Transcript

The last of March 1860 I left here [Adel County, Iowa] and went to Florance [Florence] on the Missourie [Missouri] river[,] a distance of one hundred and twenty miles[.] I staid in Florance about three weeks wating for a company[.] in the meantime I swapped one of my mules with a Mr. Smiley for a pare of eight years old oxen and the other mule with a danish man with my harness for a pare of fore years old oxen a cow and ten dollars[.] my lame cow I swapped for a small bull not two years old[.] this place is better known to many by the name of winter quarters being the place where the Mormons often stopped to winter be fore going crost the planes to Salt Lake City[.] This place is near Omaha in the State of Nebrasky [Nebraska] on the Missourie river[.] There is a creek comes in here and a saw mill on it[.] the country is mostly perarie covered with exelent grass and fine land for farming and considerably Settled consisterably rolling but with all quite a pleasant country[.] two stores here. Now I will return to Layell [La Salle?] illinois[.] the country from there to Rock Island is mostly roling perarie intersperced with streams some[.] I had to ferry some timber on the streams[.] a large proportion of the land fenced[.] some in farms and quite a large share in pasture and a good many hedges groing for fence and groves planted for timber[.] some large enough to begin to cut fence poles and wood[.] they were mostly locus[t.] after crossing the river into Iowa the land is more level but some hilly and roling on the streams all the way to the Missourie river

Florence where I stoped is a small Town on the west side of the river and has about 200 pemanint [permanent] inhabitants[.] here is one sawmill[,] one gris[t] mill[,] one harness shop[,] two blacksmith shops and two stores[.] one of them was kept by Wm Smiley[.] he kept a good assortment of outfitting goods[.] I traded with him for my supplyes to cross the plains and

Started the third of May at knoon[.] the company started in the morning and agreed to stop that nite at a small creek twelve miles from Florance[.] I came there and staid there that nite[.] he had gone past but did not stop there as agreed[.] I staid overnite and started early the next morning and passed through Freemont [Fremont,] thirteen miles[,] about eleven oclock[.] traveled five miles and stopped for dinner[.] While there a man came to me and proposed to give me a large two years old stear for my bull[.] I swaped with him and put the stear by the side of one of the oxen and drove eight miles and camped for the nite [.] after driving 26 miles we had a good rain this nite but our wagon cover kept us dry[.] this days travel was through as fine and level country as I ever traveled through[.] mostly perarie but intersperced with timber and many good farms[.] in the morning it stopped raining and we started as soon as we could in hopes to over take the company and traveled ten miles and stopped for dinner[.] when dinner was over we yoked our team[,] which was two pair of oxen and a cow and stear yoked to gather[.] we started and drove one mile and turned up Loup fork[,] one of the tribitaries of Flat [Platte] River[.] we traveled up this fork eleven miles and camped on a small creek[.] traveled 21 miles[.] the musketoes were so thick here it seemed one could cut them with a knife[.] But we maneged to not be eat all up by them by smoking them out of the wagon and fastening the cover so tite they could not get in[.] where we were the country this day like yesterday is level and handsum with some good farms[.]

May 6 started early in the morning drove 5 miles to the ferry and found Capt  Wallens [Warren Walling] Company crossed the nite before[.] we crossed and traveled 5 miles to Flat [Platte] river and camped for dinner[.] dinner being over we yoked our teams and drove up the river 10 miles and camped for the nite[.] I found Capt Wallen to be about two hours forward of us[.] we had traveled 20 miles[.] The country as before was handsom some very good timber no farms one male [mail] station[.]

