Transcript

We finally landed in New York and went by train to Nebraska, where Father met us. I remember how happy we were as it had been over a year since we had seen him. He had come from Utah to help us cross the plains. He had a covered wagon and five or six yoke of oxen. We joined the Horton D. Haight Company. there were 65 wagons altogether and we had a very hard trip. Father was not used to oxen and he had the wagons heavily loaded so that we had to walk most of the way. Sometimes, when we were very tired, we would get in the wagon to rest awhile, but the captain would come around and order everyone who could walk to get down to ease the load. My mother was ill most of the time we were crossing the plains and had to lie on a bed made in the wagon. We saw a buffalo stampede. The captain could see the dust in the distance and all were ordered to turn their wagons the other way until the buffalo herd went by. Shots were fired and one buffalo was killed. We all watched the men skin it and we had buffalo for supper that night, which was very good and a change from our regular fare.

I remember seeing the Indians burn some of the wagons in the company. Our fires were made with buffalo chips which the children gathered along the way. We had to cross many rivers and creeks and were very frightened sometimes, as there were no bridges in those early days, and many times the water was very deep. I had my ninth birthday just before we arrived in Salt Lake City.

We left England in the spring and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley just in time for October Conference, October 15, 1866.