Frank Williams memoir, page 1

I left Kansas for Nevada on December 13, 1892 and came west over the Santa Fe, and arrived, on the morning of the 17th, at Fenner, California. At that time Fenner was the nearest railroad town for southern Nevada and it was from here that the stage ran to Ivanpah. Upon inquiry I found that the next stage would leave in three days. There was a boarding house in Fenner managed by a middle aged lady named Miss Forehand. I took my meals here and slept, with my rather scanty roll of bedding which I had brought from Kansas, in a blacksmith shop.From the meagre information which I gleaned from people in this small town, I almost concluded that it was best not to go to Nevada and that it would be better to continue through to San Bernardino, California. On the evening of that day, two prospectors, Isaak Howell and James McCormick came in from Goodpsrings, Nevada. They reported that times were pretty good in that section and Mr. Swell assured me that he had seen and talked with my uncle A. E. Thomes only a few days previous and that he was in charge of a large amount of assessment work. Further Mr. Howell stated that, from what he knew of southern California, it would be very unwise to look for employment there. Since it was my intention when leaving Kansas to go to my uncle I plucked up courage and decided to seek my fortune in Nevada. On Monday morning, December 19, I left on the stage for Ivanpah, California. The distance was 77 miles and I arrived at 11 o'clock that night. The driver was a Mexican whom I could scarcely