Lenoir

Fort Hall

Fort Hall was located at the end of the 500-mile (800 km) shared stretch from the East joining the three major emigrant trails. After Fort Hall, the California and Oregon trails forked in southwesterly and northwesterly directions. Here, the group divided again.

Clarence had deemed that his family would eventually end up on the Applegate Trail. Their next move would be to find the Humboldt River in Northern Nevada, as if they planned to follow the 49ers to the gold on the California Trail. Then take the Bishop Creek route.

The group that Clarence and Lenoir ended up with was made up of three wagons and one rider, including their wagon.

The lead was taken by Andrew Baldwin and his wife, Clare. They were driving eight oxen, seven children, 4 hens, 2 roosters, and a cow to southern Oregon. Their son, Michael, had also brought a dog, Fern, that was remarkably quiet and seemed very intelligent. Lenoir was a little frightened of the big animal still.

Clarence took the next place in line. All six of his oxen had survived, as had his wife so far, he still had a dairy cow that produced, and his arsenal was still able to feed and protect them. He felt that his trip was blessed.

Third was a sturdy wagon owned by Hershel Yolkam. The group was lucky to have him and his skills because he intended to be a blacksmith in the wild west. He also had eight oxen, because the weight of his tools made his trip slow and dangerous. His wife, Anne, was rather quiet and seemed devoutly religious. A Bible was seldom far from her, and she could read it.

Their lone rider was a man of about 18, Jacob Ivanson. He was mysterious. The son of a wagon that went another way. His Pony had a cropped ear and wary eyes, liver red spots on a white coat, and a way of c*****g its foot that children had to be wary of. He kicked.