The
acquisition of the new western territories started the flow of
immigrants to settle them. Then in 1848 the discovery of gold at
Sutter’s Mill opened the flood gates. It soon became apparent
that a coast-to-coast railroad line was necessary to rapidly
move people, freight, and communications across the country.
Everyone agreed that the railroad was necessary but where to put
it was another matter. Great disputes arose between the
proponents of northern, central, and southern routes, and even
among different cities in the same state - everyone wanted the
railroad to pass through their town.
In an
attempt to decide the location of the route impartially, it was
suggested that all of the proposed routes be studied
scientifically to determine which one was the best. In 1853
Congress passed the Pacific Railroad Survey Bill, appropriating
$150,000.00 for the studies. Four separate survey teams were
assigned to study the four main routes under consideration, with
two supplemental surveys added later. The teams were given only
ten months to complete their tasks.
Lieutenant
Amiel Weeks Whipple was put in charge of the 35th
Parallel Survey. This is approximately the location later chosen
for Route 66 across northern Arizona and New Mexico. Whipple was
to study the route from Fort Smith, Arkansas, via Albuquerque
and Zuni, to California. Whipple’s expedition left Fort Smith
on July 14, 1853. When all the personnel had joined him, the
expedition consisted of about 70 men, 240 mules, a huge flock of
sheep for food, and a train of large freight wagons. His
scientific staff consisted of about 17 people, including
astronomers, geologists, naturalists, artists, botanists, and
surveyors. Antoine Leroux, who had been Sitgreaves’ guide two
years earlier, was hired on as guide.
The 35th
parallel survey passed through Albuquerque and the Zuni Pueblo,
crossing the 109th meridian (the eastern border of
Arizona) on November 28. They proceeded generally west, taking a
northward detour around Canyon Diablo, and passed south of San
Francisco Mountains through the site of Flagstaff. Farther west,
instead of following Sitgreaves’ trail through the Kingman
area, Whipple was hoping to find a better railroad route along
the "Bill Williams Fork", which he hoped would lead
directly to the Colorado River. He therefore looped south along
the Big Sandy and Bill Williams Rivers, reaching the Colorado
near the site of Parker Dam. He then traveled north along
the river, crossed into California near the Mohave Villages, and
continued on to the Los Angeles area.
Published
travel diaries of the Whipple Expedition are not hard to find.
Whipple’s daily itinerary has been published by Grant Foreman
in A Pathfinder in the Southwest, John Sherburne’s
diary is published as Through Indian Country to California
by Mary McDougall Gordon, and H.B. Mollhausen’s German account
was translated by Mrs. Percy Sinnett and published in 1858 as
Diary of a Journey From the Mississippi to the Coasts of the
Pacific (reprinted in 1969). There are also additional
accounts by Whipple and Jules Marcou in volume 3 of the Pacific
Railroad Report, and at least two unpublished diaries from other
expedition members.
