Transcript

We landed at Castle garden, New York, on the 30 ^th day of May, and continued our road westward, partly by train and partly by Steemer, untill we reached Florence, Nebraska, which was the outfiting place for the season, where we arived in the early part of June. here we laid in camp six weeks, waiting for the church trains to arive. They had been detained on the road on account of high watter, while we were laying there incamped, provissions was isued to us by the church emigration Agent, Elder Joseph W. Young, and although some grumbled and were dissatisfied, I felt very thankful to God for his kind care over us thus far on the trip, and also to the Saints in Zion, who hath so kindly contributed of their means for the purpose of helping the poor to cross the plains. while incamped on the Florence hill, we had some of the heaviest thunder and rain storms that I have ever seen. Those who hath means enough to go with the independent company, were buying up, and geting their outfits together, and hath a great time handling their wild Steers and Oxen, which did not understand danish. I had an offer at that time to go with this company, and by doing so could have saved my fare, by driving a team, but on account of having promised to asist sister Kjer, until they got to Utah, I stayed with them.

About the 15^th of July the church trains comenced to arive, they had four yoke of Oxen on each Wagon, soon after their arival they were loaded partly with Iron and other heavy merchandice, and twelv persons to each wagon with their bagage provisions and tent, we traveled in Captain John Murdoc[k]'s company, who started from camp on the 24^th of July, I with hundreds of others walked nearly the whole distance. Old people and those who were not well, would change about riding on the wagons on top of the bagage. To me, being young and strong the trip was a pleasure, and I received here some of my first lesons in the english languich an also in the art of driving Oxen, acording to the american metad [method], from our teamster, a young man from Sanpete County. The train would camp for noon, and night, as near to watter and grass as convinient, the Wagons were draw in a kind of a circle, <on> the inside of which we peatched our tents and made our camp fires, it also served as a coral to drive the Oxen into so as to catch them. the catle and also the camp was guarded every night, we saw quite a number of Indians, but hath no trouble with them. We arived in Salt Lake City in the latter part of September, and our hearts sweled with gratitude to God, for his kind protection over us, both on Land and Sea, until we had safely landed in that butyful City of the Saints;