Adventures and Tragedies on the Overland Trails
The Overland Trails, etched into the vast landscapes of the American West, represent a significant chapter in the nation’s history – a narrative woven with threads of ambition, resilience, and profound hardship. These trails, more than mere paths of dirt and dust, served as vital arteries of westward expansion, facilitating the movement of settlers, goods, and ideas across the continent. However, the journey along these routes was far from easy. The story of the Overland Trails is replete with tales of both remarkable triumphs and heartbreaking tragedies, a stark reminder of the challenges faced by those who dared to venture into the unknown.
The Santa Fe Trail, a prominent example, holds the distinction of being one of the earliest routes used for staging purposes, but it also became a stage for suffering. The trail quickly earned a reputation for danger and adversity. From the initial expeditions, accidents were a frequent occurrence, and the relentless exposure to the raw power of the elements became a constant adversary.
Nature’s Fury and the Perils of the Plains
The unforgiving climate of the Great Plains presented a formidable challenge to travelers. Summer storms, notorious for their sudden and violent nature, could sweep across the open landscape, unleashing torrential rains, blinding dust clouds, and fierce winds. These tempests could halt progress for days, leaving weary travelers stranded and exposed to the elements. The discomfort was often compounded by practical difficulties. A team of mules, sometimes numbering eight, could prove unwieldy and unpredictable, leading to runaway incidents and damaged coaches. In these situations, travelers were forced to rely on their resourcefulness, improvising repairs with whatever tools they had on hand. Wet weather, a frequent occurrence, turned the trails into treacherous quagmires. Passengers were often compelled to dismount and trudge alongside the struggling vehicles, laboriously freeing the wheels from the tenacious mud. The air would be thick with frustration, often expressed through colorful language.
However, the most dire circumstances typically arose in the mountainous regions during the winter months, especially as travelers approached Santa Fe. Being caught in a blizzard in the mountains was a truly terrifying ordeal. The trail, once a clear guide, would vanish under a blanket of snow, leaving travelers disoriented and vulnerable. The only recourse was to wait for the storm to subside, huddled together inside the coach in a desperate attempt to stave off the freezing cold. Even after the storm passed, the situation remained precarious. Mules, essential for pulling the coach, were often lost or succumbed to the harsh conditions, leaving the travelers stranded and without a means to complete their journey. Equally feared were the summer hailstorms, capable of unleashing ice chunks of astonishing size. These storms invariably triggered stampedes among the mules, and the intensity of the hail made it too dangerous to venture out and attempt to retrieve them. Adventures and Tragedies on the Overland Trails were common.
The Apache Massacre and the Brutal Winter Campaign
One of the earliest and most tragic events connected to stage coaching on the Santa Fe Trail involved a westbound Concord coach carrying a full complement of passengers, including a Mr. White, his wife, their child, and a Black nurse. The journey had been uneventful as they traversed the vast plains and successfully navigated the Raton Range. However, as dawn broke one morning, the coach entered the canyon of the Canadian River, where it was ambushed by a band of Apache warriors led by White Wolf. The attack was swift and merciless. The passengers had little opportunity to defend themselves and were quickly overwhelmed. Mr. White and the other adult male passengers were shot down, scalped, and their bodies mutilated. Mrs. White, her child, and the nurse were taken captive.
News of the massacre reached Taos, New Mexico, where troops of the Second Dragoons were stationed under the command of Major Greer. Despite the delay of nearly two weeks, Major Greer immediately launched a winter campaign in an attempt to rescue the captives. His command included several renowned frontiersmen, such as Kit Carson, "Uncle Dick" Wootton, Joaquin Leroux, and Tom Tobin, who served as guides.
The heavy snow made tracking the Apache almost impossible, but the scouts managed to find faint traces and, enduring immense hardship, followed the trail for nearly 400 miles until they located the Apache village. As the troops prepared to charge, Major Greer inexplicably decided to attempt to negotiate with the Indians before engaging in combat. This decision infuriated the troopers and provided the Apache with valuable time to prepare their defenses. They seized the opportunity and unleashed a volley of arrows, one of which struck Greer in the chest, his life saved only by a suspender buckle.
This act of aggression ended all talk of peace. The soldiers charged the village twice, inflicting heavy casualties on the Apache, but the chief managed to escape. When the soldiers finally captured the village, they discovered the lifeless body of Mrs. White, still warm, with three arrows piercing her chest. The child and the nurse were never found. Adventures and Tragedies on the Overland Trails like this one were common.
White Wolf met his end later at the hands of Lieutenant David Bell of the Second Dragoons. During a scouting mission from Fort Union, New Mexico, Bell encountered White Wolf and a similar number of Apache warriors. As tensions escalated during the ensuing conversation, the two leaders exchanged gunfire. Bell managed to mortally wound White Wolf in a dramatic showdown.
Notorious Indian Leaders and the "Dog Soldiers"
During the early years of stage coaching on the Santa Fe Trail, two Indian leaders became particularly notorious for their raids: Satanta (White Bear), a chief of the Kiowa Nation, and George Bent, a mixed-race individual. In later years, Kicking Bird, also a Kiowa, emerged as a significant threat. Satanta, known for his cruelty and ruthlessness, operated from the Cheyenne Bottoms, ambushing stagecoaches and murdering defenseless travelers. He terrorized the trail for 15 years, committing countless atrocities.
