1859 Daniel A. Jenks Drawing: Covered Wagons Camp Pine Grove Creek, Rocky Mountains, Wyoming

An exceptional discovery, this is a Daniel A. Jenks' original 1859 pen-and-ink drawing depicting a camp in the Platte Valley, in the Rocky Mountains of modern-day Wyoming, composed on his overland journey to California. It is part of a series of drawings Jenks composed trail-side covering his Transmississippi travels from 1849 to 1865. This is the only known example of one of Jenks' individual drawings appearing on the market.

A Closer Look

The image depicts the 62nd camp on Jenks' voyage, reached on June 11, 1859. It illustrates a wooded camp set next to a lively creek with the Rocky Mountains ascending in the background. In the foreground, a tent and three Conestoga wagons greet the viewer. Pioneers, possibly including Jenks himself, cook, chop wood, work on their wagons, and hunt. The image is pen-and-ink with color added by waxed pencil or crayon. Most of Jenks' images are black and white, but many of those associated with his 1859 overland voyage feature similar color. Jenks loved life on the road, and his trail-life is evident in the comfortable comradery evident here. In his own words,

I must confess there is a romance, a wildness about it that amply repays me for the many hardships and trials one endures on such a trip. In one word, I like it. At an early hour, the fires are put out and men, women and children seek their pile of blankets, spread upon the ground in around and under the wagons, where we sleep as sound, and awake in the morning as refreshed, as though we had a bed of feathers, to lie in and a roof to cover us. I have never enjoyed as good health before.

Jenks Describes This Camp

The following is transcribed from Jenks' journals,

Camp 62: Pine Grove Creek 6/11

Drove about 5 miles, came to a small creek and watered our stock, then drove about 4 miles further to the foot of the mountains, found a small creek and stopped for dinner. This Platte Valley, lying between two lofty ranges of mountains, is perfectly destitute of timber of any sort, save on the banks of the river where we found occasionally a narrow strip of cottonwoods. The soil is very poor, being a clayey gravel, strongly alkalized and almost destitute of grass and covered with clumps of sagebrush. It is quite chilly, bluffs of sandstone running out in all directions and with but few tributary streams crossing it. About 17 miles west from the river our trail forked, and which to take we knew not. But as one bore due west and the other northwest, we took the first name, as that was nearest the course we wanted to steer.

Our Georgia teams took the northwest road, they thinking it to be the proper trail, so here we separated. After dinner we drove on the creek to near its head, crossed a low hill, came down onto another creek, followed it up a piece until we struck a grove of pines where we camped for night. During afternoon had a terrible gale accompanied with rain and hail. This camp appears to have been occupied for some time by a company of US soldiers, judging from appearances. We crossed two bridges this afternoon, probably their work also, as bridges are a scarce article in these parts. Found here good grass for our stock and plenty of wood for ourselves and we needed it too, as we are wet to the skin and it is very cold tonight. We are within about a mile of the highest point in this pass.

Here we are on a stream that finally empties itself into the Atlantic. One mile further and all the streams from that on find their way to the Pacific. This is the backbone of Uncle Sam’s domain.

Publication History and Census

This image was drawn on June 11, 1859, when Jenks and his companions were encamped at Pine Grove Creek, Wyoming. As an original pen-and-ink drawing, it is unique. We see only two works relating to Jenks having entered the market, both of which were journals containing some sketches that appeared at Christies in 2012, where they collectively fetched nearly 185,000 USD. The Library of Congress owns 22 additional Jenks sketches. We are aware of no record of another example of Jenks' drawings appearing on the private market.