Transcript
Transcript for "For the Guardian," Frontier Guardian, 8 August 1851, 2
Br. D. Mackintosh: __
Thinking perhaps a little information from the first Company of emigrants, would be a treat to the friends abroad. I give you the following extract from a letter that I received last evening, from Sister R.R. Patten. Sister Patten left here about the first of May, in the first company of Mormon Emigrants, John G. Smith Captain, Roswell Stevens, Captain of the first fifty; Abraham Day, Captain of the second fifty; and L.A. Shirtliff, Captain of the third fifty. Sister Patten says they traveled up the divide between the Missouri River and the Horn, a distance of two hundred miles, it being a northerly direction, they then turned westward, traveled ten days, came to the Horn [Elkhorn] bridged and crossed, soon came to the Loup Fork, which they forded, from thence they crossed sand hills by hundreds, creeks and sloughs, by bridging with grass and brush, after considerable travel in this way they concluded to divide the company; Captain R. Stevens first Fifty, continued westward; Capt's. Day and Shirtliff, second and third divisions, turned Southwest; and the California emigrants, seventeen wagons in company turned South, and after nine days travel, the second and third divisions came in with the California wagons, and on the 12th of July, reached the Platte Bottoms.
The health of the company was improved from what it was when they left here. There had been no sickness, no deaths, or accidents in the camps,—had lost only four head of cattle—had left no wagons, and lost no goods. She does not speak of having seen an Indian on the route.
E. M. GREENE