Arriving at the shore of a dried riverbed composed mainly of mud, two covered wagons' worth of pioneers and their families wait behind a guide on horseback to direct them. Pointing out over the land behind the riverbed, the guide directs the group to follow him away from the mud and onto the dry ground. Cecil Smith's background as a former Idaho cowboy contributes to the authenticity of the scene and his interesting composition differentiates his print from many others of similar subjects.