left early in the morning and traveled up the river twelve miles[.] found Capt Wallens Company camped for dinner and camped with them[.] a[fter] dinner we traveled up the river 8 miles and camped[.] we traveled 20 miles on the river flat this day. timber in some places here[.] a Mr. Kinkade and company of fore [four] wagons overtook us and came into the company with us[.]  we began to see rabits[,] antelope and buffalow quite plenty[.] our Company killed some rabbits and antelope but no buffalow[.] we traveled slow and kept the river to Ft Kerneys [Kearny.] the bottom land on the river is handsome but we could see the hills to the rite and left[.] there was nothing transpired on the way to Kerney except the crossing of one creek[,] they called it Sandy[.] the bottom was so filled with quick sand that several of the teams had to have help through[.] my team pulled through by my getting in the water[.] we stopped here about fore [four] hours[.] some of the men crossed the river to the town to get some groceries[.] we started up the river on the north side[.] from this on I cannot give the date of the days or the Distance traveled in the day But can give many incidence that toock place on the way[.] we traveled on the river bottom that day and part of the next then left the river and went into the hills then we began to see large rocks forward of us that resembled large houses at a distance[.] the third day we saw of[f] to the south about thirty miles a rock called the Courthouse rock [Court House Rock.] it looked like a large house but with the help of a large spy glass you could see shubery growing on it[.]

the next day we passed chimney rock it was about fifteen miles from us[.] it looked very much like a chimney that the house was burned down around it[.] By the hel[p] of a spy glass it looked to be about 40 feet from the ground to the sholder and about sixty feet from the sholder to the top[.] we could see it near the [w]hole day while we traveled[.] it was a splendid sight for a naturelist to studdy[.]

upon the next nite after we [-] the chimney rock we came to the river and camped on the river and swum our stock over for feed[.] t[h]ere was two ranch men who kept cattle to trade with trains for worn out cattle[.] one of the traders had a partner that lived one mile from there over the river[.] he invited me to go over with him[.] I went over[.] after I had gone the captain came to my wife and told her the trader had got me over there to kill me and I would never come back and tryet to make her think I was well used by the man and saw a handsome country of land on that side of the river but on the side we were on the land was rather rough[.] I came back about five that evening[.] Captain Walen [Walling] came to me and said he was a going to stay the next day and wanted I should swap an ox that was worn out[,] and that belonged to a Danish man[,] with the ranch men for a fresh ox[.] I told him I would try[.] I went to see one of them in the morning[,] spent a conciderable time in looking at his stock[.] But could trade with him[.] after dinner I called uppon the other and went to see his stock and suckseeded by lending the Dane a sack of flower to pay the boot and we were to exchange in the morning[.] the cattle were got over and yoke up[.] the man found his ox and Captain Wallen was in such a herry [hurry] he could not wite [wait] for the oxen to be exchanged[.] Bit [but] started I had made the bargin and the captain knew I had honor enough to see it closed and the man could not speek english[.] I had to talk through the interpetation of one of his dauthters [daughters], there fore it took some time to make the exchange and to get under way[.] by that time the company had got quite a wase the start[.] We hurried to overtake them[.] they drove about ten miles and stopped for dinner[.] when they were redy to start we came up[,] they started we had notime to feed[.] drove on untill the ox I had traded for gave out before we got to camp[.] the captain said he was an ox that had given out and had not had time to get over it[.] I told him let him have time to feed he would goe through[.] that ox stoo it to go througt as well as any ox in the train and good for a long time after[.]

we kept camp and cattle gard both[.] I was on the cattle gard[.] the country was mountains and vallies and mostly covered with wild sage[.] there was not anything wo[r]th note for a long distance[,] except meeting Sixty indian waryears [warriors] in full uniform and one nite our cattle stampieded but the herders succeeded in stopping them[,] untill we came to Sweet water [Sweetwater] at Independance rock [Independence Rock.] here we stopped for noon[.] there were a multitude of names cut in the rock[.] we red many[.] after dinner we crrossed the Sweet water and traveled up the stream about one mile[.] we passed what is called the Devils gate[,] it is the pasage of the river through a ledge of rocks some sixty or eighty feet high[,] not more than 20 feet on the bottom and 12 or 15 feet on the top[.] we traveled up a short distance and camped for the nite[.] we kept near the river a long wayes finding good camping for our stock[.] then left Sweetwater and passed paciphic [Pacific] Springs and camped there for the nite[.]

the next morning we traveled on our way[,] we drove off from the road near one mile to camp for dinner then drove in the afternoon[.] we drove to a creek about 20 miles and camped for the nite on good grass[.]

in the morning we resumed our journey and drove to within 8 miles of Green river and camped on a creek cold Sandy[.] here Captain Wallen came to me and said he wanted I should go on the cattle gard[.] I told him I told him I was on the camp gard[.] he said he knew I had ben but he was a going to put me on the cattle gard[.] I told him I was not able to travel after the cattle that nite on account of my leg being lame[.] he asked me if I could not get some one to take my place and for me to take theirs in their turn[.] I told him I did not know of any one[.] he said he could and let me take his turn[.] I said nothing I had herd about the change[.] the cause was one of the cattle herders wanted to change and they had it fixed before hand[.] he complained of loosing again out of his wagon the last nite that I was on the camp watch[,] But he found it in the bottom of his wagon[.] they fixed this plan to make the change[.] I herd of it and determined not to be duped by them and thought the easiest way the best[.]

the next morning I got up as soon as lite[.] woke to get breakfirst and went and got my team up[.] by that time breakfirst was readdy[.] I [-] some freight for two men[.] I told them I wanted them to take their freight for I was going a head[.]  They told the captain[,] he came and wanted I should stay with the train and said if I went on and if the Indians saw me alone they would be sure to kill us all and I would be their murderer[.] I told him I was not any afraid of the Indians and I was going on and drove to Green river and crossed and drove two miles and camped for dinner[.] here was where Lot Smith with his Mormon Rangers burned a Government train[.] the irons are now here[.] after dinner I drove 18 miles and camped on Blacks fork[.] here I swaped a stear for a cow[.] started early and drove 5 miles to Hams fork and camped for breakfast[.] while eating[,] the stage station keeper[,] Mr. David Lewis[,] came to the wagon[.] after talking a while he proposed to hire me to cut hay for him[.] the hay was about 6 miles from there[.] I went to look at the hay in the afternoon[.] I came back about 7[.] in the evening the company came and camped for the nite[.] the captain came and tryed to make my wife believe I would be killed and never come back[.] the next morning I drove to the hay ready to comence cutting[.] the next morning  I commenced and cut and put up about one ton[.] then I had to go to the station[.] while I was gone two Indians that was herding cattle for Mr Demsey came past near the wagon[.] my wife scart and thought Mr Wallen had told correct and I could not prevail on her to stay any longer so I had to drive out that nite[.] I went and saw Mr Lewis[.] he paid me for what I had cut then wanted I should let my boy stay and work for him[.] so I left him untill I wrote for him[.]

we drove on about 2 miles for the nite near a mountain[.] there was no water there[.] the next morning we drove on near Fort Bridger and camped to Bear river and camped for the nite[.]

the next day we traveled over mountains and sage brush and camped on a small creek near the point of a small mountain for the nite[.]

the next day we came into the head of echo canion [canyon] and camped about two miles down the canion[.] this was in August and that nite the ice frose on our water bucket a half inch thick[.] in the morning we started and drove down the kenion [canyon] to the mouth and stopped for the nite close to a house a man by the name of Briggs lived in[.]

the next morning we started and drove down the weber river five miles then crossed and drove five miles further and camped for dinner[.] then yoked our team and drove five miles and camped for the nite[.]

in the morning we started and drove to the foot of Big mountain and camped for diner[.] here we found a saw mill belonging to Messrs Branch and Harmon twelve miles from Salt lake City[.] here I stopped with my famraly and Took a lode of wood to the city and found a man by the name of Snetiker and stayed over nite with him and bargened to build a house for him[.]