Transcript

In the latter part of that summer a way was opened for us to continue our journey to Utah. Ebenezer R. Youny [Young] of Salt Lake City was loadind [loading] an ox team of ten wagons with merchandise for Salt Lake and offered Father and Mother our passage across the plains for their services. Father to drive an ox team and Mother to cook for half of the men of the outfit. The offer was accepted and we were soon on our way for Utah.

Up to the time we landed in Florence, I don’t think Father had ever seen an ox team so it can be easily imagined what kind of a driver he would make, but men in those days had to adapt themselves to every kind of work. He shouldered his long ox whip, got on the left side of the team as he saw the other drivers do, “get up Buck,” and away we went to cross the Great American Desert.

After a long tedious journey of one thousand miles we reached Salt Lake City in the latter part of October.

I well remember seeing vast herds of buffalo as we traveled along the Platte river and across the Laramie plains. Day after day as we traveled along we passed thousands of them. As far as the eye could reach the plain was black with them. Great care had to be taken that they did not stampede our cattle which sometimes happens with ox teams while passing through buffalo country.

We saw lots of Indians and although they were friendly with the whites at that time we had to keep a sharp lookout as you never can tell what an Indian is going to do next. As we traveled along passed their villages they would dress themselves in all their war paraphernalia, mount their war horse and come charging across the prairie as though they intended to attack us but they seemed to only want to show off before us and give us a scare which they succeeded in doing as there were only about twelve men in our company and the Indians would visit us in bands of from twenty five to one hundred or more.

We averaged about twelve miles a day which was considered very good for ox teams. There are many things that happen while crossing the plains to cause delay. A wagon tongue breaks out and has to be repaired, a wheel breaks down, an ox gets tender footed and has to be shod. In the absence of iron raw hide was sometimes used for shoes.

One morning a fine mule that Mr. Young drove in his light wagon was missing also one of the teamsters. They had gone off together and never returned.