Sarah Davis, Pioneer THE PEOPLE OF NEVADA COUNTY   EXPLORE FURTHER Becoming California, stories from California Gold Rush History On May 21, l850 Sarah Davis left Independence, Missouri in a covered wagon pulled by oxen, and headed for the gold fields of California. She traveled along the Oregon Trail as she headed west and wrote in her diary almost every day. She wrote that she saw many wild animals such as bears, buffalo, geese, and ducks along the trail. Traveling near the Platte River she wrote about the beautiful view. The people in Sarah’s wagon train saw “Indians,” wolves, and lots of pioneer graves. Once she wrote about seeing thirteen graves in a day. After her friend died of cholera she was the only woman in her wagon train. Sarah said she was “very lonely,” and wished there was another woman making the journey with her. At Independence rock she saw the signatures of other pioneers who had traveled the same route. The wagon train traveled ten to twenty miles each day. She wrote about crossing rivers. She described prairies that stretched as far as the eye could see, as well as deserts, and snow covered mountains. Sometimes the men would walk the oxen five extra miles to find grass for them to eat. The group left the Oregon Trail and headed south along the California Trail toward their destination. They climbed over the 7,000 foot summit of the Sierra Nevada Mountains then came down the ridge into Nevada City on October 19, l850. After many months of traveling Sarah was happy to arrive in Nevada City and said, ”It is a sight to see all the miners here.” Sarah Davis was the only pioneer woman in her group to survive the trip from Independence, Missouri to California. She lived in Nevada City for many years and raised her family here. Her husband built one of the first homes in the town. Her pioneer spirit inspired other women to make the trip to California. Sarah Davis was the first of many pioneer women who tried the adventure of traveling to the mining towns of California. Some of the buildings that were built in l850 are still standing as historical landmarks today.
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