BACKGROUND: In the spring of 1861, A.G. Oliver sold his property in Wisconson and joined some thirty or forty families, forming a cavalcade of covered wagons, drawn mostly by oxen, and moved to California. It required six months to make the trip and considerable hardships were experienced: fighting hostile Indians, fording swollen streams and providing food for both man and beast.
The families making up this train assembled at Council Bluff, Iowa, and from there traveled as a unit under the leadership of a captain selected by the pioneers, and the famous Indian scout, Jim Bridger.
Leon ("Linn") Oliver was born September 29, 1857. In July 1876, at the age of 19, he came to Texas, just four months after his father reached Texas and had located a ranch near the old post office of Strickland in Burnet County.
John Oliver was born in Wisconsin on April 5, 1859. At the age of 3 years, he moved with his parents to California.
In April 1876, A.G. Oliver came to Texas, in company with Charlie Palen and Altemus McGuire, in search of a new home in the then rapidly developing new country. It's hard to understand why these men would leave so fertile and rapidly growing area as California, where they were reasonably prosperous, to come to a then sparsely settled new country, as Texas was at that time, unless it was the love for adventure, or the dream of becoming a cattle baron, and rich in the stock business on the free range, as some were doing at that time.
On April 10, 1876, A.G. Oliver and the McGuires set out for Texas, traveling on the Union Pacific Railroad to Omaha, Nebraska. The railroad had only been completed a short time. The following notes have been copied from A.G. Oliver's diary of his trip from Petaluma, California to Burnet County, Texas, where he purchased a tract of land, about 4,000 acres, and engaged in stock raising.
1876
- Monday, April 10 - left Petaluma at 8 a.m.
- Tuesday, April 11 - left Sacramento at 8 a.m.
- Wednesday, April 12 - At Wadsworth - 8:50 a.m.
- Thursday, April 13 - Up the Humbolt somewhere at Carlin 9:25 a.m.
- Friday, April 14 - At Salt Lake City in the morning about 9:00 a.m.
- Saturday, April 15 - At Granger 9:00 a.m. - crossed Green River at 11:00 a.m.
- Sunday, April 16 - At Carbon at 8:00 a.m. on the Rocky Mountains
- Monday, April 17 - Coming on the headwaters of the Platt, and followed it the entire day
- Tuesday, April 18 - trundling along Platt River, a pretty good farming country, wind blows hard, arrived in Omaha 10:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, April 19 - In Omaha all day, leave in the evening at 4:00 p.m.
- Thursday, April 20 - In Kansas City at 5:00 a.m. and have to stay til 10:00 p.m. Left for Fort Scott, arrived 3, stayed till 11:00 and left for Dennison. Changed cars at Fort Scott Junction.
- Friday, April 21: Arrived at Denison at 2:30 p.m. Hired a team, took us out about 6 miles, camped on the roadside, slept on the ground.
- Saturday, April 22: Started west and arrived McCamells about 3 p.m.
- Sunday, April 23: In Cook County at McCamells, looking around, wind blowing like Hell.
- Monday, April 24: Started off on foot to hunt up a team --stayed all night at Gainesville
- Tuesday, April 25: Went down on Spring Creek to see Jo. Gordon and back to Burress and stayed all night
- Wednesday, April 26: Left Burress for Gainesville again, from there back to McCamells again
- Thursday, April 27: Afternoon warm, in evening thundered and lightened and rained hard
- Friday, April 28: Laid around and done nothing at Camells
- Saturday, April 29: Helped Camell plant cotton; it thundered and lightened in the night
- Sunday, April 30: At Camells, fine day
- Monday, May 1: Charley went to Gainesville. Warm and pleasant in the forenoon, a norther come up in the evening and cold at night. Ate fruit cake.
- Tuesday, May 2: Clear and cold in the morning and still at Camells. cold night.
- Wednesday, May 3: Still at Camells. Bot a mule off Mr. Patten and paid for the mule, saddle and bridle --$82.50 in gold.
- Thursday, May 4: Still at Camells.
- Friday, May 5: Went down toward the river, went in swimming. thundered and lightened in the night and rained.
- Saturday, May 6: Left Camells and camped at Gainesville.
- Sunday, May 7: Left Gainesville, passed through Valley View. Nooned on Spring Creek, camped on Clear Creek in Denton County.
- Monday, May 8: Left Clear Creek, passed thru Denton, the county seat of Denton County, nooned on Hickory Creek, camped on Denton Creek.
- Tuesday, May 9: Passed through Elizabethtown, nooned on Big Fossil Creek, camped on Trinity at Ft Worth
- Wednesday, May 10: Passed thru Ft Worth; went west over rough gravelly country. Met seven loads of buffalo hides and five droves of cattle. Camped on Clear Creek.
- Thursday, May 11: Started west for Weatherford the county seat of Parker County, and a rough sandy scrub oak timber, and camped one mile south of Weatherford. In Forenoon, moved on four miles and camped for the night. Charley got lost, didn't come in til dark; found a spring and watched the horses for the first time.l
- Friday, May 12: Moved on in all directions toward Grandbury, camped on some dry ...
- Saturday, May 13: Moved on across the Brazos, passed on through Grandbury, camped 5 miles south of the town in Hood County.
