Fort Fred Steele, Wyoming

Fort Fred Steele is the last fort on my journey. This fort was down a dirt road and not manned by anyone. There was a building that was like a museum. It was on a dead end road. It was here that you parked your car, toured the museum and then walked under the railroad tracks to the other site where the fort ruins were located.

It was a desolate place. I saw one truck leaving as I was arriving and then a group of fishermen were at the museum when I was coming back under the railroad tracks.

It was kind of fitting that it was desolate because this Fort was the end of the military journey of my great grandfather, John O'Donnell. "This was the lst duty station for Sergeant O'Donnell. On August 21, 1879, while on duty as Provost Sergeant, he was thrown from a wagon while unloading ice. He fell with such force the blow rendered him unconscious for several days. He also sustained severe contusions of the back, internal injurie to the kidneys and bladder, and a double ingrinal hernia. Taken to the post hospital, he remained there until his discharge on October 10, 1879. He was 48 years of age."

It was a lonely fort to visit and I continued to reflect upon his accident and how all of a sudden our lives can change dramatically without any notice. I am grateful to have had this time and this trip. I look forward to learning more and finding out more about John O'Donnell.

Fort Fetterman, Wyoming

Today is my last day of touring forts. I have learned a lot and realize I have a lot more to learn. I am glad that it is summer and I will have a little more time to do some research. Colleen, where are those "Who Do You Think You Are" historians when I need them?

At Fort Fetterman I was greeted by the sweetest dog, which made me very homesick for my two dogs. Colleen will Skype with me tonight and I will be able to see them. I hear that Bugs is missing his mom.

There are only three original buildings remaining at Fort Fetterman and two are in very good shape and the other needs work. I was greeted by Peg Fetterman. She is not sure if she is related to the Fetterman that the fort was named after. I told her my story and she sadly replied that they did not have any records. They did have copies of the 1870 and 1880 census. I quickly scanned and did not find any O'Donnell. Later when I passed through the visitor's center again, she showed me the entry for John O'Donaldson who was married to Mary both from Ireland with two boys. That was indeed my great grandfather. It was like the people in San Diego City schools who can never find my email address because I am listed as Kay Cook, Mary.

I walked the grounds of Fort Fetterman and got the feel of the land. At Fort Fetterman they had a cistern because they had to haul the water up a hill from the North Platte River.

According to the document that I have from J.P. Knudsen, "O'Donnell re-enlisted at Fort Fetterman on October 11, 1869 and was assigned to Company "E" under Captain H.W. Patterson, First Lieutenant Patrick Breslin, and Second Lieutenant John O'Brien. On December 1, 1869, Companies "A" and "E" departed Fort Fetterman to rendezvous with Companies "D", "F", and "G" for scouting purposes. Having travelled but a short distance, they were set upon by hostile Sioux; the attack so severe that the party was forced to retreat back to Fort Fetterman."

The 4th Infantry was re-assigned to Louisville, KY on March 1, 1871. "to be split up in small detachments to chivvy moonshiners about the Kentucky hills for a year". (Wikipedia)

It is here that my grandmother, MaryJane O'Donnell, was born. In 1872 the 4th Infantry was transferred to Little Rock Arkansas. However, in May, 1873 the 4th Infantry was back in Wyoming at Fort Russell. "Regimental records indicate that Seargeant O'Donnell was on special detail, in charge of prisoners sent to Fort Fred Steele,Wyoming Territory. He returned to Fort D.A. Russell in late July of 1873.

On September 22, 1876 Company "E" was re-assigned to Fort Fetterman. "Having learned of the Custer Massacre, Companies "E" and "I" departed for the Big Horn Territory." "On completion of the Big Horn Expedition, Companies "E" and "I" were stationed at Fort McKinney, Wyoming Territory until Norvember, 1878."

Fort LaramieThey were

Step by step instructions for driving can be a wonderful thing. However, sometimes when they add too many steps it can become very confusing. That is exactly what happened to me. I followed the step by step, but ended up getting turned around. So, I pulled out my trusty iPhone and entered the information and ended up getting on the right track. I used to tell my girls that the U-turn was invented for me. I am also learning that the hour times seem to take me one hour longer. Is it because I make U-turns?

