Transcript

I volunteered to take a team & wagon and go back East to meet the Emigrating Saints with Prests Young & Kimball including my parents. Shadrach Roundy was our Captain & there were 28 in the Company. I drove 4 yoke of oxen & father Haight’s wagon Started May 23, crossed the big mountain over snow 10 or 12 ft deep, swam several crossings of East Canon {Canyon} Creek, rafted over Weber River, Doubled team in crossing Bear River, swam Blacks Fork, rafted across Hams Fork & Green River, which took us 3 days at the latter stream. I had left Salt Lake Valley with only 20# of ground wheat & a few pounds of poor beef. & we were 4 weeks getting to the head of Sweetwater River and my provisions were gone. here we met a lot of Snake Indians who had dried buffalo meat. I traded my butcher knife for a large bunch of dried meat in layers of fat and lean. This carried me to Platte River (North branch) where were many Oregon Emigrants, and waiting to be ferried across the booming River, I took an active part in getting their stock across and received about 1 Bushel of Cornmeal which served me for the remainder of the trip. we met the {1st} Co. of Mormon Emigrants L. Snows 15 miles below Chimney Rock on Platte River. My parents were in the second Co. Perkins, Wm. and right glad we were to meet once more. I had grown tall and thin thro{ugh} porr {poor} living for some time my voice had changed so they said & they scarcely recognized me, but we soon got acquainted again and I had a good time the rest of the journey. my late experience on the road was of great value to us and we soon gained on other companies until we were in the lead of all except 5 wagons . Seth Dodge{,} Mikesell & Duff Potter. this time we got in early in September, …