Mile Marker 77: On The Road Part 1

In this episode, we are breaking away from our normal format & bringing you some of the things we find while out on the road that do not fill what a normal episode may. In this episode we touch on a buried leg, camels & the end of a trail. Let us know what you think.

Transcript

On the road Part 1

Uplifting rock/western tune plays for 15 seconds, music begins to taper down then:

(Drifter) Welcome to the Rebel At Large Adventure Podcast. I’m Drifter

(Gypsie) And I’m  Gypsie

(Drifter) Talking about Ghost towns,

(Gypsie) Graveyards,

(Drifter) Outlaws, Heroes

(Gypsie) And Ladies of the night.

Music tapers to an end

(Drifter) Howdy folks, Thanks for joining us for yet another episode. I usually say adventure, however, Today we’re breaking away slightly from our normal format. (Gypsie) While on the road we come across some fun and interesting things but there isn’t enough about them to do a full episode. Today we are going to share with you some of the fun, interesting, and exciting things we have found while out exploring. (Drifter) Historically, we have saved these sorts of stories more for Patreon. At the moment, we are using Patreon more as a listener support channel. We have a variety of offerings on Patreon however we’re waiting for feedback into which direction to focus our efforts in that regard. In the long run, we think we’ll be doing more of these episodes. (Gypsie) Our goal is to be on the road as much as absolutely possible, eventually pretty much full time. If you’d like to help get us there faster, there’s a link to our Patreon in the show notes. Anyhow, the more time we spend on the road, the more of these side notes we come across, thus we think more and more of this style of episode will begin to emerge. (Drifter) We’d be interested in hearing some of your feedback.

(Gypsie) The first one we are going to share with you is the Hi-Jolly monument. On our way to get married we made a stop in Quartzsite Arizona. (Drifter) Qurartzsite is not near anything really, its about the halfway mark between Tonopah and Yuma and is the last thing you’ll see on I-10 heading west from Phoenix before entering into California. (Gypsie) Inside the city cemetery called Hi Jolly Cemetery you will find a pyramid shaped tomb for Philip Tedro. Philip was born in Syria sometime in 1828. At some point in his life he converted to Islam, moved to Mecca, and changed his name to Hadji Ali. In 1856, Jefferson Davis, who at this time was the secretary of war had a rather unique idea. He wanted to bring camels to the United States and have the military use them to transport men and supplies across the west desert. 

(Drifter) Gwinn Harris Heap was sent to Smyrna to purchase 33 camels. Hadji was one of the 8 men that went with Mr. Heap into the desert and got the camels. Once they had the camels they were loaded onto a supply ship and sent to texas. The following year the army came back for more camels. This time Hadji was hired as a full time trainer and came to the United States with the 41 camels. During this time the military was stationed at Camp Verde just west of San Antonio. Hadji was introduced to everyone at the camp but they were all having a difficult time saying his name. They soon began calling him Hi Jolley and the name stuck. 

(Gypsie) His first trip with the unofficial US Army’s camel corp started in Mexico Territory in Fort Defiance. Jolly along with troops and 25 camels hauling supplies headed towards the Colorado River. The men were working with Lieutenant Edward Beale to create the Beale’s road. This road became very famous and was used by travelers for years. 

(Drifter) The army even tried to use the camels as express messengers. Hi Jolly was the first one to give it a try and he could be seen riding the camels hard and fast like a pony express rider. Though they had some success with this, the army ended it after a few runs. By 1861 the Camel experiment was called to an end. The army wanted nothing to do with the camels so Hi Jolly was able to take a small herd of them. He then began using them to start a private freight service. This only lasted a few years before Hi Jolly let the camels go in the Arizona desert. 

(Gypsie) In 1880 Hi Jolly got married to Getrudis (Gertrude) Sernas in Tucson. That same year he also became a legal US Citizen. He then took on his birth name of Philip Tedro. The two of them had two little girls, Amelia and Minnie. In 1885 Philip left his family to work for Brigadier General George Crook in the fight against Geronimo. 

(Drifter) After that, Philip spent time prospecting in the Arizona area but he never struck it rich. In 1891 Philip and Gertrude welcomed another baby , this time a son named Fernando Serna Tedro. Some time after the birth, Philip left the family again to go back into the mountains. By 1898 his health was declining and he tried to go back to his wife and children who were now living in Tucson. Gertrude wanted nothing to do with him. 

