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How Did The Devil's Highway Kill

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The Devil’s Highway: Designed to Kill When the Wellton 26 began their journey on the Devil’s Highway, they had no way of knowing that half of them would not make it to the other side. They were told they would walk through the desert for a day and then they would be on their way to their own version of the American Dream. But no outcome other than suffering and death should have been expected, since they were being led into one of the deadliest parts of North America, with almost nothing to help them survive. Like many before them, they were doomed to die. The Devil’s Highway is a ruthless death trap. The first recorded death to take place along the Devil’s Highway occurred on January 18, 1541 (Urrea 5). Countless deaths happened before this, and just as many have happened after. It does not matter whether those who stumble through this desert are natives or explorers, US citizens or undocumented migrants; the Devil’s Highway can and will kill anyone. During the California Gold Rush, many hoped that the Devil’s Highway would bring them to the promise of gold and riches sooner, but this wasn’t the case for everyone. It was estimated in 1860 that more than two-thousand people had died near one of the few water sources in this area (Cahill 1). While the trail later fell out of use due to the invention of the …show more content…

The Cabeza Prieta Wilderness is an unforgiving and unwelcoming entrance for these migrants and others like them into the United States. If men are willing to risk their lives crossing through this harsh area, it shows how determined they are to make it to the other side. The Devil’s Highway is designed to kill, with its poisonous animals, vicious plants, and relentless, burning heat. Like all of the migrants who died before them, and have died, the 14 victims of the Wellton 26 have become mere names on the list of deceased along the hellish Devil’s

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