In reading the document that was sent to me by one of my cousins some of my questions have been answered and more questions have been raised in my mind. My question about whether or not my great grandmother, Mary Catherine Kissane, was at Ft. Davis, TX with my great grandfather has been answered by the fact that they were not yet married.

In 1860, John O'Donnell returned to Boston to visit family and friends. Then he was reassigned to Fort Columbus, New York on November 11, 1860 where he worked as a recruiter. He married Mary Catherine Kissane, who was born in 1834 in Limerick, Ireland, November 25k 1861 at St. Peter's Church on Barclay Street in New York City.

On October 3, 1862, John O'Donnell rejoined the 8th Infantry and was assigned to Company B. They were assigned to the Maryland side of the Patomac River. John O'Donnell was sent to Fort Columbus for dischard on January 3, 1863.

John and Mary O'Donnell purchased and operated a saloon at Number 2 Morris St., New York
City. About one year later, they sold this saloon and purchased another at Number 1 Bridge Street. They sold the saloon and John O'Donnell enlisted in the army on October 11, 1866. He was 35 years old now. He was assigned to Compnay C of the 4th Infantry. The 4th Infantry was assigned to the Military Division of the Missouri Department of the Platte. Company C was garrisoned at Fort Laramie.

In late 1867, John O'Donnell, his wife, Mary, and his two sons came to Fort Laramie. Fort Laramie was referred to as the "Queen of the Frontier" in contrast to Fort Sedgwick which was known as "The Hell Hole on the Platte". My cousin's record states that "Regimental records for 1868 state that Sergeant John O'Donnell was on detail at the Saw Mill, mear Laramie Peak, until May 1868." In my visit today, I did not see any saw mill.

In May of 1868, Company C was transfered to Fort Fetterman, but this would not be the last of Ft. Laramie for John O'Donnell. On October 11, 1874, John O'Donnell reenlisted at Fort Laramie. He was now 43 years old. The last of the O'Donnell children, Albert Daniel, was born here.

Tomorrow will take me to Fort Fetterman and Fort Fred Steele. That will be the end of my journey of forts, but not the end of my journey. On Sunday, I will begin a good visit with my cousin, Cornelius Kelly and his wife, Kate, in Pinedale, WY. What kind of gossip will I be able to blog about there?

Fort Sedgwick

I had a slow start this morning with an upset stomach. That is not unusual for me when I travel. So, I had a leisurely start to my day.

It was a 5 hour drive to Julesberg,CO which is the town that houses the Fort Sedgwick museum. Sergeant O'Donnell was discharged at Fort Sedgwick in 1867. Fort Sedgwick was originally Fort Rankin and then later renamed Ft. Sedgwick. The buildings were originally sod. The soldiers assigned there guarded the the mail and passenger routes that followed the South Platte River.

According to some of the literature that I was given "Though filmed elsewhere, 'Fort Sedgwick' was prominent in the popular movie Dances With Wolves." I also purchased a book about Ft. Sedgwick.

The woman working in the museum today was not the regular historian. However, she made a phone call to her and I did speak with her. She is working on a special project right now and will get back to me. I will contact her if I learn more about John O'Donnell.

They had a map of the South Platte River Trail which has markers along it. It is along a county road which is all dirt. Nothing remains of Fort Sedgwick today, only the markers. It is all farmland with signs to stay out. I drove the county road which reminded me of heading for the Kelly cemetary in North Bend, NE.

I purchased a book on Ft. Sedgwick and some postcards that are duplicates of a pen and ink drawing done by Anton Schoenborn in 1870. I bought a highlighter to highlight information in the document that my cousin gave me. I want to cut to the facts. However, in this document, he/she (J.G. Knudsen) makes reference to the regimental record. That is something that I would like to read.

I will upload more photos to Kodak Gallery although there is not much to see. I tried to take pictures that I would be able to read of the markers. I am very grateful to be able to make this trip and learn what I am learning.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Today was a very long day behind the wheel. I drove and drove and drove!

