Transcript

….and by rail to St. Joseph in the State of Missouri; from there we embarked on a Steamer which landed us on the west banks of the Missouri river at a place called Wyoming, where we laid in waiting about 3 weeks before the Ox trains from Utah arrived which were to take us across the dreary plains.

Instead of going with the Church teams I and four other Young men, namely my Partner and friend Peder Jensen, Niels S.[Lairitzen] Lund, Soren Thomson and Charles Rovar engaged our selves as teamsters to a man from Manti by the name of Soren Christoffersen, he also engaged Marie Cathrine Festesen the sweetheart of Charles Rovar to cook for us. Christoffersen had a stepson along with him from Manti by the name of Niels, he was a lad of about 16 or 17 years, he drowned in Green River 2 years afterwards, 1866, as he was going back to Fort Bridger after some goods and wagons left there by us in 64.

Our company thus numbered 8 souls, we had 6 wagons and 22 yok of cattle, but 5 yok were Young cows, one of the wagons was a light one and had but two Yok of cattle on it, it contained the provisions, Soren Thomsen was the teamster of this wagon.

The object we had in vue in taking upon us so tedious a job as driving cattle across the plaines was mainly; not to get in debt to the church for our passage across the plaines, as all of us were destitute of means, but were Young and strong healthy and willing to work. Besides this Christoffersen was a very good talker and understood well how to explain the matter in such a way that greenhorns, as we were, couldn't help but see that we had the best end of the bargin, and that it would be more to our advantage than to his that we drive his teames over the Desert free of charge. During the summers of 64, 65, and 66 the Indians were very hostile on the Plains and we were greatly exposed to being massacred by them being so few traveling alone and unarmed. But God preserved our lives. Soren Christoffersen was to stingey to allow us to travel along with the Church train for protection in which case he would have had to pay a small amt. to help pay the night gaurds. Many of our cattle died on the plains, and when We arrived at a place called Fort Bridg[er] when we were compelled to leave 2 wagons and their loads because of cattle having died. I enjoyed the trip across the plaines very well, enjoying good health all the way.

I remember however that I was sick in the latter part of August and first of September the 8th day of the latter month being my birthday. I remember feeling very sick and quite discouraged on that day. Nothing of any particular importance occured to us during our journey. We saw no Indians, and they did not molest us. But many [illegible] were committed on the plains that summer but some of the emigrants or Latter Day Saints were killed or molested.

We entered the Vallies of the Mountains by way of Provo canyon about the 12th or 13th of October, we proceeded reight on to Manti. The home of Soren Christoffersen arriving there on the 20th of October 1864.