Trip from Leduc, Alberta, Canada to Goodland, Sherman County, Kansas, Horatio S. Simonton, Bell (Barnett) Simonton & their infant daughter Helen
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Biographies with Warren County Connections

Trip from Leduc, Alberta, Canada to Goodland, Sherman County, Kansas
11 May 1896 to 11 Oct 1896 by
Horatio S. Simonton, Bell (Barnett) Simonton & their infant daughter Helen

Contributor:  

This 4 page document was submitted by Marvin Upchurch of Mountain Home, Arkansas who is the 4th great grandson of Adam Simonton of Ohio
Adam Simonton > Theophilus Simonton > Adam Simonton > Adam William Simonton > Ida Arvesta Simonton > Naomi Bell Steljes > Marvin Gene Upchurch

The papers were scanned and OCR'd in order to make it available on line. We thank Marvin Upchurch for sharing this great story. Marvin writes,
"I found it very interesting and hope others do too. The authenticity is correct as far as I know. My mother had it in her papers This documentary was written by Bell (Bennet) Simonton, wife of Horatio Simonton. Horatio and Ida (Simonton) Steljes, my grandmother, were son and daughter of Adam Simonton, who is the father Simonton refered to in the documentary."

Background: 

Horatio Simonton was born 10 Jul 1864 in Logan County Illinois to Adam William Simonton (1839-1934) and Hannah Arvesta Walker (1844-1876). Both parents born in Warren County. The trip, made in a covered wagon took 5 months which included a 1 month stop at Fort Benton, Montana and an extended side trip to Yellowstone National Park. Current day map programs indicate the distance at 1,437 miles (not counting the sidetrip to Yellowstone)

Fathers Line Mothers Line
1 Adam Simonton 1748 - 1808
.. +Miss Cooper
2 Theophilus Simonton 1769 - 1855
.. +Mary Sarah Sale 1776 - 1854
3 Adam Simonton 1798 - 1885
.. +Elizabeth Ford 1806 - 1892
4 Adam William Simonton 1839 - 1934
.. +Hannah Arvesta Walker 1844 - 1876
5 Horatio S. Simonton 1864 - ____
.. +Bell Barnett 1874 - ____
1 Samuel Walker 1750 - 1812
.. +Isabelle Brice 1746 - 1809
2 Samuel Brice Walker 1779 - 1845
.. +Hannah Spence 1786 - 1851
3 Samuel Walker 1813 - 1890
.. +Mary A. Bigham 1816 - 1851
4 Hannah Arvesta Walker 1844 - 1876
.. +Adam William Simonton 1839 - 1934
5 Horatio S. Simonton 1864 - ____
.. +Bell Barnett 1874 - ____
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Helen (Simonton) Schesser, my daughter, has often asked me to record the trip we made from Canada back to western Kansas when she was a tiny baby.

Helen was born Sept. 19, 1895 in Alberta, Canada near the town of Leduce, about a year after we had moved there from Goodland, Kansas to homestead. She was born in a small two room log cabin. One room had dirt floor and the other floored spruce logs hewed flat on one side.

We had already decided to return to Kansas, and after the winter which followed her birth, determined to leave at once. It was on May 11, 1896 that we started out in our covered wagon, with one small team of horses. We had our few dishes, bedding, and sewing machine, the one I still use to sew for many of you.

Father Simonton accompanied us across what was known as Boggy Plaines, and rightly named it was, nothing but mud, with small poles laid crossways in the worst places, making courduroy road. We ate dinner and said goodby to our dear old Grandfather, and he returned to his own homestead.

I do not recall much of the first two or three days, so I assume they were uneventful. Then it began to rain and grow cold. I well remember the night we camped at Blindmans Creek. We had heard so much about Blindmans Camp, and in the rain and cold looked forward to it. We thought someone lived there, with accomodations for travelers such as we. But turned out to be nothing but the creek and a log cabin which was empty. We went in and started a fire in the old stove, got warm and dry and ate our supper, and returned to our wagon to sleep. In fact for the whole trip, which took six months, we slept in our wagon every night but two. With extentions on the sides of the wagon made it as wide as our bed springs and was very comfortable, and with the covers pulled down tight and a blanket over the front end, we were warm and snug.

