SB’S lush valley, Earp’s attitude detailed in early pioneer’s diary

On May 12, 1864, four families — the Earps, the Hamiltons, the Curtises and the Rousseaus — left their Iowa homes for a sevenmonth trek by wagon to San Bernardino.

One of its members, Sarah Jane Rousseau, wrote a beautifully detailed diary of the entire journey.

She also noted that wagon master Nicholas Earp was a tough, no-nonsense individual who wasn’t always so easy to get along with. Her comments shed some light on his abrasive personality throughout the trip.

While resting at Fort Laramie on July 7 and 8, she wrote “we have to keep close watch day and night over the stock. Mr. Earp went out to see about the guards (military guards) and found they had got up a dance. And he told them they must quit their dancing and be on duty. One of the soldiers told him to mind his own business and ordered him off. It made him awful mad and he was for killing. He used very profane language; he could hardly be appeased. But he cooled down after awhile and all was quiet.”

As the long and exhausting wagon trip met up with the heat of summer, dissension within the traveling party reached new heights. Nick Earp’s cantankerous demeanor didn’t help.

Prior to stopping at Fort Bridger, the Rousseau Diary entry for July 30 reported that “… Earp got angry with the whole train because they passed him; he took it as an insult, talked pretty hard to all, some thought he had taken a little too much liquor. He used very profane language and told the whole train that he would give up his Captaincy unless they would adhere to the rules he gave. After being detained an hour or more very unpleasantly we rolled on…”

Rousseau noted in her diary that upon reaching hot, dry weather as they traveled further west, she was finally feeling better. In fact, she was able to walk without the help of a chair, which she had been forced to use while enduring the cold weather.

The wagon train was nearing its destination as the party reached Resting Springs and her diary entry for December 2 described the surroundings:

“In looking around me I seen nothing but mountains and broken country … Oh, how dreary and desolate!”

On December 15, two days before finally reaching their destination, she wrote:

“A clear, frosty morning. Got up between 3 and 4 o’clock, want to start from camp early, there is a Prussian keeps the ranch, his name is Jacob, he lives most of the time alone. It is a lonesome looking place. I suppose we will get with our train tonight …There is a cold wind blowing. This is Nicholson’s ranch. The old woman got drunk on whiskey. It is called Point of Rocks (today’s Helendale), a desolate looking place.”

On Saturday, Dec. 17, 1864, the wagon train approached the 4,200-foot summit of the Cajon Pass, which Rousseau mistakenly called “the Sierra Nevada Mountains,” and began the descent into San Bernardino.

With her final entry, Sarah Jane Rousseau’s overland diary was complete:

“A very cold freezing morning. The ground covered with snow. Started up from camp about an hour before day, got to the top of the Sierra Nevada Mountains by daylight. From the foot of the mountain to the top is 22 miles. Then we went down a very steep hill, it is downhill all the way to San Bernardino. We were away before the clouds this morning. It looks quite singular. We are now at Martin’s ranch (near Glen Helen Park in Devore), the appearance of the country is quite different from what it has been for some time back. Everything has a green lively look. The grass growing nicely, it looks like spring instead of the middle of winter. Got into San Bernardino about sun down. We heard Mr. Hamilton is 15 miles in the country on a farm. I don’t know yet if we’ll remain here or not. I haven’t seen the town yet. Don’t know how it looks. I wish to get settled down.”

Indeed, the Rousseaus did settle in San Bernardino. In fact several members of the wagon caravan from Iowa became celebrated in the early history of San Bernardino County.

Nicholas Earp, father of the well-known Earp brothers, eventually served as city recorder and justice of the peace in the young town of Colton.

Israel Curtis founded the first Baptist Church in San Bernardino. And both his grandson and great-grandson became prominent attorneys and federal judges in the area.

In addition to his work as a physician, James Rousseau established a successful career as a surveyor and served as County Superintendent of Schools during the late 1870s.

Perhaps the most dramatic pioneer exploits of all, however, belong to Rousseau, who became a wellknown piano teacher in San Bernardino and gave lessons until her death on Feb. 20, 1872, at age 56.