The temperatures began to cool down. I don't think I saw the three-digit numbers that I had been seeing. Around two, I decided that I needed to stop for lunch. After lunch there was more road construction, but I was grateful for that because everyone had to slow down. We were not only driving through the construction zone, but also a thunderstorm. San Diegans are known for being terrible drivers in the rain.

I arrived at my hotel and I have just been doing research and having a lazy evening. It is nice to be out of the car!

Tomorrow I will visit Julesberg which is supposed to be the site of the Fort Sedgwick museum. I have no idea what I will find there or where the journey will take me. I am just praying that there are no more thunderstorms.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

The night before I left on this journey, Colleen was moving some things back home and I was trying to get a lot of the watering done. We ordered pizza and sat down to watch one of our favorite programs, "Who Do You Think You Are?" We laughed about my upcoming journey and the possibility of having my very own historian to meet me at the forts.

Today, I got a nice early start after a very good night's rest. I thought that I would never arrive to Fort Davis. I drove through several deserted towns or so they appeared to be, but most of the drive was through endless Texas desert. The small town of Ft. Davis was a welcome sight.

I began with the visitor's center. It was unmanned when I entered and so I had the opportunity to browse their book selection. The first ranger was only there to fix the computer or cash register. Then she went to get another ranger to help me. She was so enthusiastic! She tried to look John O'Donnell up on the data base for the fort, but he was not listed. "Oh", but I said, " I have his documents and he was indeed stationed here. He was promoted to corporal and to sergeant at this base." I happened to put the documents on a thumb drive and so I had them with me. She was absolutely thrilled. She had a 9:00 AM meeting and I was eager to look around the grounds. We agreed to meet again after her meeting and my tour.

John O'Donnell was stationed at the old Fort Davis which unfortunately was burned down by the Apaches. They were made from oak and cottonwood pickets and had a roof that was either thatched or of canvas. So what is left of the old fort, is only the foundations of the buildings.

I had always wondered if John O'Donnell's wife, Mary Catherine Kissane, went with him or if she did not, where did she live? I was told that you had to be single to enlist, however, you could marry after your enlistment. In the later years, I saw pictures of wives and children at the fort. In my reading, I discovered that there were 13 houses for married soldiers and their families.

After visiting Ft. Davis, I drove on to Carlsbad Caverns. This was my first visit here. I took the narrated walking tour. The coolness of the caverns was delightful after the 100+ degree weather that I had a the fort. The caverns were impressive and definitely worth the stop.

I registered into my hotel and made a date with Colleen to Skype. I did some laundry and then went out to eat. I am trying to orgnize my things and figure out what to do with the things that I am collecting.

Tomorrow will be a long drive to Pueblo, Colorado with no fun diversions planned along the way. I am indeed grateful to my great grandfather and all of those with him who helped make the world a better place while enduring great hardship to do so.

Miscalculation

I am now in Van Horn, TX. It is a tiny little town in Texas where my cousin, Mary Ruth's, cousin or aunt, Hersha Ree lives.

So, what might you ask is the miscalculation? Well, I forgot totally about the Central time zone in Texas. So, I did not make it to Ft. Davis today. I will go there first thing in the morning. It is about 1 hour and 20 minutes from here.

Today, I passed through my second border check point. I passed through one yesterday. They are much different than ours by San Onofre. Here the check goes much slower. One person talks with you, while another officer has a dog that sniffs around your car. Do we do that in California? There are three lanes: one for cars, one for busses and one for trucks. Prior to the check point I saw two border patrol cars parked and watching us as we approached.

It rained last night in Benson, AZ and rain looks like it is coming this way. I had a hard time sleeping last night because the light from the parking lot was shining in my window. Well, finally about 1:00 AM I figured out I was trying to move the wrong curtain. I am looking forward to a good night's sleep tonight and an early start in the morning.

Benson, Arizona

After 7:30 AM Mass this morning, I went home and completed my watering prior to leaving. Colleen began her move back home yesterday. It is nice having her there to care for the dogs. I did not leave until 9:30 AM. The drive was a nice one.

I was surprised to see so many wind mills on the hills when I drove. I tried to imagine what the trip must have been like coming to Californina with no paved roads, no automobiles, and very little provisions. The temperature outside for a good part of the trip ranged from 96 to 102 degrees.