(Gypsie) Philip went to live his remaining years in Quartzsite. On or around December 16, 1902 Hi Jolly passed away. A small funeral was held for him and his friends placed a wooden grave marker noting his final resting place. His friends felt like this was not enough for him. Over the next few weeks after his passing they built him a pyramid tomb of petrified wood and quartz. In 1935 the Arizona Highway Department added a bronze plaque to his tomb which reads, 

(Drifter) The last camp of Hi Jolly Born somewhere in Syria about 1828 Died at Quartzsite December 16, 1902 Came to this country February 10, 1856 cameldriver, packer, scout, over thirty years a faithful aid to the U.S. Government Arizona Highway Department 1935. (Gypsie) They then added a metal camel on the top with the ashes of Topsy, the last of the camels he helped take care of. 

(Gypsie) In Death Hi Jolly became somewhat of a celebrity. In 1962 The new Christy Minstrels wrote a song about him called Hi Jolly. He was showcased in several Hollywood movies like Southwest Passage and Hawmps. He was even on television in the Death Valley Days as well as Maverick. 

(Drifter) His monument is in what is now known as the city cemetery where you can walk around and see the resting spot of many locals that helped make the town what it is. There you can also find the resting place of George Washington Connor who we will talk more about another time.  

(Gypsie) Our next fun stop takes us to a small little town in Idaho called Samaria. (Drifter) Samaria is just over the Utah/Idaho border. I think to get there you need to take the frontage road exit in Woodruff then head North or take the Malad exit then head south on the frontage road. (Gypsie) Inside the city cemetery we found a rather unique story and a man that we felt had quite the sense of humor. Ben Waldron was born on August 18, 1853 in Salt Lake City Utah to Benjamin and Emeline. Ben’s father left his family in 1866 to go marry a widow. At that time he had 4 small children. Emeline and the children moved to Malad the next year to live with friends. As Ben grew up he knew he wanted to go to college to learn more about the mercantile business. 

(Drifter) When Ben was 25 years old he got a job working in the hay fields. Unfortunately for Ben his pant leg got caught in the threshing machine, and it cut his leg up pretty badly. His fellow workmen were able to stop the machine and load him into a wagon. He was rushed 50 miles away to Logan as fast as the horses could get him there, thats over an hour away by car. For quite some time Ben lay in the hospital and doctors were unsure if he would even live due to the amount of blood he had lost. 

(Gypsie) It was eventually decided that the doctors would not be able to save his leg and if Ben wanted to live they would have to remove it. After the surgery Ben had an odd request, he asked if he could keep the leg. And this is when we get to the point that we think Ben had a sense of humor. When he got back home he had his leg placed in the Samaria Cemetery. He then had a headstone placed marking the resting spot. The headstone has a carving of a leg cut off at the thigh and it reads B.W. October 30, 1878. 

(Drifter) Some stories say that for weeks Ben was in agonizing pain, and was complaining that the amputated leg was twisted. Eventually his leg was exhumed and it was discovered that indeed the leg was twisted. Once it was placed back in there properly he felt much better. Ben eventually did save up enough money to go to school and he enrolled in Brigham Young College in Logan, Utah. 

(Gypsie) After school he returned to Samaria where he opened his first mercantile store. It was a small log building but it was enough space for him at first. Eventually Ben partnered up with William E. Hawkins and they organized the Samaria Co-op. 

(Drifter) In 1888 he had a two story red brick store built. He then started bringing supplies in from Corinne. Eventually Ben built a hotel across the street from his store, he added a feed store, and a livery stable in the back. But Ben did not stop there, he built a butcher shop, ice house, and a barber shop. Ben had the market made, he was the only mercantile store in town, but Ben had a big heart and cared about the people in his town. He would give anyone that needed anything credit with the hope that he would eventually get paid back. 

(Gypsie) Ben was a busy man running all his businesses that he didn’t have time to date or find himself a wife. In the early summer of 1908, 54 year old Ben headed down south to Salt Lake City for a business trip. When he returned back to Samaria he had a surprise for everyone. He had gotten married to 36 year old Achia Elizabeth Cheney on June 7th. Achia, who went by Axie, took over the management of the hotel so Ben could focus his energy on everything else. 

