Coastal Bend Chronicle: The Book that Saved the Lives of Settlers and Soldiers
Captain Randolph B. Marcy wrote the book, The Prairie Traveler, in 1859 and it became a bestseller for the rest of the century. It was written as a guide for the cavalry and the cross-country settlers headed overland to California, Oregon and Utah. Marcy was an explorer, a surveyor, a map maker and a military leader. His book distilled his decades of experience on the frontiers in the West and Northwest. The book was comprehensive, detailed, illustrated and easy to read, despite its 200 page length. The Prairie Traveler was authorized by the War Department and sold for one dollar. It was indispensable reading for any settler venturing by wagon train to the West Coast, as well as any military expedition dealing with the Indians.
Marcy started by describing the several routes to the West Coast. The southern route began with settlers arriving by ship at Powder Horn and Indianola on Matagorda Bay. The southern route was the best one for winter travel because it was seldom closed by snow and green grass as forage for the animals was available for most of the route. Marcy spent a lot of his advice on the animals, i.e. the oxen, horses, mules, and cows, because a successful overland journey depended on the endurance and health of these animals. Marcy advised that a wagon with a six-mule team should only be loaded with 2000 pounds, when grass was the only forage. Generally, only a small amount of grain could be carried for the animals in case of an emergency.
Marcy discussed the pros and cons of oxen versus mules as the beasts of burden. The oxen had a number of advantages for the 2000 mile trip to the West Coast. One advantage of oxen was that they were less excitable and less likely to be stampeded by Indians. A single ox pulling a wooden cart could convey 1000 pounds, so oxen were very cost effective. An ox was slow, but steady. A quirk of mule behavior is that sometimes in crossing a river they would become so terrified that they would simply lie down and not move. They would then have to be dragged across with a rope. Marcy said “I have even known some mules refuse to put forth the least effort to get up after being pulled out upon firm ground, and it was necessary to set them upon their feet before they were restored to a consciousness of their own powers.” But mules were superior to horses and dogs as sentinels. “Mules are keenly sensitive to danger, and… they will often detect the proximity of strangers long before they are discovered by their riders.”
Marcy recommended a daily ration for men on foot of about two and a half pounds of food, mainly consisting of pemmican and biscuits. The recipe for pemmican was to cut up and dry buffalo meat, then pound it into a powder and place it in an animal skin with the hair on the outside, pour in melted grease and then sew up the skin. Marcy described the pemmican as “wholesome and nutritious” and “will keep fresh for a long time.”
Marcy thought that wool was the best material for clothing and he described how to sew the various garments. Leather boots with wool socks were replaced by moccasins for travel in deep snow and wool pants were replaced by elk skin. An awl and buckskin strips were absolutely necessary for clothing fabrication and repair on the trail. Marcy also estimated the time it would take a wagon to travel from the Missouri River to California: 110 days. He then details how to travel, set up a secure camp, cross a river, find water, avoid a stampede, etc. He even gave recommendations for substitutes for exhausted supplies, such as red willow bark or sumac leaves for tobacco; dried wild horse mint for coffee; and a sprinkling of gunpowder for salt and pepper. This guidance all came from his experience and observations. Heeding this book must have saved countless lives.
Herndon Williams is affiliated with the Bayside Historical Society and the Refugio
County Historical Commission. He can be reached at coastalbendchronicle@yahoo.com
