Texas Explorers

Wild Plums Along The Trail

NPS Photo

In 1845, the Canadian River was explored by Lieutenants James William Abert and William G. Peck of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Their journey was chronicled in the Journal of Lieutenant J.W. Abert from Bent's Fort to St. Louis, first published in 1846. In his journal, Abert mentions rattlesnakes, plants, and other mammals this group encountered along the trail. He wrote about finding an abundance of prickly pears, grapevines, and plum trees and said they had plenty to eat.