As part of an online project about the history and archaeology of the San Luis Valley, the San Luis Valley Rural Telecommunications Project provides an overview of the fourth expedition that was undertaken by the American explorer John Charles Fremont (1813-1890). In the winter of 1848, Fremont led an expedition through the San Juan Mountains to locate a route for a railroad to California. When the group reached present day Del Norte, California, severe weather conditions forced an end to the expedition.

With Diaries, Letters, And Reports By Participants In The Tragedy. Far West And The Rockies Historical Series, 1820-1875, V11.

The the deliberate intent of tackling the mountains in winter, William Brandon set out with thirty-five men, among them Alexis Godey and Old Bill Williams of mountain-men fame, and a hundred mules. On all sides the warnings were sharply insistent that this winter of 1848 would be one of the worst in history, and before the men came to the mountain, they had evidence of its brutal fury. The story of the ascent, when the men were bolstered by the conviction that they were marching hand in hand with History, and the descent, when they were dogged by defeat and its handmaidens of starvation and panic, contribute a revealing chapter to the study of human nature. Mr. Brandon is neither for nor against the questionable decisions made by Fremont. Instead, he gives a fresh interpretation of the record in vivid, documentary style. It's a controversial book, and one that should not be missed by anyone interested in the opening of the West.