Pioneer Adventure
Sometimes the timing is just right for a new Adventure . . .

For us, September, 2004 was just such a time . . . so armed with what little information we knew, we headed toward Wyoming in search of Eb's great-grandfather's
'Pioneer resting place'.

This is the story as the family knew it:

James Mims (aka Minus) Wilson and Martha Walker were married in McDonough Co., Illinois, January 31, 1839. They had a family of 11 children ~ 2 of which died in infancy. In the spring of 1863, James Wilson with his wife and nine children, and his wife's brothers and their families left Missouri for California by wagon train. There were 32 covered wagons in the train, made up of the 2 families (Wilsons and Walkers). A few others joined them along the way. They had many hardships and sickness along the way.
James Wilson was captain of the train. He was accidentally killed while climbing from a wagon to get on a horse so he could go ahead of the train and find a night camp for the train. He was weakened and sick from the long hard trip and his revolver hit the wheel hub and discharged, killing him instantly.
His wife, Martha Woods Walker Wilson, wanted to turn back, but her brothers (the Walkers) said, "No.", that she must keep on. It was too far to go back and most of her family was with them . . . so on they went, headed for California.

We also had found this slip of paper hand-written by Margaret Ann Miller Whipple (Eb's mother)

In hearing about our trip, Bob Waymire did some research and provided information about the Overland Trail and Lone Tree Station, which was very helpful!

A few nights before we left, I checked on the Internet to see what else I could find about Lone Tree Station and happened upon this Topo map, which ended up being a 'God-send'.

Other information I found said that there was no longer evidence of Lone Tree Station at its original site. (And perhaps why we found many people along the way telling us that Lone Tree was further south, almost to Utah border, as can be seen on this map:

I had also read that each year they re-ride the Pony Express Trail (of which Lone Tree Station was once a stop), and thought that along the way we might find someone familiar with where it might have stood.

The night before we left, Eb made a little wooden cross and I printed on personal information for James M. Wilson as we felt that if we didn't find the exact spot, we would at least be close and leave a 'Remembrance Marker' for him.

So . . . on the morning of September 14, 2004, off we went!

We decided to stay off freeways as much as possible and after HAVING to go only 8 miles on Interstate 84 in Idaho and being assaulted by the traffic, we couldn't get off it fast enough!

'Give us the backroads' became our mantra!

In Kemmerer, Wyoming we stopped to see the 'Mother Store' of J.C. Penney's. While standing outside J.C.'s original home, a woman began talking with us and asked where we were from, etc. and we told her of our journey into Pioneer times. I told her that I thought we would stop in Granger as it was one of the stops on this year's re-ride of the Pony Express. I figured someone there might know of Lone Tree. She suggested we go to the local bar there and find an old-timer . . . so off we headed to Granger.
We arrived about an hour later and found there wasn't much to the town and spotted the Post Office. So I opted for that instead of trying to find a bar!
The Post-mistress suggested we walk across the street to the Mayor(ess's) house as she and her husband might know more about the history of the area.
As it happened, the Mayoress didn't seem interested at all in our questions and sent us back to the Post Office as her husband had just gone there for the mail!
He was a wealth of information as he traveled the area surveying for leases. We told him our story, showed him the Topo map and the handwritten note and he said he knew right where it was . . . then gave us directions on how to find the dirt road. He told us to take the Little America turnoff, then take the frontage road (Rt. 374) a few miles until we came to a monument that tells about Bryan (a ghost town which showed on the Topo map). He said to cross the Blacks Fork Bridge and in about a mile would be a road to the left. Take that road, go through a cattle guard, then aways on, another cattle guard and we'd come to a little fenced-in area that he presumed someone put around what were some gravesites.

"Eureka" ! ! !

As you can guess, we were mighty excited! We took the frontage road behind Little America and drove and drove, re-reading my sketchy notes and feeling like we must have missed something. We decided we had gone too far and maybe one of the roads to the left we had passed might take us across the Blacks Fork Bridge.
We picked one and drove what seemed miles, only seeing signs that read Mine #7 , Mine #8. Then a sign saying 'Main office business use this driveway'. Lost again!
A pickup truck was coming out so Eb flashed his lights and the guy stopped. I told him we were lost, but on an Adventure and explained it as I showed him the Topo map.
He smiled and said, "Oh, I know right where that road is . . . follow me . . . it's on my way home!"

"YES" ! ! !

When I got back in the truck I looked at the clock and it was a few minutes before 5:00 pm on Friday night!

Yikes! A few more minutes and we would have
REALLY been lost, not to mention disappointed!
We had seen a lot of pronghorn (antelope) on the trip so far, and as we started down the road, one raced in the field out from us.
We followed the pickup and went only about 1/2 mile further than where we had originally decided to turn around! We saw the Bryan monument, crossed the bridge and he pulled over at the dirt road we were to take. We were so excited in thanking him that we didn't even ask his name!

I know we were both nervous as we headed down that road, not knowing what we would find. To our right, another pronghorn was seen. We went through the first cattle guard, drove longer and found the second one, saw the railroad tracks which were on the Topo map and then saw the little fenced in area.

Wow . . . what a feeling.
Like being a part of your own history!
I know it was an unbelieveably emotional time for Eb knowing that his ancestors walked that same land. Mine never made it any farther than Ohio and stayed put. . . I was the first and only one to venture westward! I could only imagine what it must have felt like for him.

Entering Lone Tree Station

I remember that as we drove along that day, we kept looking at the landscape and saying over and over and over again: "Can you IMAGINE
coming across THIS in a covered wagon?" . . . NO!

The little fenced in area, just as the Mayoress's husband had described it. Pretty barren place now and don't imagine it was much different back then.

We walked around trying to find some remains of the Station, but only found this:

Tin can alley . . . with that many tin cans around,
the Station must have been close by!

Does make one ponder what it must have been like.

We were sure that inside this Pioneer site
James M. Wilson was laid to rest.

Possible sticks of a marker cross ? ? ?

The bend in the river of Blacks Fork could be seen from the grave sites.

Closer view ~ matches the Topo map perfectly!

Remembrance Marker from Scott Valley where they were headed.

Setting the Marker

A bitter-sweet moment

With the Remembrance Marker in place,
Eb said, "We should offer up a prayer".
He knelt down and I closed my eyes
and words just poured out of me in gratitude
for the sacrifice James M. Wilson's life
had been for so many.
It had been cloudy the whole time we were there, but during that prayerful time, the sun came out and it felt like a blast of golden light beamed down on me as I spoke . . . and I felt that James M. Wilson saw us
and heard us . . .
and smiled upon us.

'Rest in Peace James M. Wilson,
your family did make it to California
and raised families of their own there . . .
thanks to your dream.'

As the moon came up over Lone Tree Station,
Eb sat outside the little Pioneer Cemetery
and watched the sun set, thinking of times gone by . . .

and of how different life can become
in just the blink of an eye.

We decided it would be sweet to camp there that night; until we discovered the battery had gone low and the propane refrigerator won't run with a low battery!
We said our goodbye's and headed out to find electricity, deciding that there must be good reason for us not to stay.
As we headed out from Lone Tree Station, an antelope was there to guide us out. Quite magical!

What an incredible journey . . .
with sooooooooooo
many 'Helpers'
along the way.

We hope you have enjoyed taking this journey with us . . .

Che'usa and Eb

Go back Index of Writings

email

* * * * * *

Check out

'The First Lady's
at
'Studio Site' at
www.theorangewheelbarrow.com