08/06/2025
August 6, 2025
Note. Society Member Lance Holter and his wife Mona divide their time between Salt Lake City, Utah and Paia on Maui, Hawaii (in Jed’s day one of the Sandwich islands). This spring he retraced Jed’s 1826-27 routes across the Mohave Desert. The article below details his journey. It will be a great aid to anyone else attempting the trip. For a deeper dive into the subject, see Lance’s in-depth article in the Fall 2023 Castor (Vol. 2, No. 2): “Traveling the Shell Trade Highway with Indigenous People, Francisco Garces and Jedediah Strong Smith.”
On The Old Mohave Trail.
On April 21, 2025, I set out from Salt Lake City, Utah to follow the 1826 route of Jedediah Smith, and his group of trappers, on their Southwest Expedition to California. Some say the purpose of the expedition was to find the mythical Buenaventura River outlet to the Pacific Ocean, others comment it was to explore future beaver trapping country to the South after the 1826 Rendevouz at Cache Valley, Utah, or both.
My goal was to reconnoiter a part of Jedidiahs’ November 1826 Entrada to Alta California, across the Mohave Desert over the San Bernardino mountains and into the San Gabriel Mission. My focus was the part of that route following the Virgin River South and West to the Colorado River and crossing the Colorado into the Mohave Desert. I was most curious about the desert portion after reading “The SouthWest Expedition of Jedediah S. Smith” His Personal Account of the Journey to California edited by George R. Brooks. A harrowing narrative of surviving the desert wilderness, which in my mind is an epic adventure story ranking among the greatest adventures in American lore. At the very least comparable to Lewis and Clarks contribution to the opening of the West. Jedediah’s SouthWest Expedition being the first Anglo American Entrada overland into Alta California . Because, For hundreds of years, Spain then Mexico thought themselves safe and secure in California from an American intrusion (invasion) overland from the East because of the impenetrable and deadly desert wilderness, The Mohave (I use the Indian name vs the Spanish Mojave).
The key for the Expeditions survival was a series of ancestrally known desert springs, 15 to 30 miles apart leaving the Colorado River and heading West. This old Indian trail, connecting the springs, had been used for 1,000’s of years as a Trade Route (Castor Canadensis Journal, Fall 2023). It connected the Chumash People at the Pacific Coast with the Mohave/Yuma people on the Colorado and beyond to the Pueblos and the Plains Indians. It was based upon, but not limited to, Abalone Shell from the Chumash.
I choose April 2025 because the Desert heat would be survivable. High temperatures in the 80’s/90’s vs. 108/112 June to October. Also the roads and trails likely to be intact (floods had severely damaged the Mojave Desert roads in February of 2024. In December and January it can get into the low 20’s at the higher desert elevations, it even snows and it can be windy. It’s a harsh climate.
The first spring West from the Mohave villages at the Colorado River, across miles of rocky desert and up a narrow canyon is Paiute Springs, then after climbing a ridge, West from Paiute springs, is a foreboding Desert landscape. The expedition got lost here in October 1826, retuning to the River Villages, after having their guides run away and not finding water the next following days ahead in the West. Also, Jed’s favorite horse was stolen and the tracks led back to the River. They needed dedicated guides this 2nd time and Jed’s horse.
From Paiute springs, through this desert of huge Joshua Trees, dry washes and rugged mountains you find Vontrigger Springs, tucked into the base of a band of steep red hills, a little to the South and West. Early ranchers, the Army and miners have largely changed the landscape with an old concrete box reservoir and watering trough, both dry. This is the spring that the expedition didn’t find in their first attempt across the desert.
To the North West miles away off in the distance North along a range of desert peaks is Rock Springs. The expanse is again giant Joshua Trees, yucca, cactus, cholla, creosote bush, sandy dry washes and stubborn rocky flats. This time in, early November 1826 the expedition had guides, runaway neophytes from the San Gabriel Mission in California. They had been taking shelter with the Mohave at the Villages. I believe they were Serrano Indians because they were friendly with the Serrano Rancherias West up the Mohave River. They knew of food caches in the desert among other things and The Serrano had been incorporated/converted into the California Mission system.
Upon reaching Rock Springs, across that desert landscape, you realize how important the knowledge of water is. The ridge to the West comes to a small wash and waterway spilling out from the basin above onto a sandy river bed. Now dry but with bees, butterflies, humming birds and desert big horn sheep getting the remaining drops from the mossy drips. This the only water source for about thirty miles in all directions. Up above the spring is an old water well (with a few inches of water at the bottom) and an abandoned stone building. Once the site for the US Army, Camp Rock Springs, there to protect a mail and shipping station, and then various other transformations ranching, mining and water hole afterwards.
As a side note of interest, Jedidiah’s 2nd expedition, to meet up with trappers from the 1st 1826 entrada he had left on the Stanislaus River, California, was ambushed by the Mohave at the Colorado River crossing while ferrying supplies and horses across. After losing ten men and two women, nine survived with five rifles amongst them, they fought off the previously peaceful Mohave Indians eventually escaping in the night to Paiute Springs. The survivors were on foot without horses and after quickly refreshing themselves and taking care of a wounded man, they headed West up Paiute Canyon. At one point the canyon is steep walled on both sides with a 15’ dry waterfall ahead. No horse could pass this. (Note the hiking poles next to the wall). Upon reaching the top of the canyon the survivors headed Northwest up the dry wash, a very rough and inhospitable desert ahead of them. They had no guide this time, and in their hurry they were bypassing the next water at Vontrigger spring to the SW heading directly West to Rock Springs, with the Mohave in pursuit. To make things even more difficult, it was in the heat of August and while carrying a wounded man with them, progress was slow. Jedediah and his men found their way, traveling at night, laying and hiding in the shade during the day, but ten days later they made it to the San Gabriel Mission and the wounded man survived. (Jedediah Smith-No ordinary Mountain Man, Barton H. Barbour. PP. 161-168.)
Traveling and camping those three days and nights I saw no other people when off the road or at my camping sites. It was a dark sky except to the East and Needles on the far horizon. Maybe five cars altogether on the “main” roads. Two locals, one utility truck driving the power line, one group in an SUV and a Jeep doing the Mojave Preserve. Traveling alone, I was cautious, in my Toyota Tacoma 4 WD, because the cell coverage was sketchy, small rocky and bumpy/sandy roads you had to take your time on, and the absence of people to help get you out of trouble. Doing it next time taking two 4WD vehicles would be the best and a good idea. Bring water!
