With the exception of the missionaries and the travelers between Utah and
San Bernardino, the white man had little place in the southern point of
Nevada in the early days. At hand, however, is a tale of the adventures
of Ira Hatch, who was sent into the lonely, barren desert in the hope
that something of missionary value might be done with the Indians. These
Indians, Paiutes, were described as "always ready to attack the weak and
defenseless traveler, including any opportunity to prey upon the animals
of the watchful and strong." Nevertheless missionaries from southern Utah
attempted Christianization. Whatever their degree of success, and though
often in serious danger, they made the redskins understand that,
personally, they were friendly. This missionary effort, it was hoped,
would serve to make safer the through road.
Elder Hatch, in January, 1858, was sent alone into the Muddy Valley, 100
miles from the nearest settlement, Santa Clara. He was among the savages
for two weeks, camped in a broken-down wagon left by one of the Crismons.
His main trouble was in saving food from the Indians, who descended upon
him like locusts and manifested their friendliness by stealing everything
they could carry away. Hatch held the fort, however, translating and
serving as guide for travelers, and occasionally having to threaten with
his pistol redskins who menaced him with their bows and arrows.
After a fortnight, Jacob Hamblin sent him a companion, Thales Haskell,
another noted pioneer, and together the two spent the balance of the
winter in the lonely outpost. There was an interesting diversion in the
passage of Col. Thos. L. Kane, the statesman who had done so much for
the Mormon people at the time of exodus from Nauvoo and who later served
so effectively as a mediator between Deseret and the national government.
Kane, with a party, was on his way from California to Salt Lake. He had
an idea of creating a haven of refuge for beleagured travelers in a cave
about sixty miles northeast of Overton. In this cave he had placed
bottles of medicine, which he wished the Indians to understand was good
only for white men. This refuge he called the "Travelers' Home." It had
been known as "Dr. Osborn's Cave."
A number of the Indians were gathered and a treaty was concluded. At this
meeting there developed the unusual condition that Hatch had spent so
much time with the Indians that his English was very imperfect and
broken, while Colonel Kane's language was of cultured sort, unfamiliar
and almost unintelligible to Hatch. So a third person (Amasa M. Lyman)
had to interpret between Kane and Hatch and the latter then interpreted
to the Indians, the return message going the same route back to the
Colonel. Inasmuch as the treaty had been upon the basis of certain trade
articles that were to have been furnished by the Utah Indian agent, and
were not furnished, the contract was not completed. Ammon M. Tenney, a
mere lad, spent several months in Las Vegas at that time. Hatch and
Haskell returned to their homes in Utah in March, 1858.