VT. Since it might interest how these Bostonian gold seekers reached Independence, MO, their Northern Trails point of embarkation, let's read from Shaw's journal: "After many vexatious delays, we left Boston on the 17th of April[1849] by Boston and Albany railway, thence by New York Central, arriving in Buffalo 40 hours from Boston. After waiting three days, we boarded a lake steamer for Sandusky; then by rail to Cincinnati, and next by river steamer down the Ohio and up the Mississippi to St. Louis, where we changed boats for Council Bluffs on the Missouri; but, learning that the animals required for our journey could not be obtained at that place, we decided to make Independence, MO., our starting point, arriving there on the third of May[1849]." I won't elongate this post with the company's prior to departure trials and tribulations - mainly sickness. But they did finally leave Independence for CA around May 26,1849. Now on the Northern Trail, let's join SHAW's journal:: "The eighth day[June?,1849] out we crossed the Kansas River at the ford about 100 miles from Independence and camped for the night on the north bank.... "Having lost five horses and being about to enter the country of the PAWNEE Indians, we began to see the necessity of a more through organization, and at a meeting of the company our guide was elected commander-in-chief, all agreeing to abide by such rules as he saw fit to adopt, and we soon found ourselves in complete working order. " Our guide was at once dubbed GENERAL[can't find his name anywhere], and he retained the title to the day of his death, which ocurred several years later. Guards were arranged for both night and day. Each man was assigned his duties and was expected to execute them with promptness. Powder and lead wre distributed to all; instructions given as to the care of our firearms, with orders to keep them loaded and ready for any emergency; and we were also exercised at target practice....." "Our company was divided into seven messes of six men each. The messes were known by numbers... Each man was provided with a horse or mule to ride, and also a mule to carry his pack, which contained his wearing apparel, provisions, etc. We also had extra pack-mules - one in the care of each mess. One of them was packed with pork, another with rice, another with beans, another with ammunition, another with the medicine chest, and two with navy bread. These mules had pet names. They were known as PIGTAIL,... BEANPOD, POWDER HORN, PILL-BAGS and CRACKER BOXES. "Our mode of travel was as follows: We were aroused at daybreak, the animals turned loose to graze, and breakfast was prepared and eaten with appetites that epicures might envy. At six o'clock the GENERAL and members of one mess, forming the advance guard, left camp and were generally one or two miles in advance of the main body. They were always on the lookout for Indians and game, and it was their duty to select the places for the noon halts and also for camping at night. "The mules being packed and ready for the road, another mess of six men...moved out, and the pack-mules were driven after them. Two other messes took their stations - one on each flank to keep the mules in line - while the three remaining messes brought up the rear in three sections. If a mule threw his pack or got it misplaced, the first rear section took him in hand, adjusted his load and rushed him into the drove - the second section taking the place of the first, which fell in the rear.... "Packs were held in place on the mules by strong surcingles[girth or band], and, in additon to them, we used lash-ropes 20 feet long; yet, with all the precaution we were able to take, it was three or two weeks after leaving the frontier before our wild mules acknowledged themselves conquered and ceased dumping their packs along the road.:-)))))(From "Across the Plains in '49 by Reuben Cole Shaw" ed. Milo Milton Quaile NY: The Citadel Press1966). Stayed tuned for a little different trail stuff:-), Bob Norris in Dallas <BNorris166aol.com>