Transcript

We lived here [San Bernadino] until the call came for the Saints to gather closer to Salt Lake City. That was in 1857. Father traded his place for four horses and a wagon and bought two colts that were two years old. My brother George and I drove them to Utah. We started by way of the Canyon Bix Pass, which was very hard because none of us had ever driven in terrain such as this. Just before reaching the main camp of Saints, the front axel of the wagon broke. The brethren came back the next day, cut down a cottonwood tree and put it in for an axel, without any irons, just a linch pin to keep the wheels on.

We were organized with Captain Chase in charge of the company. Here we spent Christmas. After New Years we traveled slowly with the company until we reached Las Vagas [Las Vegas] Springs stream. We met other companies of Saints, among them was William Moyes and his family. We stayed a few days and then traveled up the big Meadow Valley Wash to Cottonwood Springs. We came to the muddy stream or River.

The Indians gathered in the camp and begged for food. They were almost naked. The captain called for donations of flour, cornmeal, shorts (a course grind of wheat) or any thing that would make mush for the hungry Indians. A large iron pot was set on the fire, the water and the donations gathered up were put into the pot to cook. Before it was done the Indians dipped their fingers into the boiling pot and into their mouths. They crowded around the fire so the ones behind them could not get any. The ones who stood behind became angry and threw sand into the pot of mush. The Indians then asked the Captain for an old work oxen, which he gave them. They killed it in the mud, drank the blood, and cut it in strips and ate it raw, intestines and all. We children thought it was awful.

We traveled up the Virgin River, here we saw the first snow in our lives. We traveled on over the desert and passed over the ground of the Mountain Meadow Massacre and saw several graves. Next we reached Cedar Creek, then to summit Creek. Here it snowed all day 12 to 14 inches deep. While we traveled I walked to lighten the load. My brother, George, had to ride because he had a lame foot. My feet became frozen.

We got to Parowan, and then went on North and reached Beaver, Utah the 14th of February 1858.