Transcript

15th [June] At night Elder Bolton arrived with the last company <300> Saints[.] Next day we moved them up to camp[.] We fited the company and Started on the first of June [July] 1. Elder Haight organised the Company[.] I was chosen President[,] C E. Bolton Chaplan[,] John Weston captain of 50 and Brothers Newton[,] Wearham [Wareham,] Lamb[,] Jones and Wm. Fife capt of 10. Next day we had a severe rainstorm[.] broke one waggon tongue[.] Our cattle were principally raw & our teamsters entirely so[.] they were right from the factories in England & many of them had never seen an ox team[.] On Fox River two families apostatized & left the company[.] At Indian Town we had to Ferry the nishnebotna [Nishnabotna] I had the missfortune to get my waggon into the river & got my goods all wet however the most of them took no harm but were all right after drying

I reached Kanesville on the 14th of July here I met with brother Haight[,] [Appleton M.] Harman & Levi Richards brother Harmans company were at the Ferry We riged up & crossed the River on the 20 & 21st of July

On the 22nd set out from the Mo [Missouri] River

23 crossed the Elkhorn at the Loup fork[.] we overtook Brother Harman On the Loup[.] Br Haight[,] Levi Stewart & Br Dunyon passed us. on their way to the mountains we also met a company of Elders from S[alt] Lake going on Missions[.] P C Merrill was their captain[.] They had a block of marble for the Washington Monument from Utah[.] There had a great amount of rain fallen on the plains and the roads were very muddy[.] at Wood River we were water bound three days. The [there] had been a bridge but it was washed away. Suitable timber for bridgeing could not be got[.] While here brother Jackson Stewart came up with his train of 19 waggons of Merchantise[.] Brother Harman crossed just before the water covered the bridge[.] he hauled up some timber on the opposite side for us & moved on[.] We scarcely knew what to do[.] many plans were proposed[.] the Stream was deep & narrow but no timber on it long enough to reach across[.] There was a large Elm standing on the bank near the camp[.] We concluded to fall it into the river[,] it had very large branches[,] it scarcely reached across the channel it hung on the stump & appeared to be verry solid[.] We concluded to build a bridge on it[.] We chained one end & tied the other with a large rope to prevent it from floating around[.] We worked hard all day & got a fabric of ash logs & poles & 1 by making abutments on the Elm in the middle of the River[.] We did not work after any order of architect that I had ever seen but on an entire new plan[.] We made a track wide enough for a waggon by puting them timbers lengthways across the stream putting them side by side as close as we could place them until we got it about 8 feet wide while some were doing this others were giting brush willows & to cover it at this stage of the work night came on our timbers lying on the surface of the water

After dark it commenced & raining on the head of the stream[.] I was much concerned about my bridge so that I could not sleep. By the time it was light next morning I had all hands up & at the bridge the water had fallen about one foot[.] We went to work & put the brush on crossways on the timbers a thick covering we then run a light waggon over by hand it answered well by this time[.] I had two teams on the opposite side to draw the waggons away and by ten A.M., we had both companies over safe without the least accident

We still had rain & mud & Mosquitoes out of number They were so bad that we could not sleep for them some nights They tormented us until we got to Larime [Laramie.] We met the Pawnees near Ft Kearney this demanded a large present in the shape of flour[,] sugar & coffee & we gave them some but were verry sorry They said the folks at the Fort told them to do so to the Mormons

At the Mouth of Wolf Creek Brother Richard F Jones was drowned in the Platt[e] while bathing[,] he was my teamster[.] At Larime I got a letter from home all well[.] At the Labontee [La Bonet] I buried an old Sister [Ann] Roberts[.] She died of heart dropsy At Green River I buried her husband died of Diarrhae [diarrhea.] .At Bear River I buried a brother [Edward] Ogdon [Ogden.] he was blind had the chills & fever & diarrhae[.] At Ft Bridger I found Captain James Cummings with 20 men in possession of the Fort[.] They came out there in the summer to arrest Bridger for treason[.] affidavits having been that he had sold or furnished hostile Indians amunition & he made his escape & some of the possee were still there[.] They left for home when we passed being the last of the emigration for the season. Brother Harman & myself joined our companies together near Independence Rock & traveled together the remainder of the journey

The Indians were hostile at this time[.] We lost a number of cattle the feed being very scarce[.] We reached G S L City on the 17th of October & camped on Union Square where we dismissed the companies & sent off the teams[.] They gave us three hearty cheers in token of their will[.] Though we started late from the Mo [Missouri] river we got through without having one partical of snow nor rain in the mountains