Major Gorham Gates Kimball was the first to succeed in trailing a large band of sheep eastward from California to Idaho. Kimball began his journey on June 6th, 1865. He kept a diary at the request of his mother.
With 3,700 sheep in his flock, Kimball and his party of four men, accompanied by two sheep dogs and six horses, set out from Northern California. It was an arduous journey. Rocky terrain damaged their wagon and the sheep’s feet. At points along the route, Kimball struggled to find enough water for the sheep and horses. Alkali water was a problem and dozens of sheep were poisoned.
Kimball and his men encountered clouds of horseflies so thick they had to grease their horses to protect them. Swarming bees spooked the horses. One night marauding coyotes got some of the sheep. Kimball often wrote fearfully of Indian attacks and made note when he passed the graves of emigrants who had travelled the trail ahead of him.
By the time Kimball arrived in Boise City on August 16th, his sheep were too skinny for sale at the market.
Read Major Gorham Kimbell’s diary in the Sexton Family papers at UW’s American Heritage Center to learn more.