The Slower Road

When we last checked in with Mr. Johnson, he’d been obliged to camp for the night at a post office, as the nearby river was too high to cross.

“On the morning of the 20th, I was up in due season and made ready to move on. I went down to the river to see how it looked and found it about the same as yesterday. I turned back rather blue, and went to the post office, where I found the proprietor, to whom I remarked, ‘I have been to the river; but saw no change in its condition. What can I do? My only chance is to go back and ford the river.’ ‘The river can be forded, but it will be a hard job. It is a deep and powerful current; you may be able to ford it, but you should not be alone,’ she answered.

“As we were talking, three teams came up to where we were and the drivers asked the road to Green River City. The postmistress said to me, ‘Now is your time.’ The teamsters were answered, ‘There are two roads: one you can’t go and the other you can if you dare ford the river.’ ‘Which road is that?’ asked the teamsters. ‘The left road.’ ‘What is the matter with the other way?’ they asked. ‘A heavy wash-out; a bridge to be built before it can be traveled. Rivers and creeks are very high, it seems.’ ‘They are high; we are on our way to Green River City, and still further east across the plains,’ said the teamsters. ‘I came to the river yesterday but found it so high I dared not cross, and came here to take this road, but find it impassable, so here I am as you see,’ I said. ‘Get ready and go with them and cross as they do,’ said the postmistress.

“We all went back to the river, and as we got there saw on the opposite side a herd of horses with three men in charge of them. They rode up to the creek, looked at it a moment and then rode down the bank and over the opposite — in no time. ‘That was quickly done,’ I said. ‘How shall I get across with my carriage?’ I asked. ‘Drive down into the river, that is the way to cross; you can’t do it while on that bank,’ said one of the horsemen. ‘If you will ride across, I will follow you,’ I said.

“He rode down into the river and I followed close after him and got across all right, but my wagon was full of water, but it soon ran out. I went on and did not stop to see how the three teams got across. In crossing, my feed got wet, but it did no other damage.” …

to be continued …

It would seem that I left you hanging last week, wondering whether Mr. Johnson would be able to cross the river …

“On the morning of the 19th, instead of river being lower, it had risen two feet. Just across the river, not more than four rods, was the railroad. As the water was higher, I concluded to turn back to a road that led to a railroad station, which I had noticed the day before. I had just got ready to return when I noticed a hand-car coming up the railroad track, with several men on it. I signaled them to stop, which they did, and inquired the distance to the station. They answered, ‘About four miles.’ ‘I came here yesterday and finding the river high, I dared not cross it.’ ‘It is very high; never saw it so high before, you had better go back to the station and take the road to Fort Bridges, you there cross the same river over a bridge, about a mile from the station,’ one of the men answered.

“I went back to the station, and on my way I came to a small village. The first building I came to was a store and post office. I introduced myself to a woman who proved to be the postmistress, relating my travels from California to this place, and telling her that ‘yesterday I came to a river about four miles below, but finding it very high, dared not cross and remained overnight, hoping that the waters would be lower in the morning, but instead they were higher, and so I was advised to take this road to Fort Bridges.’ ‘Well, but I don’t know but the bridge on this road has been carried away. I will take my horse and carriage and we will go see,’ said the postmistress. We went to the river and found the bridge all right, but the road had been washed away and the river had made a new bed. Just above the bridge there is a bend in the river which was full and overflowing, so that the waters washed out a new passage. We turned back and reported the condition of the road, and that it looked as if several days would pass before travel could be renewed. When we got back, the postmistress told me to take my horse from my carriage and put her and the cow in the barn and give them some hay, as I might have to stop several days.”