|
Oral History |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||
|
Submitted by Grandson David B. Austin Henry Carter was working at the General Land Office in Washington D.C. and in 1869 relocated his family to California. From his diary here is his report of that trip: July 14, 1869: Left Washington at 9 p.m. July 15: In New York until 7 p.m. when I left by sound for Boston. July 16: Reached Boston this morning and Plymouth in evening. July 24: Took mother, Sarah and Birdie [Henry's wife and daughter], Bill to Duxbury to see the landing of French cable. Had a very pleasant day. July 29: Left Plymouth at 9 a.m. en route for California. Dined in Boston, and left that city at 3 p.m. via Springfield and Albany. July 30: Reached Niagra Falls at noon and crossed suspension bridge on foot to get a view of the falls. July 31: Reached Chicago at 10 a.m. and went to Briggs house. August 1: Saw Grant and agreed to go to Saint Paul. August 2: In Chicago waiting for Grant to finish his business. August 3: Started for Saint Paul with Grant. Took supper at Milwaukee and then proceeded. August 4: Traversed a magnificent country all day, after breakfasting at McGregor, Iowa, and reached Saint Paul in the evening about seven. August 5: At Saint Paul, drove about the city and upon the bluffs. Like the appearance of the city and surrounding country very much, but - the awfully cold winters would be too much for me. August 6: At Saint Paul. August 7: At Saint Paul. Also visited Minneapolis, Fort Snelling, Falls of Saint Anthony and Minnehaha, the Bridal Vail, Fawns Leap, &c. I think I have seen elsewhere quite as pretty falls of much less renown. August 8: Left Saint Paul at 4 this evening. Major General Hancock on the train with me. Was introduced to him and found him a very pleasant acquaintance. He gave me a card to General Banning of Los Angeles. General Crook also gave me a note to his brother at the Occidental Hotel in San Francisco. August 9: Reached Chicago this evening at 7. August 11: Left Chicago today at 9 o'clock in Pullman car on the Northwestern Railroad. Expect to reach Omaha tomorrow morning. Weather fine. August 12: Left Omaha at 8 o'clock this morning. Got a fine breakfast before starting, more than two hours being given us to cross the river from the Northwestern train before the Pacific started. Got a section in a pullman Palace Car and very finely situated. Paid 30 dollars in currency for extra baggage. Warm and pleasant. August 13: On the Pacific Railroad between Cheyenne and the Salt Lake Basin. Warm and dusty. August 14: Reached Promontory Point [Summit] the junction of two railroads at noon. A fearful place composed almost entirely of open gambling booths and whiskey shops. They tell one someone is killed here nearly every day. One of our passengers fleeced of all he had by the gamblers. Glad to get away after about two hours stay. Weather warm. August 15: In the (Humbolt) Valley today. Reach the Sierra Nevadas tonight. Warm and a little dusty. August 16: Reached Sacramento at one o'clock (noon) and sailed about three for San Francisco on the steamer Capitol. At Vallejo Alvah came aboard, and we reached San Francisco at about eleven p.m.. Found Anna and Artie well and very glad to see us. Henry went on to Los Angles and was the first English-speaking agent in the Los Angles Land Office. He read law, practiced law, became the judge of police court in Los Angeles as what he thought would be a part-time civic duty and which proved to be full-time. He died about 1910 while in that position. |
|||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
