During the summer of 1859, an estimated 30,000 to 60,000 emigrants flooded into the Rocky Mountains in search of gold and the majority of the “Fifty-Niners” or “Pikes Peakers” traveled through the Fort Morgan area. Frank Root, a messenger for the Overland Stage described the route during the early 1860s when the Pikes Peak Gold Rush was in full swing:The writer counted, from his seat on the stage-coach, along the Platte, between Fort Kearney and old Julesburg, in one day, during the civil war, nearly 900 wagons – to be exact, 888 – destined westward on the great overland route. These wagons were drawn by no less than 10,650 animals – cattle, horses, and mules.
