Transcript

In the spring of 1851 about twelve of the Scotch families, including ours, decided to move on toward Utah. Their outfits were secured in Saint Louis. Each family had two yoke of oxen and two cows. I well remember the names of our oxen and cows. One team of oxen were jet-black named Buck and Luke, the other yoke or team were red named Tom and Dine. The cows names were Pidie, a high strung, spotted red and white cow. The other, Flecky, a brindle cow as gentle as a lamb. One man had two span of horses, the only horses in the company.

After leaving St. Louis we traveled onward until we came to Council Bluffs where we were joined by others and organized into a large company.

On our way up to this point, going through timber and over rough and muddy roads my father broke his wagon tongue. While we stopped to make another tongue the company with the exception of Brother Stoddard went on into camp. While we were waiting for father to find a suitable piece for a tongue I sat in the wagon with Robert and Tena my Sister. I was fooling with an old Youger gun. It was loaded and accidently went off. The bullet passed through a feather bed we had, through the hind end of our wagon and just glazed Brother Stoddard's head. He was standing near his own wagon. He at once came to see what was wrong. He found the wagon full of smoke and feathers and David frightened nearly to death. After the wagon tongue was repaired we drove on to camp and joined the company. Upon arriving at the Missouri River we met immigrants who had come from different parts of the country and we were here organized into a larger company. But in traveling in this large company we were hindered considerably. Some of the men had never driven oxen before, others had only little experience and their troubles would hinder the whole train. Therefore, after a few days of travel with the train, our Company from St. Louis broke with the main company and traveled on ahead of them to Salt Lake. We were called the Independent Scotch Company.

The only horses we had in our company were stolen by the Indians a few days after we left the main company. We all threw in to help the family along and we all arrived safely in Salt Lake two weeks ahead of the big company of 1851.