Born and educated in Southern California, Margaret Bzovy has been the host for the Western Writers Chat Group on AOL since 1997, writing articles for the monthly newsletter as well as arranging guest appearances on the hour-long chat event that meets every Monday. She is a member of Western Writers of America, working as
a California Ambassador for the membership committee under Chairman Larry Brown. She has also written various nonfiction historical articles for the online American Western Magazine, and for the Tumbleweed
Newspaper in Tombstone, Arizona. She lives with her husband, Ed, at the same home where they raised their eight children. Marge is also a member of the NRA, National Outlaw and Lawman Association, and the Southern California Historical Society.

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Juliette Brier was thirty-five years old when she began her travel to California with her husband, Reverend John Wells Brier and their three sons: Christopher, 8, Kirk, 6, and John, 4.

Hailing from Bennington, Vermont, Juliette would experience the greatest physical endurance of her life when she set out on the trip. She would have preferred to remain at her small home near the church at which her husband ministered, but her faithfulness to her husband came first. She followed his desire to travel to California, an unknown territory far away from their comfortable home, for the urgent call to the Land of Gold was too much for her husband to ignore. Besides, President Polk encouraged people to seek out homes in the newly discovered territories.

Juliette prepared her family for the journey across the continent. Packing was difficult, for it was necessary to sort the essentials needed for the trip from that which they must leave behind. Her three sons were diligent in helping their mother prepare for the trip.

In September of 1849 two-hundred people gathered with 107 wagons, 500 hundred horses and oxen, left Salt Lake City under the guidance of a Mormon leader, Captain Jefferson Hunt, an experienced wagon master of acclaimed reputation.

By the early morning of October 1, 1849 their wagon train stopped on a divided trail. Wagon train members William Lewis Manly and Asabel Bennett displayed a map they had received from a passing traveler; the map revealed a completely different route. Manly pointed out that Captain Hunt's map offered very little in water source with sandy trails and untold hardships. The new map revealed much grass with water areas all along the trail and appeared to be a better passage over mountains straight into the Tulare Valley, much closer than going south into Los Angeles. The idea was to get to California the quickest way, and the new map provided a route that would get them there six weeks sooner than the one offered by their Mormon wagon leader.

Imagine changing a set course of travel from a well known mapped passage to that of a scarcely traveled one that even experienced pioneers didn't know about. Yet, the Manly family, along with the Bennett-Arcan families decided to break from the group and travel the quicker route. Those wanting to follow were welcomed. Reverend Brier joined the group.

Jefferson Hunt had agreed to take the travelers from Salt Lake City to California at a cost of $10.00 a wagon. The map he would be working with would guide them south of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada's along part of the Old Spanish trails directly into Los Angeles, a trail well traveled and known by experienced men. Hunt warned them that the map they studied was not a proven trail even though someone had chartered the area. He doubted the authenticity of such a map. He warned them about another traveling group that had foolishly followed the George Donner party in 1846 with an illusive map, and their travels had ended tragically. He said they would be taking a great risk. However, the group decided against Hunt's route and all but 4 wagons turned toward the Tulare Valley route, a decision they would learn to regret.

On their third day out, the re-organized travelers found their wagons stopped in a box canyon, unable to continue. This threw a panic into many of the families and all but 27 wagons turned around to find and re-join the Hunt wagon train along the southern route.

The remaining travelers turned back on the trail and continued along another route of the Tulare Valley map, overlooking the mistake of the box canyon. They headed toward the distant horizon all too sure they would be in California soon.

Juliette and her young sons walked beside their wagon following the long line of white-topped wagons weaving over treeless hills into barren valleys with no grasses available for the animals to graze. Reverend Brier rode off on a mule to find the water sources revealed on their map.

Soon, four-year-old Kirk had to be carried, and eventually all of her children were put into the wagon. Juliette continued to walk over the desolate territory and if a thought of regret came to her mind, she never uttered a complaint.

As October ended, November saw them trudging along the long desolate barren territory. The animals dragged their legs, too weak to pull their burden, their tongues hung out in desperate need of water. Yet, the group's supply was so low they dared not share with the beasts. Water that was shown on the Tulare Valley map proved to be salty ponds and not drinkable. The patches of grass were never found and the long waste of land was sandy and hard on the oxen and wagons.