Early one morning we stopped at a ranch house, to find some other travelers such as we, having there breakfast there. They were going south and wanted us to travel with them. But they wanted to travel a different road thanours, which followed the railroad tracks. We had been getting along pretty wellon our own so far, so we went our own way even though they insisted thers was the better road.

We had not gone far when the wagon got stuck in the mud and the horses were down in the mud. Horatio got out to help them up and slipped and fell under one of them. But he managed to get out from under them and finally managed to get them loose from the wagon and out of the mud. About that time the other folkes came along, and with there horses and ours were able to get the wagon pulled out of the mud. We decided to follow them on the road they had chosen. They were traveling much faster than we were and soon lost them.

Not long after that we stopped at a ranch, and the only one living there was an old Englishman. He insisted that we come in and have supper with him. I made the biscuits for supper and we ate. Then we talked and talked and talked. He thought it was a great treet to have a woman and small baby visit him. He had some of the prettiest dishes I have ever seen.
We did not stop near a house very often. If it was stormy and one was near at the time, we sometimes turned in to spend the night in the shelter of the buildins. One such nigt we spent near Innisfall, Canada, where we came upon a large frame house and barn. But no one was home . Next morning was snowing and blowing, almost a blizzard.Not pausing to eat, we got on the road to find a house where we could stay untill the storm was over. We drove only a short distance before coming to a large house. They were Scottish people and had plenty of room in the barn for our horses. We had breakfast with them and a short time later the sun came out and we started on our way.

Only a few miles farther on we came to a huge tent and two wagons. When we pulled up a huge red whiskered Norweigen came out to greet us. He invited us to stop and camp with them for awhile. He greeted us and shook our hands as if we were old friends. He said he expected us along sooner or later as he had seen us in Edmonton, Canada getting our wagon fixed. He said unhitch the team and come into the tent where it warm and dry. We were glad to hear of the warmth and entered the tent. Inside was his wife and six children. Some were almost nearly grown, but one was a tiny baby not much older than our baby. We learned there name was Headland and they were on there way to Washington state.
They had stopped there to camp because of the birth of a new colt. We stated with them for several days untill colt was big enough to travel. We slept in our wagon at night and ate our meals in the tent with them. When we went into the tent in the morning everybody would still be in bed except the older children. The older boy Godfried would be tending the horses while the girl, Agnes, would be making coffee for everybody. Mr. and Mrs. Headland would have there coffee in bed, then get up and have breakfast with everybody. They were such nice friendly people.

After a few days we were all anxious to be on our way again. We offered to take Mrs. Headland and some of the children in our wagon, so that they could put the little colt in there wagon. That done we made good time. Nothing exciting happened to us while we were with them. All our troubles seemed to happen when we were alone. We did cross one creek where our big dog almost drowned, but the men got him out. The children were greatly excited the night we camped near McLeod, Canada. They found the skeleton of a baby hanging from a tree. We learned later that the Cree Indians disposed of there dead that way.

At Calgary we stopped for a few days to do our washing. I can still see the rocky hillside where camped. Our time with the Headlands was almost to an end. They would soon be turning southwest toward Washington state, while we turned more to the southeast toward Montana. We were togather through Lethbridge, Canada. I wish I could describe the trip along this part of the road. It was so pretty as we came along the bank of the river as it curved around the town. We came down a long hill into a valley so rough and ugly it made everything look so dark and dirty. There were coal mines there. We went on to climb out onto the prarie country. Soon our freinds left us and we continued on our trip alone.

Our troubles soon started near the Milk River, One of the horses got sick. This added to our worries about crossing the river, which we had to forge with the horses that were afraid of the water. But the horse soon recovered and we were able to cross. It was well we did for it was a desolate place. No houses within miles, no roads no one passing by. We were not far from the United States border and soon reached Coutts, Canada, where we underwent the customs inspection. Everythig went well there. But my the mosquitos were so bad. One of our horses was black, but when the mosquitos lit on her they turned her to silver. We spent the night in a smudge of smoke and were glad to pull out the next morning. That was about the only hardship untill we reached the Marias River.

