March 25, 1849

Some forty citizens of Little Rock (Pulaski County) had formed a company in early January (the Little Rock and California Association), published its articles of association, and recommended this departure date from Fort Smith (Sebastian County) to search for the expected riches of California’s recently discovered gold mines. The Little Rock group was joined by about 100 people from Clarksville (Johnson County), Fayetteville (Washington County), and Van Buren (Crawford County), along with a company of Cherokee and Arkansans formed in Fort Gibson in Indian Territory and hundreds of people from neighboring states.