Explore Historic California--December 2005

In Search of an Elephant

by Cecile Page Vargo

Back in the days when pathfinders were sent as forerunners to blaze trails, and with their amigos, to fight bronco riding Cherokees along the way, the closest thing to four-wheel drive vehicles were covered wagons with wooden spoke wheels. These wagons were drawn by four-legged creatures controlled by leather reigns and whips in human hands.

Wakeman Brylarly, a foryniner struggling across the Sierra Nevada Mountains , paused on August 21, 1849 , to make the following diary entries:

�Early everything was in motion. In one mile we crossed a little stream to the left, which runs from the Lake . Here we stopped, and cut sufficient grass for a feed. After rolling one mile farther we struck the foot of the mountain. The road was very rough and in many places steep both going up and coming down. Every now and then there was a little table upon which there was a little grass. We rolled thus two miles when we nooned (or rather rested, not taking our mules out) upon one of these tables. We stopped two hours, when we ascended a very steep and very rocky road with many short turns around the large rocks and trees. One mile brought us to the foot of the �Elephant� itself. Here we �faced the music� and no mistake. We immediately doubled teams, and after considerable screaming and whipping, thus arrived safely at the top. We were but four hours ascending, and we were much disappointed, but agreeably so, in not finding it much worse. Certainly this must be a great improvement upon the old road, where the wagons had to be taken across.�

Unfortunately for Brylarly he was not near is destination. As one steep hill was descended, another one lay ahead. The road was tougher than ever. After crossing valleys and lakes, they came upon a divide and then to a river. Bryarly continues in his diary:

�Everyone is liable to mistakes and everyone has a right to call a road very bad until he sees a worse. My mistake was that I had said I had seen �The Elephant� when getting over the first mountain. I had only seen the tail. This evening I think I saw him in toto.�

Today in vehicles with names reminiscent of those bygone days, we do much the same thing. The paths we travel are often similar to those forged by hardy pioneers nearly 150 years ago. Though road conditions are rarely as bad as they were in the olden days, they often prove quite a challenge for our �horse powered� four-wheel drive utility Blazers, Broncos, Pathfinders, 4Runners, Cherokees, Amigos, etc.

The weekend comes and we load up the kids and the dogs, pack lunches, fill the ice chest and water jug. We throw in our trusty tow rope (just incase), and follow the existing dirt roads. In four �high� or �low�, we travel through wet and dry river beds, sandy gorges, and rocky, deeply rutted hills. Sometimes we have to scout ahead on foot to see if the route we have chosen really is passable. Often we turn around and look for another. More often, we cover the rough spots with dirt, rocks, and branches. We manage to drive on to the next rough spot, and begin the rebuilding process all over again until we can finally reach our goal, yelling and screaming and honking our horns at our accomplishments.

Like Wakeman Bryarly, we find our own �elephant� and perhaps another and another. Though not in search of rich farm lands, or lost gold mines, we find we are able to add a little adventure to our modern day lives, and we can re-trace the history of those who went on that original search. You can read more about Wakeman Bryarly and other pioneers, in Francis P. Farquhar�s �History of the Sierra Nevada�, published by the University of California Press .

Explore Historic California wishes you and your family the best for 2005! May you have as many adventures searching for elephants, as we do��.. Roger, Cecile, & Marty