We found it swift and cold, with no bridges for miles and miles. As we drove along it in search of a bridge, we heard a great yelling from the other side, and across the river came a band of horses driven by a band of Indians, headed north for the summer. There struggles as they swam across and there appearance after they finally made it, firmly convinced us that it was impossible to cross with our horses and wagon. Still searching for a bridge we moved on. At last we found one, a narrow gage railroad bridge. But a welcome sight was the railroad section house and a groupe of workmen. And across the river was a ranch house. The first we had seen in many miles.

The section forman offered to push the wagon across the bridge with his men, but refused to allow Horatio to swim across the river with the horses, saying the water was to swift and cold, and there were few landing places on the other side. They told us that the rancher on the other side had once floored the bridge with planks to drive sheep across. At length it was suggested that we go and talk to them and see if we could borrow them. The railroad had made him take them up, but they were still stacked along the tracks.
Horatio went over to the house to talk to the rancher but he was not home, but an Indian woman and two young girls were there. On learning that the baby and I were in the wagon, they came immediatly to take us to there house. They were so happy to have company. It was several miles to where any other women and children were. They begged so hard that we stayed all night with them in there house. We had a nice room with nice bedcloths, and we ate our meals with them.They treated us like welcome relatives or dear freinds. That evening the railroad workers pushed the wagon across the bridge.

The next morning Horatio started laying the planks on the bridge and the railroad forman told him that it was not nessary to lay them solid. He said that if he would lay them the boards end to end one board wide that the horses would follow him across the planks if they were blindfolded. So that is what he did. He blindfolded the horses one at a time and they would put there noses between his shoulder blades and followed him across the 12" planks. The job had taken nearly all day, so we stayed another night at the ranch house. These were the only two nights we stayed in a house from May 11 until Oct. 11

The next day we went on our way across Montana. One place that we stopped was at the sod house of an old Indian woman. There was a nice clear pond there and we washed our clothes there. The house and her cooking were terrible. She had a new sewing machine, that her son had bought her, but she did not know how to use it. She said I was the first woman she had seen in six months. She always begged part of everything that we had to eat.

Near Fort Benton we stopped at a sheep ranch where there was the nicest old Scottish couple. They had a boy and girl living with them to help with the work. We had supper with them and enjoyed visiting with them very much. We also enjoyed helping them with there chores, which included feeding four orphan lambs on a bottle, quite a job.

Before crossing the bridge at Fort Benton, we stopped to buy some feed for the horses. While-we delayed the bridge was made a free bridge. So we were the first to cross it without having to pay a toll. I found my first bloodroot flower when we camped near there that night. We now had a stage road to follow to Lewiston, Montana. Crossing the Judith river basin, it was beautiful country. We decided to seek work on one of the ranches. The first one we asked gave us both jobs, cooking, milking, and gardening at $50 dollars a month for both of us, with house and food free. The house was small and not furnished, so we slept in our wagon. There was only the owner to cook for, except when the hired hands came in from the sheep camps. Sometimes I cooked for as many as 15. But there was plenty of food. We worked there for a month before moving on.

At Lewiston we stayed a day or two, looking for another job. One of the hands who worked at the ranch came to us and told us they had had a regular battle at the ranch after we left. He asked to ride to the railroad with us on his way home to Iowa. Since he was willing to pay part of the expenses we accepted his offer. While shopping for groceries at Big Timber we heard so much about Yellowstone Park we decided to go there, even though meant turning back west. We have never been sorry, for we had a wonderful trip.

Entering the park through Livingstone, Cinnabar and Mammoth Springs,we drove through the park as we pleased, took our time,camped when we pleased and for as long as we pleased. At Yellowstone Lake we hired a boat and took a ride on the lake, but the wind rose and freightened us ashore. Believe me we really saw the park. The men got jobs there working with a road gang and I cooked for 17 men in a big tent among the big fir trees, so tall and close we could hardly see the sky. Looking toward the east we could see snow on the mountains. In the tent we had our table, stove and supplies. The men all slept in the tent and we slept in our wagon.

