*RARE* Antique 1850's Gold Rush Wells Fargo Cover James Reed Donner Party Fame

Description

Offered is a VERY RARE 1847-1850's Wells Fargo Express envelope bearing a cancellation from the Nevada ghost town of Treasure City to James F. Reed of Donner Party Fame after he settled in San Jose in 1849. A wonderful piece of early western history in remarkable condition after all these years. Reed has an amazing history full of Gold Rush, exploration, pioneer and Mexican War adventure and was in the presence of Kit Carson, Abraham Lincoln, John C. Fremont, and many others.
James Frazier Reed
(November 14, 1800 – July 24, 1874) was an Irish American businessman and soldier and a pioneer in the American West, notable for being an organizing member of the ill-fated
Donner Party
emigration to
California
in 1846.
Early life
Born in
County Armagh
, Ireland (now
Northern Ireland
), Reed claimed to be of noble
Polish
stock.
After the death of his father, he emigrated with his mother to the United States. Once there, his mother sent him to live with a family member in
Virginia
, where he worked as a clerk in the family store. In about 1825, Reed moved to
Illinois
, where he took an interest in mining. While living there, Reed ran several businesses and took part in the Black Hawk
War
of 1832, serving with
Abraham Lincoln
.
In 1835, he married Margret Keyes Backenstoe, a widow with one daughter, Virginia Elizabeth Backenstoe, whom Reed did not adopt but who nonetheless went by the name Virginia Reed.
The couple married and had four more children in
Springfield
: Martha Jane (called Patty); James F., Jr.; Thomas Keyes; and Gershom Francis, who died as an infant.
Donner Party
In 1845, Reed decided to head west to
California
and organized a small group, which left the Springfield area in the spring of 1846. The other members were
George Donner
, his brother Jacob, and their families and hired hands. Each head of household had three wagons. In addition to two supply wagons, Reed had a particularly comfortable one made for his family to ride in, which has since become legendary. The Reeds and Donners left Springfield on April 14 and joined a large wagon train led by William H. Russell on May 19.
While camped in
Wyoming
, the Reeds, Donners, and several other families decided to split off from the main trail and take a new route called the
Hastings Cutoff
, which had been advertised as a shortcut across the Great Basin. They elected George Donner captain, creating the
Donner Party
, and separated from the other emigrants on July 20. The new route proved painstakingly slow and arduous. While crossing the desert west of the
Great Salt Lake
, Reed abandoned two of his wagons after he lost most of his oxen. The exhausted Donner Party finally rejoined the
California Trail
on September 26 near
Elko, Nevada
, having taken three weeks longer than the traditional route.
On October 6, while traveling along the
Humboldt River
, Reed quarreled with two teamsters and, in the ensuing fight, stabbed John Snyder to death.
One emigrant proposed hanging Reed, but after Reed's wife pleaded for leniency, the other emigrants decided to banish him instead. Reed initially refused to accept their decision but eventually agreed to go ahead to
Sutter's Fort
, in the
Sacramento Valley
, for supplies. After a difficult journey during which he nearly starved, Reed reached the fort on October 28. After two days of rest, he attempted to take provisions back to the wagon train, but deep snow blocked the way.
The early onset of winter not only blocked Reed's return but also trapped the Donner Party in the
Sierra Nevada
. The Donner Party members contrived makeshift shelters, hoping to soon resume their journey, but were forced to spend the winter in the mountains. They were already low on supplies and were compelled to slaughter their oxen for food. As the winter wore on, many of the emigrants starved to death, and some resorted to cannibalism.
Meanwhile, Reed, now stuck in California, tried to organize another relief expedition, but turmoil from the
Mexican–American War
not only disrupted his efforts but also forced him to take up arms. On January 2, 1847, Reed participated in the
Battle of Santa Clara
. While in the area, Reed took steps to secure land for himself in
Santa Clara
, where he would eventually bring his family.
In early February 1847, the citizens and naval officers of San Francisco funded a rescue effort for the stranded Donner Party. Its leader was
Selim E. Woodworth
, a naval officer, with Reed as his second-in-command. Reed rounded up men and supplies in the
Sonoma
and
Napa
Valleys north of
San Francisco Bay
and headed into the mountains. Reed met his wife, Margret; his stepdaughter, Virginia; and son, James, Jr. coming out of the mountains. After an emotional reunion, Reed and his men continued on to the camp, where his remaining children, Martha (8) and Thomas (3), were still stranded. Reed led a party of emigrants out from the camps, but a severe blizzard trapped them at the top of
Donner Pass
for two days, during which the party ran out of food. When the storm passed, most of the refugees were too weak to continue. Reed departed with his children but had to leave the others behind. A few days later, however, another party rescued them.
Later life
Reunited, the Reed family recuperated in the
Napa Valley
for many weeks, where Reed served briefly as sheriff of Sonoma. In 1847, Reed took his family to revive the neglected orchards of
Mission San José
. He leased the orchards and in that summer gathered and dried apples, figs, pears, and quince, which he shipped to Hawaii, trading for cocoa, coffee, rice, and sugar.
Less than a year from their escape from the snow, the Reeds welcomed another son, Charles Cadden Reed. Willianoski Yount, called Willie, followed in 1850, but failed to survive his childhood.
In the spring of 1848, Reed joined the
California Gold Rush
, finding rich diggings in the
Placerville
area.
Returning to
San Jose
in the fall of that year, he began an active community life. The family settled on a 500-acre (200-hectare) ranch between First Street and Coyote Creek in what is now Downtown San Jose. In 1849, Reed became the chief of police of the
San Jose Police Department
.
Reed also became a real estate developer and speculated in mining enterprises. The subdivision of the Reed land in 1849 resulted in the naming of Reed, Carrie, Margaret, Keyes, Lewis, Martha, Patterson, and Virginia Streets in honor of Reed family members. The present-day Reed School was named after Frazier O. Reed, a grandson of James Reed's. During the California statehood process, Reed was a leading proponent of a plan to make
San Jose the capital of California
, and he donated four city blocks to the cause.
In 1856, gold was discovered in the nearby
Santa Cruz Mountains
, and Reed again set out to do some prospecting. Taking two of his sons, Reed leased a mining claim from
Rancho Zayante
owner
Isaac Graham
, on a tributary creek of the
San Lorenzo River
. The area never produced much gold, but the area near present-day
Felton
nevertheless became known as "
Gold Gulch
".
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Shipped via USPS First Class. Shipping combined on like sized items.