(Drifter) A few years into their marriage, the couple adopted a little boy  named Levi. A little while after that they adopted another child this time a girl and her name was Evalyn. On April 13, 1914 while working at the hotel Ben unexpectedly passed away. His funeral was the largest ever held in Samaria, everyone in town came to pay their respects to the man that was always there for them in a time of need. When Ben passed away he was near penniless as he had given so many people in town credit that they never paid on. 

(Gypsie) Ben was laid to rest in the same cemetery that his leg was placed in. When we went to find Ben we thought that maybe he would be by his leg. We quickly and easily found his leg marker and then started looking for his other marker. After walking around the entire section we could not find him. We figured we would get in the car and drive around to see if we could see it in another section. Ben was laid to rest in the west end section of the cemetery and his leg is on the east end section. 

(Drifter) The next spot we want to share with you is in Oregon. In Seaside, Oregon, if you walk towards the ocean on Broadway, you get to the end of the road and you will find a roundabout with a statue in the middle. The statue is a larger than life depiction of Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. The two men are on a large pedestal looking west towards the ocean with their faithful dog at their feet. This spot marks the end of their long trip and as such, the end of the Lewis and Clark Trail.

(Gypsie) On May 14, 1804, Clark and the Corps Of Discovery, consisting of 45 men met with Lewis in St. Charles Missouri. They had 27 unmarried soldiers who were trained at Camp DuBois in survival skills as well as fighting. They also had a French-Indian interpreter, a contracted boat crew, and Clark brought along with him his slave named York. Only one person from the group did not survive the journey. On August 20, 1804 Sergeant Charles Floyed passed away. He was buried next to a river and the men named the river after him. 

(Drifter) The team traveled up the Missouri River from St. Charles. From there they followed the Missouri River through Missouri and the areas of Kansas, nebraska up to North Dakota before making a solid westward turn. These men crossed paths with dozens of Native American tribes. Some of them were very kind and helpful and if it were not for their help with food and shelter the group might not have made it. Other tribes were not as kind; they threatened to kill them if they did not give them gifts. 

(Gypsie) Lewis and Clark had a plan in place when they would meet a new tribe. They would trade goods with them and then present the chief with a Jefferson Indian Peace Medal. The coin had an engraving of Thomas Jefferson on one side and an engraving of two hands clasped beneath a tomahawk and a peace pipe, the inscription “Peace and Friendship” was on the other side. They would then inform them that America owned their land and offered them military protection if they were peaceful. 

(Drifter) By winter that year the group had made it to North Dakota. Here they built Fort Mandan to camp out for the winter. The building was triangular shaped with a 16 foot tall fence surrounding it. The group spent the down time making canoes, ropes, leather clothes as well as moccasins. They hunted and foraged the area for food. 

(Gypsie) Here they made connections with the Mandan tribe and went to several council meets with the chiefs. It was during this time the men were introduced to Toussaint Charbonneau and his pregnant wife Sacagawea. Lewis and Clark hired Toussaint to be their interpreter and it was decided that his wife would go in his place. (Drifter) On February 11, 1805 Sacagawea gave birth to her son. She named him Jean Baptisite. The group of men now with a female and newborn baby set out west on April 7, 1805. They crossed through Montana and arrived at the Continental Divide by traveling the Lemhi Pass. 

(Gypsie) Funny side story about this pass. A few years back we were on the motorcycle traveling to Salmon Idaho. After exploring the area we headed to Dillon where we had a tent site reserved for us at the KOA there. Another side note, that KOA is no longer a KOA. Well when we were getting ready to leave Salmon we put the Town of Dillon in the Google maps and hit start. It kept telling us to go North then East towards Wise River where we would eventually connect to I-15. From there we had to go south to Dillon. The other option was south to Leadore then East towards I-15 and then north to Dillon. Either option was about 2 hours, it was getting late and we were tired. Drifter spotted another road that was just a little south of Salmon and then a straight shot across to Dillon. He couldn’t figure out why it would not take us that way. We figured we’d try this road and we will just figure it out ourselves. So we loaded up and headed south towards Tendoy. From there we got on a side road that started in towards the forest. The road soon turned into a dirt road but we were committed at this point. Keep in mind I am on the back of the bike with a large suitcase on the back. We slowly and carefully made our way on this dirt road and eventually got to the top of a mountain with a clearing. Drifter pulled over to rest for a bit because he was mentally and physically tired at this point. We got off the bike and started to stretch our legs. We were a quarter mile from the Sacagawea monument. Looking back at that trip we learned a few things, one we were traveling on the road that turned into the Lewis and Clark Highway and we passed the same path they passed on our own horse just like them. We also learned that when google maps tells you to take a certain path there is a reason why! 