I passed markers or turnoffs for the Butterfield trail. The trail is rugged and passes through three deserts. I was reading that the passengers on the stagecoaches road 9 to a coach, packed in holding their baggage on their laps. They road all day in the heat. Sometimes in the sand they would have to get out and walk. There were no breaks for them. They would have to sleep sitting up packed tightly against their neighbors. There were mail bags under their feet. They paid the equivalent of 3,000 dollars in todays money for a trip that lasted 25 days.

According to some information that my cousin sent me, John O'Donnell enlisted in the army in 1855 in Boston, MA and was assigned to the 8th Infantry which was garrisoned at Ft. Bliss. Tomorrow I will head out in the morning for Ft. Davis, TX. John O'Donnell was stationed there in 1857 and attained the rank of corporal and in 1858 he became a sergeant. I hope to learn a little more of what it was like at that time for my great grandfather. I hope a get a little picture of the life and times.

More to come.

How Did It All Begin?

I don't know how many times I have moved this pistol from one place to another place around this house, both now and when Dad was alive. However, this last time when I was painting the computer room the urge to investigate further just seemed to inspire me. In God's time, it must be. Is it because I am older? Or is it because I was just in the need of a purposeful vacation? I guess that I will never know.

John O'Donnell is my great grandfather. He is the father of my grandmother on my father's side of the family. It is thought that he probably came to America from Ireland between the years of 1848 and 1853. He enlisted in the Army on August 11, 1855 at Boston, Massachusetts. He married Mary Kissane on November 25, 1861 at St. Peters Church on Barclay Street in New York City.

Some of the ladies at church gave me cards this morning to wish me well on my adventure. That was very thoughtful, thank you for organizing that, Gail.

It is exactly one week from today that I will be leaving. The first stop is not very exciting: Benson, AZ. Life is a little like that, isn't it? If every day were full of excitement, nothing would be special.

Trying to get an image of the times

What was the United States like in 1857? In 1857 James Buchanan was president. There was a Democratic majority in the House and in the Senate. In March of 1857, there was a ruling by the Supreme Court (Dred Scott vs. Sanford) that any people brought to the U.S. as slaves and their descendants, whether they were slaves or not, could not become an American citizen. This decision was overruled by the 14th amendment by a case in 1873.
In 1857, there was an economic panic. This was begun by the failure of New York branch of the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Co. Grain prices plunged and manufactured goods piled up in warehouses. Also, at this time, a ship carrying 30,000 pounds of gold that was on its way to the San Francisco mint sunk. An economic depression which lasted until 1858 enveloped our country. On December 8, 1857 James Buchanan gave his State of the Union Address in which he states, “In the midst of unsurpassed plenty in all the productions of agriculture and in all the elements of national wealth, we find our manufactures suspended, our public works retarded, our private enterprises of different kinds abandoned, and thousands of useful laborers thrown out of employment and reduced to want. The revenue of the Government, which is chiefly derived from duties on imports from abroad, has been greatly reduced, whilst the appropriations made by Congress at its last session for the current fiscal year are very large in amount.”
There were 31 States in the U. S. These states had not yet joined the Union: Minnesota, Oregon, Kansas, West Virginia, Nevada, Nebraska, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii. Many of you reading this blog will remember when Alaska and Hawaii entered the Union in 1959.
In 1857, John O’Donnell was stationed at Fort Davis, TX. Fort Davis was a supply post and a communications link with San Antonio. It was their duty to protect the travelers from the Apaches and Comanches. I wonder what it was like living in the desert in those years.
”In 1857 James Birch won a Federal contract for carrying the mail between San Antonio and San Diego, Calif. At first using wagons, the company soon had coaches providing semimonthly service to the Pacific.” [http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/hh/38/hh38f.htm]
Fort Davis will be my first military post to visit. John O’Donnell was station there in 1857. The other posts that I will be visiting will be: Ft. Laramie (WY), Ft. Sedgwick (Julesberg, CO), Ft. Fetterman (Douglas, WY), and Ft. Fred Steele (Rawlins, WY).
It’s now 17 days and counting!