Rowland-workman Expedition of 1841

In the narrative of 19th-century emigrant groups and migration to the American West, the Rowland-Workman expedition of 1841 has generally been relegated to a footnote, especially compared to its contemporary the Bidwell-Bartleson party, which constituted the first wagon train to make the trip “across the plains” to California from the East. Indeed, unlike Bidwell-Bartleson, the Rowland-Workman expedition did not travel from the United States but from one territory of Mexico (present-day New Mexico) to another (presentday California). Moreover, it was not the archetypal wagon train, but utilized the decidedly less glamorous pack mule. There are two principal reasons why the expedition should be better recognized than it is: First, the members included Europeans and a large contingent of New Mexicans, not solely Americans. Therefore it contained an ethnic diversity distinguishing it from Bidwell-Bartleson. Most noteworthy, though, is that the broad settlement patterns of the members had a greater economic and political impact on California.

The group consisted of some 65 persons, including a large contingent of Nuevo Mexicanos, probably genizaros (a group of mixed-blood people of mostly Indian heritage), including several women and children from the town of Abiquiu, a German Jew, a Frenchman, at least two Englishmen, and about 20 Americans. Political problems formed the primary motivation for the creation of the expedition, stemming largely from a spring 1840 proclamation by President Mirabeau Lamar of the Republic of Texas. This proclamation transparently stated his ambition to annex all of New Mexico east of the Rio Grande River and named John Rowland and William Workman members of a commission to achieve this end. While there is no evidence the two men carried out any work in this capacity and were soon replaced, the association was unquestionably damning.

Finding like-minded Americans and Europeans ready to leave New Mexico for points west, Rowland and Workman began preparations to leave by January of 1841. That summer, four travelers—Isaac Given, Wade Hampton, John McClure, and Albert Toomes—arrived [Page 570]in Santa Fe from Missouri having missed the Bidwell-Bartleson party a couple of months before. The expedition left Santa Fe in early September of 1841, but after reaching the nearby town of Abiquiu, a contingent of New Mexicans joined the group, at least doubling the party's size. The greatly expanded expedition journeyed along the 1,200-mile-long Old Spanish Trail for two months, and reached landfall at the Mission San Gabriel, 12 miles northeast of Los Angeles, on November 5. Significantly, some of these people had been part of earlier migratory patterns from the eastern United States to such “Old Wests” as Ohio, Tennessee, and Missouri, with several being part of early American fur-trapping and settlement efforts in New Mexico from the early 1820s.

When John Rowland presented a list of expedition members to the authorities in Los Angeles upon arrival, he indicated that many members of the group sought to settle in Alta California, while others wished to investigate the possibilities. In April of 1842, Rowland returned to New Mexico to bring his family to Los Angeles and several members of the previous expedition accompanied him with plans to return to their home states or other destinations. Several others from the 1841 group used the trip as a springboard to other destinations, including a return home to America, destinations in the Pacific or Asia, and, in a couple of cases, emigration to the newly emerging Oregon Territory.

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