The Deadly Desert

Pioneers tried to cross the desert on their way to California, thinking it was
impossible to cross the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The mountains were
obviously dangerous, and the best (worst?) example was the Donner Party that
was trapped by a storm in the mountains, an event that became one of the
greatest human disasters of that day and age.

The stories of the Donner Party were still fresh on everyone's mind when a
different wagon train, known as the San Joaquin Company, began their journey
in October of 1849. This was much too late to try to cross the Sierra Nevada
safely, and it looked like these wagons were going to have to wait out the winter.
It was then that they heard about the Old Spanish Trail, a route that went around
the south end of the Sierra Nevada and was “safe” to travel in the winter. The
problems were that no pioneer wagon trains had traversed it and they could only
find one person in town who knew the route and would agree to lead them. Well,
not surprisingly, it turned out to be a disaster. As they started their journey no
one knew that this wagon train would become part of a story of human suffering
in a place they named Death Valley.

The going was slower than most of the travelers wanted, but the group's guide,
Captain Jefferson Hunt, would only go as fast as the slowest wagon in the group.
Then a young man rode into camp and showed some of the people a hand-
sketched map that showed a "short cut" across the desert to a place called
Walker Pass. Everyone agreed that this would cut off 500 miles from their
journey so most of the 107 wagons decided to follow this short cut. Remember
that the Donner Party ended up trapped because they thought they’d risk taking
a “shortcut?” Oh oh!

The decision did not turn out well. Unfortunately, they ended up in Death Valley
and they were totally lost! The lost pioneers traveled across the desert for about
two months. Their oxen were weak from lack of plants and food to eat and their
wagons were battered and in poor shape. They were weary and discouraged.

Things got so bad that they decided they would have to leave their wagons and
belongings behind and walk. They slaughtered several oxen and used the wood
of their wagons to cook the meat and make jerky.

There were also problems with insects and other crawling creatures! One of the
worst was an insect called the Mormon cricket. These traveled in swarms and
could grow as big as 8 centimeters in length. They also had to deal with Wolf
spiders, Jumping spiders, and even tarantulas. And there were many snakes,
including the deadly rattlesnakes! Box beetles release a horrible smell when
disturbed.

Besides a lack of food, water was a huge problem of course. There was basically
no rain, which is the main definition of a desert! But sometimes the pioneers
came across shallow surface pools or “water holes.” They would drink the water
because they were desperate but the water was usually disgusting and salty! But
worse than that, often these water holes had poisonous water. This was
especially true in late summer and in the fall as the surface water gradually
evaporated, leaving deadly minerals behind. Arsenic was a common poison in
the water that killed pioneers. They learned not to drink water that had a lot of
animal skeletons around it! Pioneers who got sick drinking the arsenic, often
died. Doctors would treat them by trying to get them to vomit and then having
them drink milk. This didn’t usually work.

Of course if they couldn’t find any water there was a huge danger of getting
dehydrated. This caused great thirst, headaches, low blood pressure, and a rapid
heart rate. Eventually it can actually cause death.

Another huge problem was the heat! And not just hot…unbearably hot. We think
of a very hot day as being 100º or even up to 106º. In Death Valley temperatures
can get as hot as 134º!!! Heat exhaustion caused dizziness, confusion, fainting,
headaches, muscle cramps, and vomiting.

The San Joaquin Company miraculously made their way west to California, but
as they left the fearsome desert, someone is said to have proclaimed "Goodbye,
Death Valley," giving the valley its morbid name.