This falls under a point to ponder. What if Peter Lassen had not died in the 1859  expedition at the Black Rock Desert, who he had eventually moved on from the Honey Lake Valley?

Consider his track record, and it is rather remarkable considering the time frame, that his travels are well documented. At the age of 29, he left his native Denmark to Boston, Massachusetts. It should be noted  that he was a blacksmith by trade, that served him well. (A blacksmith then, translated today its difficult, because of many aspects of the trade to make tools and one component equally important then make horseshoes). He arrived in Boston soon proceeded to Philadelphia. Shortly, thereafter he took a major leap to Knutesville, Missouri. In 1839, he joined a small group going to Oregon. They arrived in the fall. In 1840, he border a ship arriving in California at Bodega Bay. He bounced around a bit and on expedition he came across the confluence of Deer Creek and the Sacramento River. He liked what he saw and obtained Mexican citizenship, thus allowing him to own property. He applied and was subsequently granted five Spanish leagues (22,000 acres) at Deer Creek. In 1845, his outpost became the northernmost settlement in California,

Lassen ‘s good times were about to end. Due to bad business decisions in five years time he lost everything and in 1851 he made his home in Indian Valley. Like so many others he caught “gold fever.” In 1855, he discovered gold in the Honey Lake Valley and moved there. In 1858, word circulated about a lost silver discovery in the Black Rock Desert, east of Honey Lake Valley. In the spring of 1859, Lassen organized a prospecting party for the Black Rock, and as we know there he met his fateful death.

As I began this piece, of the what if Lassen had not met his death at the Black Rock would have he remained in the Honey Lake Valley or moved on as he had done in the past?

Tim