Our Pioneers — Old Cattlemen of the Southern California Deserts, Part II
by Larry H. Maxey, founder and superintendent, NAILE Fullblood Simmental Shows
In the December/January Register, I introduced Old Time Cattlemen and Other Pioneers of the Anza-Borrego Area , by Lester Reed; the book shares detailed accounts of the brave and adventurous settlers and cattlemen of the desert region. This is a continuation of last month’s column.
I was once asked, “How many cattle do you need to own to be called a cattleman?” For us in the business, we know that ownership is not required to be so classified. Some of the most notable cattlemen in our history didn’t own the cattle they tended. Therefore, ownership is not essential to be called a cowboy. In this column, we have covered the stories of cattlemen owning tens of thousands of cattle, and others who owned none. Somewhere, between zero and thousands, the cowboy resides.
John Taylor only owned about 30 head of cattle. He ranched on his 160-acre homestead in Comanche County, Texas. Disenchanted with his circumstances as a soldier in the Confederate Army, he wanted out of Texas and the army. It was February of 1864. Texas had seceded from the Union in 1861 and became a Confederate state. His way out was to trek to California and once again be a US citizen. His plans would have to be kept secret given that such a decision would render him a deserter, as he duly noted in his diary.
John learned of wagon trains being formed to head west. He journeyed 120 miles to Williamson County, Texas, where he acquired oxen and a wagon. He secretly gave instructions to Asa Reed, Lester’s grandfather, to sell his homestead, cattle, and other holdings as he saw fit. Under false pretense, he secured a transfer from Major Erath of Concho County. He claimed he was needed to attend to a herd of cattle on the Pecan Bayou. He left on April 15, accompanied by several other deserters, with California in mind.
Soon thereafter, Taylor was met by even more deserters planning to join the wagon trains headed to California. They had all their holdings with them: large families, livestock, and other things essential for survival in the wilderness. They reached the Concho River and camped until May 11. By that time, other wagons had arrived. The decision was made to divide into three separate wagon trains. Ahead of them was some of the most brutal and inhospitable terrain and weather even the hardiest would ever encounter.
Unfortunately, sickness was common and deadly. The diaries of Taylor and several others are filled with the pain and suffering that accompanied them. Many children fell victim to whooping cough. Highly contagious, it spread at will and the toll was heavy. Reed notes the locations along the trail where those poor souls are buried. Of course, the vaccine we have in modern times was not known or available then. With each loss, the burial took place, and the wagon trains continued on their somber, woeful way.
They were still traveling on the south side of the Concho River when Isiah Bays joined them. He, too, was a deserter. However, his value as a guide was very beneficial. Bays had traveled this route to California in 1861. By late May, the train had grown to about 150 people with deserters from many parts of the country included. Finding clean water for themselves and their stock, and wood for their fires was challenging. Bays was helpful in leading them to friendly areas. However, so many wagon trains ahead of them, and their relentless objective to reach California, often left few resources behind.
On a good day, only a few miles could be covered. Destroyed US forts were found on their route. With the US Civil War raging, the Confederate Army was very active in the West. US troops and Confederate troops battled in this western frontier. We often think of that war as mostly east of the Mississippi. However, the West had more than its fair share of conflict. Taylor described this destruction and ruins of the forts as the work of General Sibley.
I found it interesting that these migrants, consisting mainly of Confederate deserters, were always eager to learn of US soldiers in their area. On June 19, the trains arrived at the Rio Grande River. They received good news that US soldiers were camped nearby. The soldiers’ mission was to protect them from raids by renegade white men, and Native Americans. The troops joined Taylor’s group as security. At the destroyed Fort Quitman, the US commander asked that all the divisions of the trains travel close together. On June 27, at San Lasan, Taylor saw a US flag waving in the breeze. It was the first time he had seen the Stars and Stripes since before the war began. He wrote, “the feeling it gave him could better be imagined than deserved.”
By July 1, the caravan arrived at Fort Bliss. It was in ruins. On July 2, they reached Franklin, where the California regiment was stationed. It was here that all members of the group took the oath of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and they received passports to take them through to California.
The route took them north from the Rio Grande into New Mexico and west into Arizona. At one point they even traveled south of the Rio Grande River into Mexico to avoid the menacing sand dunes. There were no letups in the hardships encountered. By late September, they were en route to cross the Colorado River at Fort Yuma where they successfully did so on October 4. They were now in California!
Taylor settled in the vicinity of San Bernardino. These trains brought with them necessary resources allowing them to settle the brutal deserts of Southern California. They were “pioneers” in the truest sense. .
Editor’s note: This is the forty-second in the series Our Pioneers.
Is there a Simmental pioneer who you would like to see profiled in this series? Reach out to Larry Maxey or the editor to submit your suggestions: