Quilt, 19th century

One-Patch: Half-Square Triangles

Cotton and batting

Seamstress unknown

"We lost one of our party by death in this region. They wrapped him in a quilt, dug a hole in the ground and covered it with earth."

~ Harriet Zumwalt  Smith

Born in Bolivar, Missouri, left for California on May 1st, 1849 arrived in California in October 1849

Quilts came to California by as many routes as the pioneers. By wagon, by ship around Cape Horn and by ship and steamer via the Isthmus of Panama. 

The quilts themselves were made of fabrics as varied as their means of arrival.

Upon reaching California, the materials needed to produce a quilt were not always available.

Needles, pins, thread and small scissors, were carried with them on their journey, but pieces of cloth were often traded for with new neighbors, purchased in the newly minted general merchandise stores, and even salvaged from ship wrecked trunks of other travelers.

Harriet Zumwalt, she later married Mr. Smith, came to California as a young child. Her recollection, in the History Book of the Association of Pioneer Women of California, relates some incidents of her journey to California by wagon. She notes that one man died of cholera on the way, and his wife and children went back to Missouri. Indians were always present, but not always a problem. River crossings were dangerous - horses, men and wagons were lost in the strong currents. 

The account notes that the region of the Green River (in what is now Wyoming) was particularly dangerous, and there they lost one of their party - a coffin was not to be found, so one of their precious quilts was used to provide a somewhat decent burial for the man.

Please visit us on October 13, between 1 and 5pm, for the San Francisco Archives Crawl.
One other quilt will be on view - the Cross Plains Star.