(Drifter) Ok back to Lewis and Clark. While they were at Lemhi Pass Sacagawea was able to help them purchase horses from the Shoshone tribe. This made travel for the men much easier and quicker. From here they traveled across the Bitterroot Mountain Range. This part of the trip was the most difficult part for them. They were hungry, dehydrated and due to the harsh winter weather several of them suffered from frostbite. 

(Gypsie) After 11 days of traveling the Lolo Trail the group met a friendly tribe of Nez Perce Indians. The tribe took the men in, gave them food, and a warm place to rest so they could regain their strength. During this time they didn’t just lay around doing nothing. They got to work building canoes so they could sail down the Clearwater River to the Snake River and then on to the Columbia River. On the day of the departure the men gave the Nez Perce their horses to use.  

(Drifter) It wasn’t until November 1805 that the group made it to where they could see the Pacific Ocean. It took them two more weeks of travel to get to the ocean. The men set up camp near Astoria and got to work building Fort Clatsop. On Christmas day it was ready for them to move in and live full time there until spring came. This time was not a peaceful and restful time for them. Many of the men in the group were sick, they were infected with fleas and they had little to no food. All of the wildlife had retired farther up into the mountains to bed down for the winter making it more difficult for the men to find them. The party stayed there until March 23, 1806 but they were only halfway done with the journey. They traveled a total of over 8,000 miles reaching St. Louis on September 23, 1806. 

(Gypsie) In 1990 the bronze monument was placed for these two men. The statue was designed by Stanley Wanlass. It depicts the two men on top of a pedestal  standing on a rocky ledge looking west towards the Pacific Ocean.  Their dog is between their legs. One of them with a captain hat on and is holding a book open and taking notes. while the other is propping up a shotgun. (Drifter) Both men have on what appears to be long leather coats with fur around the edges. Around the pedestal are different pictures showing the men in different phases of traveling. Along with the words End of the Trail. 

(Gypsie) I am not sure if the monument was intentionally placed in the middle of the turn around or if that was just the best place to put it, but it is kind of iconic that it is in the middle of a place people come to turn around and go back. Captain Clark wrote of the ocean saying “Ocean in view! O! The joy!”. As you stand there looking out at the Pacific you can’t help but to think the same thing. The Ocean is beautiful yet powerful. One thing to note, if you do go see the statue around the sidewalk are lamp posts. The posts are made of cement, take a minute to look all around the post, one side of it is smooth while the other side is all beat up from the wind. 

(Drifter) Alrighty, there you have it folks. I think that will wrap us up for today. 

(Gypsie) These are just a few of the fun and interesting places we find while we are out traveling. If you guys liked this and want to hear more like this let us know. 

(Drifter) Dad Joke?

(Gypsie) What do you call a camel with no humps? Humphrey 

(Drifter) Alright, well thank you for joining us and supporting the Rebel At Large podcast. We’d appreciate the 5 star review’s, and if you’re interested in following along with us, we are most active on the Instagram (Gypsie) @rebelatlarge.  Another change we’re making is the website. (Drifter) It’ll be coming down soon however i’ll do my best to put up the photos on social media until we figure out a revamp. In the meantime, I’ve created one of the LinkTree deals that’ll take you to Patreon, the Merch Store, Email, all that stuff. I’ve updated it on the instagram and facebooks as well. (Gypsie) We’ll also have links to all that in the show notes.

 (Drifter) We’ll talk to ya here in a couple of weeks, (Gypsie) Safe Travels, (Drifter) We’ll see ya down the road.

Begin 30 seconds of the same uplifting Rock/Western tune as the introduction.