There were wild bears everywhere and they would often visit us. I do not know what I would have done if one of them would have come into the tent when my baby lay in a box on the floor. But I was not alone very long at a time, as the boss or one of the men usually worked nearby, chopping wood, or in the tent doing paper work. They were trying to build a road to open the park from the east

At night the bears would come close to camp to feed on garbage. For that reason we had to keep our big dog in wagon with us at night. The bears quarling over garbage, and the dogs vocal resentment, became pretty loud at times. One night it was so noisy that Horatio decided to take the dog out and run the bears away. They crawled out the front of the wagon, and hardly hit the ground before they crawled back in because of so many bears.
After working there 13 days, word was recieved that the money for the building of the road had been exhausted. We all prepared to leave back through Mammoth Springs, I guess that was the only entrance to the park at that time. For that distance our party consisted of two wagons with four horse hitches, and our wagon with small team of horses, In places the hills were so steep for our two horses,and after the others reached the top , they would unhitch and come back down and help us up the hills.It took two days to reach Mammoth Springs. At night the men would help get our big old range stove out of the wagon and I would biscuits for three meals. The men were very helpful, they made the coffee and fried the meat.

It was after we had left them and took to the road again by ourselves that we incountered the worst place of all. A long long hill to climb . All those hills were long and steep, but this one was terrible. It was just a track up a ridge so narrow there was barely room for the wagon. On either side it sloped almost straight down. I walked up it and carried the baby, and Horatio walked up and drove the team.Every few feet he had to stop and put a rock behind the wheel to stop the wagon from rolling back, while the horses rested. It took nearly two hours to reach the top. I often wonder what that little team of mares thought of some of the situations they found themselves in on the trip. But they never faltered once, they were wonderful. We had started out leading a pair of colts, but one of them broke a leg and had to be shot, while the other one got so footsore that we gave her to an elderly lady.

From Billings, Montana we chose to follow a road across the Crow Indian reservation. The alternate route had no bridge across the Big Horn River. On the route we chose there was a ferry across the river. We saw very few Indians but we did see the Custer battlefield and the graves of the men, each one marked by a white cross. From there on we traveled across the plains of Wyoming, then south across South, Dakota and Nebraska. One night our baby became sick shortly after we camped and did not know us until past midnight, when she suddenly became all right. Believe me we were very thankful, for we were miles and miles from anybody. Heaven knows where a doctor could be found.
Shortly after leaving Billings we met an interesting couple. They had married in Wicconsin and gone, by rail, to Nevada for there honeymoon, then they decided it would to drive back to Wisconsin in a covered wagon. They were older than we were and were scared to death of the Indians, and everything else. Certanly they were not enjoying the trip. Every night they would pull there wagon as close to ours as possible. One night there horses strayed away and they were sure they had been stollen by Indians, But Horatio found them in a nearby valley. They stayed with us as far as South Dakota and were certainly greatful for our company. No more so than we were greatful for theirs. Although the trip across South Dakota was uneventful, some parts of it were simply beautiful. The camp spot we picked near the Black Hills was exceptionaly lovely. Such green grass and such fine trees. They were pines and a great many of them had been cut. The trimmings from them made wonderful fire wood. A good road let to Edgemoont, South Dakota but from there on it was rugged country. As we neared Crawford, Nebraska I guess we were traveling in a valley. All at once there loomed a hill tall enough to be called a mountain. It took hours to climb it, as the road wound back and forth across the face of it in inumerable switch backs. Once on top of it we found fairly level country ahead, although it was mostly barren sand.

I remember the incredible length of the bridge across the North Platt river at Bridgport, Nebraska, but have no recolection of how we crossed the South Platt. I also recall our last night we camped near St. Francis, Kansas. It was cold and windy and very disagreable, but we did not mind to much for we were nearly home. The next day we arrived in Goodland, Kansas, the end of our journey. It was the 11th day of October, year of 1896.

by
Marvin Upchurch
4 May 2007 

FOOTNOTES: [email any additional information or comments that you would like to include to Arne H Trelvik ]
   

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