Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Here is an excerpt from an article in the Fall 1989 Ride and Tie Journal.

Edward F. Beale (1822-1893), founder of the Tejon Ranch in Frazier Park, 
was probably the greatest endurance rider in American history. As a 
lieutenant in the United States Navy, he was the courier for messages 
between the west coast and Washington D.C. From 1847 to 1859 he crossed 
the U.S. continent 13 times on horseback!
He brought the first gold ore samples from the 1849 strike to 
Washington, D.C. beating Kit Carson by two months!
He created the Tejon Ranch by combining four Spanish land Grants into 
what is still today one of the largest single ranches in the U.S. He was 
also know of his exploits in the American desert as Commander of the 
famous Camel experiment.
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I'll add that he created Beale's Road,  also know as the Mojave Road, a 
southern route to California from the East. This was in response to the 
Donner Party and other difficulties of the Sierra route. The Mojave Road 
needed many forts because of indian problems along that route. The route 
is still rideable from The Colorado River to Hisperia and the Duck uses 
some of it on one of his multi-days. You can still see wagon ruts in 
some of the rocks over the passes.
The Navy used a courier because it was faster than a ship around South 
America or one going to Panama, rider going overland, then another ship 
across the Gulf, etc.

Tejon Ranch was one of our sponsors at the Championship Ride and Tie 
held in Frazier Park in 1989, but they wouldn't let us use the Ranch 
then. Lucky Marge and Vern!

Steve Shaw


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