Bennett-Arcane Long Camp facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bennett-Arcane Long Camp |
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Badwater Basin, Bennett-Arcane Long Camp was left center of photo
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| Location | Badwater Basin, Death Valley |
| Official name: CamBennett-Arcane Long Camp | |
| Designated | October 24, 1949 |
| Reference no. | 444 |
The Bennett-Arcane Long Camp was a temporary camp set up in December 1849. It was used by a group of travelers known as the Death Valley '49ers. These pioneers were heading to California during the California Gold Rush. They hoped to find gold and a new life.
The camp was located in Death Valley, near Badwater Basin. This area is in Death Valley National Park in Inyo County, California. Badwater Basin is actually the lowest point in North America and the United States. It is about 282 feet (86 meters) below sea level. The journey through this harsh desert was very difficult. The challenges faced by these travelers gave the area its famous name, Death Valley.
The Death Valley '49ers were pioneers from the Eastern United States. They were traveling west to look for gold in California's Central Valley and Sierra Nevada. Their wagon train first crossed Utah and the Great Basin Desert in Nevada. However, they took a wrong turn and became trapped in Death Valley.
After a tough time, they eventually left Death Valley. They then crossed the Mojave Desert into Southern California. They still wanted to reach the California Gold Country. The group decided to use the southern desert part of the Old Spanish Trail. They had heard about the very difficult journey of another group, the Donner Party. Some people in the Bennett-Arcane party sadly died near the camp due to the extreme conditions.
One of the brave men who helped save the group was John Haney Rogers. He walked out of the valley to find help.
The Rescue Mission
John Haney Rogers and another man, William Lewis Manley, walked about 250 miles (400 km) across the Mojave Desert. They reached Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando near Los Angeles. There, they found a way out of the valley for those still trapped. Mexican villagers at Rancho San Fernando gave them food and horses. Rogers and Manley then took these supplies back to save the rest of the party. After the rescue, the group traveled to Rancho San Francisco.
The group had actually split up while in the valley. The other part of the group was called the Jayhawkers. They tried to stick to their original plan of traveling west out of the valley. Both groups were stuck in Death Valley for about a month. Luckily, a snowstorm saved both groups from dying of thirst. The two groups later met up again.
California Historical Landmark
A special marker was put up in 1965 to remember the Bennett-Arcane Long Camp. This marker is a California Historical Landmark. It was placed by the California State Park Commission, along with the City of Calexico and a group called the John P. Squibob with E Clampus Vitus.
The marker is located at the 400 Block of East 5th Street in Calexico. It is California Historical Landmark number 444.
The words on the California Historical Landmark say:
- NO. 444 BENNETT-ARCANE LONG CAMP - Near this spot the Bennett-Arcane contingent of the Death Valley '49ers, emigrants from the Middle West seeking a shortcut to California gold fields, were stranded for a month and almost perished from starvation. William Lewis Manley and John Rogers, young members of the party, made a heroic journey on foot to San Fernando and, returning with supplies, led the party to the safety of San Francisquito Rancho near Newhall.
