Excerpts of the Trip Westward

From Graham County; History and Heritage by William R. Ridgeway [1950- published in the Eastern Arizona Courier May 19, 1976]

"According to the D.V.A. Talley diary, the ... left Des Arc on April 10, 1877 and started westward. Next day they were joined by the Quinn, Wanslee, Evans and McGrath families and still later by other families. Their route, while in Arkansas followed the line of present day U.S. Highway 64 and took them through Faulkner County, Russelville, Clarksville and Van Buren. On May 8, the emigrants entered Indian Territory and traveled in a northwesterly direction to Witchita, Kansas via Claremore and Coffeyville. From Witchita their path led to Trinidad, Colorado, Raton Pass and Santa Fe. Here, regrettably the Talley diary ends..."

John West remembers, "There wasn't enough room for all of us in the wagons..."
He remembered seeing a white possum near Coffeyville and how the wagons would form a large circle at night. He states, "A hole would be left to drive the stock into the circle. Then a wagon would seal the hole, so the circle served as a corral as well as protection from the Indians."

At night tiny fires made from buffalo chips would flicker. Children would play in the circle and men and women would quietly discuss the day's happenings. Sunday was the Lord's Day; a day of rest. There would be preaching and hymn singing.

The trip was not without its quarrels and petty bickering. D.V.A. Talley's diary recorded, "that no company can travel and get along agreeable with each other." Much of the dissention centered around John Wimmer's leadership.

"He was a good man," John pointed out, "but couldn't handle people. Church authorities replaced him with Nelson P. Beebe when we were about ten miles west of Coffeyville."

On reaching Witchita the West family had to drop out of the wagon train due to money problems but slowly made their way west. They eventually made it to Savoia in present day Ramah, New Mexico.