Transcript

Transcript for "91-Year-Old Pioneer is Ephraim's Oldest Resident," Deseret News/Church Section, 9 Mar. 1935, 8

[Soren Peter Jensen interview]

...At Omaha the family remained nine weeks when I left them and went with another company to help them with their 200 head of cattle.

After three days we reached a river called Lupez [Loup] Fork. There we had to ford across. A man named Louirtz Louritzen was carried into a whirlpool. I ran to see what could be done and found no one attempting to save him. Everyone said it was useless. I got a rope and tied it securely about my waist and giving the other end to a man on the shore I quickly jumped into the water. After a desperate struggle I succeeded in getting a hold of the man and we were both pulled to the bank.

We followed the north Platte River westward. I had to help a good deal with the oxen. Some of the people had very poor yokes and the shoulders of the animals became sore. They got so bad that we had to stop for several days. On our side of the river there was no food while on the other side there was plenty so we decided to drive the oxen across. The men tried for two hours to get them across, and then I told them to stand still so the oxen would settle into the edge of the water. After cutting a stick about three feet long, I walked slowly in among the oxen and got hold of the tail of a large bull. I drove him out into the water. When it got deep he wanted to whirl and go back but I beat him with the stick until he finally got across pulling me behind him. All the other[s] then followed him.

In crossing the Green River I saved the life of a young girl who fell out of a wagon while we were fording the river.

On arriving in Salt Lake, we were told by the Church leaders to settle in Sanpete....