March 3, 1849

An army appropriation bill sponsored by one of Arkansas’s senators, Solon Borland, was approved in the U.S. Congress. The bill provided $50,000 to cover the expense of a survey for a proposed route between Fort Smith (Sebastian County) and Santa Fe and, at the same time, provide a 100-man military escort for people leaving Fort Smith and Van Buren (Crawford County) on their trek westward in search of recently discovered gold in California. Fort Smith newspapers launched an advertising campaign promoting the proposed route and offering advice on food, supplies, wagons and teams, clothing, and weapons.