George Bent, son of the respected Colonel William Bent of Bent’s Fort and a Cheyenne woman, was well-educated in St. Louis, Missouri. However, upon his return to the Plains, he embraced a life of violence and became a notorious desperado. He organized a band of young warriors, later known as the "Dog Soldiers," and launched a series of attacks against white settlements and travelers. With a force of over 100 men, Bent and his "Dog Soldiers" robbed ranches, attacked wagon trains, stagecoaches, and army caravans. Their bloody deeds went largely undocumented, as Bent rarely left any survivors. The government offered a $5,000 reward for his capture, dead or alive, but he eventually succumbed to malarial fever.
Robbery and Indian Unrest
The Adventures and Tragedies on the Overland Trails wasn’t only due to the native population. Indian attacks became more frequent and severe during the Civil War. Road agents, or bandits, also became a significant threat, and stagecoach robberies were not uncommon. In one instance, a stagecoach carrying seven passengers and a substantial amount of gold bullion was targeted by robbers. The passengers, experienced frontiersmen, were prepared to defend themselves. However, treachery led to their downfall. One of the robbers, disguised as a passenger, sat beside the driver, Frank Williams. At a prearranged location, the disguised robber feigned an alarm, shouting that they were being attacked. A shot rang out from the side of the trail, and the passengers inside the coach fired towards the supposed ambush. Immediately, a volley of gunfire erupted from the opposite side, killing four passengers and severely wounding another. Two passengers survived, one by feigning death and the other by escaping into the brush. The robbers made off with over $70,000. It was later discovered that the driver, Williams, was an accomplice and received a share of the loot. He was tracked down to Denver, Colorado, and summarily hanged.
Indian raids on stagecoaches and stations between Fort Laramie and South Pass, Wyoming, became almost constant in 1862. In April of that year, a fierce battle occurred between a stagecoach convoy and a band of Indians on the Sweetwater River. Two coaches, carrying mail and nine men, were attacked at dawn. The whites were forced to position their coaches side-by-side and use mail sacks as makeshift breastworks. They fought off their attackers throughout the day, suffering six wounded and losing all their livestock. Several Indians were killed, and under the cover of darkness, the survivors harnessed themselves to the coaches and dragged their wounded comrades to safety. Another significant raid occurred in August 1864, spanning 200 miles between Julesburg, Colorado, and Liberty Farm, Nebraska. Mail coaches, freight caravans, ranches, and hay harvesting crews were simultaneously attacked. Over 40 whites were killed, and extensive property damage occurred.
Buffalo Bill’s Daring Exploits as a Stage Driver
The route along the North Platte River became so dangerous that it was nearly impossible to find drivers, even at high wages. William F. Cody, better known as Buffalo Bill, served as a driver between Split Rock and Three Crossings, one of the most perilous sections. He had his share of close calls. On one occasion, he was ambushed by a large band of Sioux warriors. A division agent named Flowers was in the driver’s box with him, and several well-armed passengers were inside the coach. Cody handed the reins to Flowers and began whipping the horses. A running fight ensued, with passengers firing from the coach windows and Indian arrows flying. The horses were wounded, Flowers was badly injured, and two passengers were killed. The others escaped after a harrowing run. In the spring of 1865, Indian raids on the stage line intensified, making it necessary to use soldiers as guards. Passengers risked their lives, and only the most daring men volunteered for the perilous roles of driver or messenger.
Military Escorts and Frontier Posts
The practice of using soldiers to guard stagecoaches along the Overland Trail began during the Sioux uprising of 1863. George P. Belden, known as "The White Chief," described the hazardous duty: "Troops were stationed in small squads at every station, about ten miles apart, and they rode from station to station on the top of all coaches, holding their guns ever ready for action… Setting oneself as a target was a disagreeable and dangerous duty, but the soldiers performed it without murmuring."
The military established posts to protect settlements and maintain control over the territory. A review of military operations in the Julesburg, Colorado, area, a hotbed of hostilities, illustrates the desperate nature of their duties. The Sioux, Arapaho, and Cheyenne tribes were on the warpath between 1863 and 1865. The outbreak of the Civil War led to the withdrawal of many regular troops, and the Indians seized the opportunity to launch widespread attacks.
Julesburg, located at the junction of the Overland mainline and the branch leading to Denver, was a vital strategic point and telegraph headquarters. To protect the area, the government established Fort Sedgwick on the South Fork of the Platte River. Despite these efforts, Julesburg was attacked and burned to the ground in February 1864. In that same period, a force of over 2,000 Indians attacked a detachment of troops under Lieutenant-Colonel Collins at Rush Creek, Nebraska, resulting in a 24-hour battle.
As spring arrived in 1865, the Indian tribes resumed their raids. In four weeks, they killed or captured 45 whites between Sage Creek and Virginia Dale in Colorado. The constant threat of attack and the ever-present danger made life on the Overland Trail exceptionally perilous. The stories of suffering, desperate fighting, and incredible endurance are woven into the very fabric of the land, a lasting testament to the courage and resilience of those who traversed these trails. The Adventures and Tragedies on the Overland Trails remain a poignant reminder of the price of westward expansion. The unmarked graves scattered along the route serve as silent memorials to the many lives lost in the pursuit of a new life in the West.