Transcript

In the spring of 1847, we took up the journey west. Vennie Kelly and I took turns in driving an ox team, as the young man who started to drive it went back.

We had lots of trials but the Lord made the back equal to the burden. When the teams began to give out, they doubled up. When I did not have to drive, I rode with George Q. He said, "Now, Annie, get your books and I will teach you." I said, "Oh, I have not time; it takes me all the time I get to fix my clothes," so I missed the best opportunity I ever had. I have been very sorry I missed learning, but I had to be humble and the Lord helped me because of my humility. I had to depend on my Father in Heaven; I realized I had no schooling.

In 1847 when we were on the plains, we traveled with two fifties together side by side for fear of Indians. Brother Hunter was captain of the hundred and of one fifty, and Brother Taylor of the other fifty. Brother Hunter went to Brother Taylor's tent and said, "Brother Taylor, the wind has blown dust on our boys for two weeks and they have almost smothered. We think we ought to change." "All right, Brother Hunter", said Brother Taylor, so we changed. After Brother Hunter went, Brother Taylor laughed and said, "The wind will soon change" and it changed the same day. They had a lot of fun over it.

One night we camped by an alkali spring and Uncle Taylor lost eleven oxen which died from drinking the water. We gathered buffalo chips to burn when we could not get wood. One forenoon some antelope came near. George Q. asked me to hand him his gun which was on the bed. I did not get it quick enough, and he snatched the muzzle of the gun and drew it toward him; as he did so, the gun went off and the bullet passed between him [his] arm and his body. During the journey a great many buffalo were killed. The meat was smoked and dried so it would keep. The fat was rendered down and molded into cakes, then packed in the grain which was carried in the beds of the wagons.

The buffalo came like an avalanche. You would think the world was coming to an end, there were so many. We thought they would stampede our cattle but they turned and crossed the river. We could get any amount of them to put up dry, so we had plenty of dried buffalo beef and tallow to do us. At times we could not get wood but we got buffalo chips instead.

About September 7 we met President Young and party near South Pass on the Sweet Water, returning from Salt Lake City. A beef was killed and a feast prepared under direction of Apostle Taylor and Bishop Hunter, followed by a dance. We had a fine time. The next morning the ground was covered with snow. The people felt very bad, as they thought they would be lost in the mountains. Uncle Taylor called the camp together and told them he would insure all their lives for $5 a head. The snow was all gone by noon, and so we traveled on. When we stopped we would wash and bake and rest as far as possible. We had prayer at the call of the bugle, and were as happy as if we had been traveling in luxury.

When we got to Little Mountain (divide leading down into Emigration Canyon), men were there getting out lumber. When we got to the mouth of the canyon, the men folks stopped to eat lunch before rolling into the Salt Lake valley. While they were eating, I picked some service berries and sat down by the creek to pick them over. While sitting there, I started to bleat like a sheep. The men and boys all started to run. One said, "I'll keep it if I catch it first." When they had gone as far as I thought they could hear me, I bleated again. They ran back to their dinner and saw me. They asked, "Was that you?" I laughed. It was the law then that if anybody left anything behind, the finder could keep it.

 

SALT LAKE VALLEY

 

Uncle Taylor rented a room of the old fort from some of the Mormon Battalion boys who got to the valley ahead of some of the pioneers. They build some houses in the pioneer fort and rented them to some of the folks that came later. We got into the fort on October 6, 1847.