Sierra Nevada (schooner) facts for kids
The Sierra Nevada was a type of sailing ship called a schooner. It was used by the U.S. Army in California to carry important supplies. Its main job was to take goods to the mouth of the Colorado River for Fort Yuma between 1853 and 1854.
A Journey to Supply Fort Yuma
The Sierra Nevada was led by Captain Alfred H. Wilcox. On board were two businessmen, George Alonzo Johnson and his partner Benjamin M. Hartshorne. They were trying for a second time to deliver supplies to Fort Yuma by going up the Colorado River.
The Sierra Nevada began its trip from San Francisco. It made a stop in San Diego and then left there on January 25, 1852. The ship carried soldiers and many supplies. It reached the mouth of the Colorado River in February 1852.
Supplies and Flatboats
The ship carried 250 tons of supplies for Fort Yuma. This fort had recently been reopened. Also on board were two flatboats that had been taken apart. These boats were built by Domingo Marcucci in San Francisco.
Once at the river, the flatboats were put back together. The plan was to push them up the Colorado River using long poles. However, the first flatboat sank, and all its cargo was lost. The second flatboat was eventually pushed up to Fort Yuma after a lot of effort. But it carried very little, and the soldiers quickly used up what arrived.
Because of this, wagons had to be sent from the fort. They traveled overland from the river's mouth. They hauled the rest of the supplies through the marshy and wooded areas of the river delta.
A New Way to Deliver Supplies
Even though the first attempt to supply the fort by river failed, Johnson, Hartshorne, and Wilcox did not give up. They formed a company called George A. Johnson & Company.
In 1854, they returned with a new type of boat. It was a side-wheel steamboat named the General Jesup. This time, they were successful in supplying the fort. The steamboat could carry 50 tons of cargo. It made round trips from the river's mouth to the fort in only four or five days.
This new method was much cheaper. It cost $75 per ton to deliver supplies by steamboat. This was much less than the $200 per ton it cost to carry supplies overland from San Diego. The General Jesup made supplying Fort Yuma much easier and more affordable.