November reminded the travelers of Thanksgiving as they ate what meat there was on bones boiled in blood. Their oppressive march continued with the same mountains to their right side, always monitoring their weary steps, as they trudged across desolate Amargosa, past the Funeral Mountains, struggling toward the beginning of Furnace Canyon on the rim of a most devastating territory that the travelers would name, Death Valley.

The day before Christmas dawned and was an unhappy affair as they still struggled through the heat with little water and rationed foods. When they entered Furnace Canyon, they bathed in cold and hot springs and gathered some strength. Still, the vast territory of the California desert stood before them. As they moved on into the sands, the animals had a difficult time pulling the wagons. The oxen that died had little substance left on their bones for the travelers to satisfy their hunger. Juliette had to drag her husband out of his bed, as he had lost a great deal of weight. The children were crying for water and could hardly move from their blankets. Reverend Brier had to use two sticks to walk. Juliette became aware that the wagons were no longer traveling one after the other. They had spread out, each separated from the next by a great distance. In fact several wagons had turned off onto separate trails. It is said later that they entered other California sections and were safe. Of course, none of the hardships of the other travelers were known until years later.

Spotting Indians in the distance, uliette worried about being attacked, as they were unprotected and alone on the trail. She could barely make out the white covers of the Manly lead wagon. The hardest part of the travels seemed to be when she had to endure her children's complaint of not having enough food or water.

As the animals could no longer pull the wagon, Reverend Brier decided to burn it and packed the oxen with their children and supplies. Juliette recalled years later that this was a very bad mistake. Now they were 500 miles from their destination with only feet to carry them there. She took care of the animals, and at times had to push them from bogs.

By Christmas Eve of 1849, they were on the edge of Death Valley. The moon was bright, revealing only an empty desolate land before them with no end in sight.

Juliette was so weak and exhausted that she began crawling across the sands. Only her determination drove her to get back on her feet and continue. There had to be an end soon, she thought.

At three o'clock in the morning of Christmas Day they reached the springs of Furnace Creek. The welcomed springs added strength to their misery and enough water to meet their needs. Their Christmas Day feast with the Manly and Bennett families was a freshly slain ox.

Juliette was cheered to see the Arcan and Carr family wagons approaching them. She was glad to have the woman companionship and very much aware that the travels had caused them as much anguish and hardship.

Juliette was advised to stay at the springs with her children until a rescue team could come for them. But she would not hear of being left behind in what could be days of loneliness and threat of possible Indians. Instead, she and her sons continued on with them.

As they moved forward, crossing the intimidating course of land, they were as a hollowed mass of human beings, passing over the sands of death, too courageous tosimply lie down and die. Juliette struggled on and managed to coax along the cattle that were left to them by some Mississippi travelers who had decided to turn off on another trail.

She nursed some of the travelers who had become ill and was very distressed to see a Mister Fish fall on the trail and die. His body was buried where he fell. Juliette wondered if any of them would ever get through to their destination.

Coming into the Coast Range the party found ample grass and water. The cattle that Juliette diligently maneuvered across the hell acres were stampeded by a wandering brown bear. Too weak to give chase, they let the cattle go.

At last, their travels appeared to be over. Mexican ranchers stared in awe as the caravan of stragglers walked into the clearing. They could hardly believe what they saw: people who staggered forward like skeletons and appeared more dead than alive.

Later, Juliette recalled thinking how terrible she must have looked with her dirty, torn dress and her shoes cracked like hard baked leather. She called her travels "a miracle of being dead and coming back to life."

Eventually she sold the oxen and bought a half interest in a Los Angeles hotel, where she managed the kitchen and made sure no dried beef was ever served. Dried beef only reminded her of the food they had to eat along the terrible desert trails.

Reverend Brier was believed to be the first Protestant minister in Los Angeles. After settling in to their new location, Juliette and her husband added three daughters to their family.

Juliette died at Lodi, California on May 26, 1913 at the age of 99 years and eight months. She was always held in great esteem whenever they held the annual Jayhawker's reunion and was remembered as the bravest woman ever to travel across the country.

Copyright © 2003  Margaret Bzovy. No unauthorized reproduction or transmission by any means whatsoever permitted under federal criminal law.