Cannibalism On Routes To The Colorado Gold Rush
Guide Book Smoky Hill Pike's Peak Mine Denver City Rocky Mountains
Jan 16, 2009
During the Pike's Peak Gold Rush of 1859-1860, many fortunes were made, but the trip to Colorado held many dangers for inexperienced and improperly prepared travelers. Wyandotte, Kansas was the starting point of the famous Smoky Hill Route. Three guide books and numerous newspapers advised that the route was the best one to take. Unfortunately all of the advice was bad. The route was the shortest, but after you left Fort Riley there was no actual trail to follow. There was a severe scarcity of water and wood and 800 miles to travel instead of the 600 reported. It turned out to be the hardest and most dangerous of the routes to the Gold Fields. In Denver, the Rocky Mountain News reported "Every day we meet men arriving from the States by the above route - most of them in an almost famishing condition".
One of the tragedies is the story of Daniel Blue and his two brothers, Alexander and Charles and two other Illinois residents heading West for adventure and their fortunes. They left Kansas City on March 6, 1859 and were joined by nine other travelers at Topeka. They had one horse and everyone was on foot carrying provisions on their back. Believing the newspaper accounts and guide books, they thought that they could feast off the land. After sixteen days of traveling, four individuals decided to drop out to go buffalo hunting. The nine continued on and four days later they lost their pack horse. Their provisions were greatly reduced and after eight more days of traveling, two others left on their own.
Provisions were soon depleted and for ten days they camped, killing a few hares, ravens and other small game to keep alive. Three others left in the hope of securing help and the brothers were left with one other man by the name of Soleg, in a weak and nearly exhausted state. Soleg knew that he was going to die soon and gave the brothers permission to make use of his mortal remains. They survived on his body for eight days. Alexander then died and, all three having decided that the survivors could use the dead in that way, he also was eaten. Taking parts of their brother for subsistence, the two remaining brothers traveled ten more miles. They were still sixty-five miles from Denver City when Charles gave out. They lived on their brother's remains for ten more days.
Daniel stayed at that location while he consumed his last brother. An Arapaho Indian found him and carried him to his lodge. From there he was taken to the encampment of the Leavenworth and Pike's Peak Express Company. Leaving station # 25, he was given a free pass to Denver City. On May 12, 1859, he willingly gave a full account of his hardships in the hope that others would be warned of the route. A pamphlet of his experiences was published and the Smoky Hill Route was all but abandoned the following year. Later he was to discover that only five of his party were able to reach the gold fields.
The Colorado Magazine Vol. VIII, November, 1931
Overland Routes To The Gold Fields, 1859, edited by Leroy Hafen, Arthur Clark,, 1942
