Transcript

The winter was so cold that many people died and many of the cattle also died of the cold and starvation. On the 13th of April, 1847, Appleton [Harmon] and my brother, Briant [Stringham], were called to go with the first body of pioneers, consisting of 143 men and 73 wagons with the best teams remaining after a hard winter. They started west through the unknown wilds to find a future permanent home. Appleton proceeded with the first pioneers (he drove a team for Heber C. Kimball) to a place on the Platte River, where he with eight other men were detailed to run the ferry. They ferried many companies going to Oregon as well as Mormons, and received $1.00 a wagon for their work. He returned to Winter Quarters March 26, 1848, having earned $70.00 at the ferry and some money at Ft. Laramie, Wyoming.

My baby boy, Appleton Milo, died September 20, 1847, and now there were three of our people buried in the little graveyard on the hill on the west side of the Missouri River back of Winter Quarters.

During that spring we were very busy getting ready for our departure to the valley in the mountains where the first pioneers had located a permanent home for the poor travel-worn saints. Appleton made two other trips to the settlements of Missouri, the nearest places to buy wheat for our bread and other supplies to fit us out for our months of journey to the Promised Land. "App" was a good carpenter and blacksmith and he, after fitting up our own wagon, also helped his father [Jesse Pierse Harmon] and my father [George Stringham] to fit out their wagons, left Winter Quarters with the rest of us June 4, 1848, for our long journey westward.

We had a good team of two oxen, also two cows, two heifers, two chickens, one pig and one horse with provisions enough to last a year, so we were all very happy to be on our way to our future home. We crossed the Horn River on a raft, where we joined the camp under the leadership of Heber C. Kimball, and were placed in Brother Isaac Higbee's Company of sixty wagons.

At one time in our journey along the Platte River a band of Indians came to our camp. They were always begging for food and watching a chance to steal a horse or ox. They were given as much food as we could spare, for it was wisdom to keep on friendly terms with them. I noticed a fine looking Indian, evidently the chief, talking to my husband, counting on his fingers as though offering something in a swap, or trade. My husband kept shaking his head no-no. Afterwards he told me the chief wanted to buy me, offering him twenty ponies for me. After that incident we women were cautioned to stay close by the wagons when we were walking ahead of the train.

We arrived in Salt Lake City, September 24, 1848, and camped on Pioneer Square. As soon as we were camped the women of the company got our kettles of hot water and went to washing our dirty clothes.