- Sunday, May 14: Moved on toward Stevensville in Erath County. Camped on hill 2 miles from Stevensville by a big spring.
- Monday, May 15: Moved on, passed through Stevensville. McGuire stopped to look at a stone house, some better country; camped for the night close to Dublin on a prairie.
- Tuesday, May 16: Moved on for Commanche on a rough, sandy road; camped about 3 o'clock for noon and night by a spring at the left of the road near a schoolhouse.
- Wednesday, May 17: Moved on--arrived in Commanche about 10 o'clock, camped on Indian Creek for the day and looked about town.
- Thursday, May 18: Stayed in camp; looked around town; shod mule, etc., in Commanche.
- Friday, May 19: Left Commanche and started south; nooned on a hill just after crossing a creek; traveled over a very good country, the Leon River at noon. Moved on and camped for the night in a little grove on the hill from old man Tatums. Gold excitement by an old woman.
- Saturday, May 20: Staid in camp and looked around; went up to Roberts and looked at his place. Went down to Double Days place. A poor country, rock, gravelly country.
- Sunday, May 21: Left camp--pushed forward for Lampasas. Went to Little Cow House (Creek) and nooned. Found some good looking country. Staied all night on Little Cow House. Went over to Hamilton, the county seat; got caught in a thunder storm. Wend blew hard and rained like Hell.
- Monday, May 22: Still in camp. Looked up the Big Cow House.
- Tuesday, May 23: Still in camp, prairie south of camp and east. Rained and broke us up.
- Wednesday, May 24: Still in camp. Looked at a prairie north of camp and went to town.
- Thursday, May 25: Left Little Cow House and started south. Camped in a little valley in Coryell County, by a new stone house. Passed on Big Cow House, passed old Langford Store. A pretty valley.
- Friday, May 26: Left camp at new stone house, traveled on about 5 miles. Stopped under an oak tree for McGuire to look at a place of 350 acres of land; staid...passed on and camped on Lampasas River for the night.
- Saturday, May 27: Left Lampasas Creek, traveled over a rough, rugged road and camped on the east side of Sulphur Springs.
- Sunday, May 28: Started on and traveled on the road to Austin to Gabriel Creek, and camped on east bank. Rained all night and got wet. A store there.
- Monday, May 29: Still raining and in camp. Rained up til noon. Hot sun in afternoon, staied all night in same camp on middle fork of Gabriel River. ...on the west side of River.
- Tuesday, May 30: Left the river, passed on and nooned by a pond of water, some pretty good country. After dinner passed on through better land and stopped at Liberty Hill. Staid all night at W.O. Spencers.
- Wednesday, May 31: Left Spencers and went to the woods to camp. McGuire and myself went to Austin. Arrived in Austin about midnight.
- Thursday, June 1: Still in Austin, found Mart and Hank, took dinner with the boys, and staid at Kruge.
- Friday, June 2: Still in Austin looking around. (Sold check)
- Saturday, June 3: In Austin. At 7:30 start on the stage for Liberty Hill. Wrote a letter to wife for an answer. Hot riding in the stage.
- Sunday, June 4: At Liberty Hill, cold morning, but pleasant day.
- Monday, June 5th: At Liberty Hill. Left there and camped on our old camp ground on Gabriel.
- Tuesday, June 6th: Started off south of camp to look for land. Brot up on the creek below us.
- Wednesday, June 7th: Moved camp, went up creek in forenoon. Afternoon went up North Gabriel; staid all night at old man Harrisons and Al Boyce.
- Thursday, June 8th: Left Boyces and traveled south, looking for land and brot up camp on Russel Gabriel.
- Friday, June 9th: Moved camp, went up on North Gabriel; camped under an oak tree.
- Saturday, June 10th: Still in camp, nothing done. Mc trying to buy Boys and Harris.
- Sunday, June 11th: Still in camp; rained all night.
- Monday, June 12th: Mc bought out Harris and boys and moved camp in the house.
- Tuesday, June 13: Went to Burnet, the county seat of Burnet County.
- Wednesday, June 14: Helped Charley draw in oats.
- Thursday, June 15: Finished stocking and Charley commenced on millett.
- Friday, June 16: Sick in bed; pretty blue.
- Saturday, June 17: Still in bed, feeling pretty bad.
- Sunday, June 18: Still around, thundered and lightened and rained hard. Received some papers from Alma.
- Monday, June 19: Still feeling bad.
- Tuesday, June 20: Some better,, shelled a bushel of corn, went to store, bought some tea, eggs, ink and pen holder.
- Wednesday, June 21: Mc went to Austin; I sat around the house.
- Thursday, June 22: Around as usual; nothing done. Sent Tom a letter.
- Friday, June 23: Rode around a little.
- Saturday, June 24: Went to mill with corn.
- Sunday, June 25: As usual, laying around the house.
- Monday, June 26: Looked at some yearlings of Covingtons.
- Tuesday, June 27: Went over to McDonals, bargained for
his place.
- Saturday, July 8th: Helped Mc thresh
- Sunday, July 9th: Went to Church
- Monday, July 10: Stacked straw
- December 3rd, 1876 - Left McGuires and went into my own house on Pool Branch.
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