Transcript

Finally about the middle of August we started for our long and wearisome journey with a train of unbroken oxen, myself driving two pair the most of the way. After traveling as far as Julsburg [Julesburg], we got in company with one Ben Cur, who had a large ox team train going to Salt Lake also. He was short of hands, so he inquired of the President of our company (Brigham Young, Jr.) if he could spare about 4 hands to help him. He said that he thought he could after a little hunting. The required number was found, myself being one of that number. We agreed to help him providing that he would keep up with our train, so that we would not be left behind. He said that he thought that he could keep within sight of our camp every night, or that he would not be more than 4 or 5 miles behind at any time. The arrangements were made in the evening, and we went to his camp the next morning.

Our train started out early next morning as usual, and he made preparations to start also. But in consequence of his oxen being wild it caused much delay, the consequence being that we only made a very short drive that day, and the second day was nearly as bad, and during this time our own train was making good time. So we continued to lose ground until we dispared of ever catching up again unless we adopted some other measures. We accordingly held a little council amongst ourselves (that is myself and the other three young men) as to what we had better do in the matter, and in this meeting we resolved to tell Ben Cur that we wished to be released so that we could push ahead on foot and catch up with our own camp. But, said he, how can you do that? You are now in the midst of an Indian country, and the Indians are very bad just now, robbing the US Mail, and killing white men wherever they can find them. It will be a perilous journey for you to undertake, and I would advise you not to go. But we were afraid to delay any longer. We had laid the matter before the Lord in united prayer and received the assurance that we would be alright in the undertaking.

Finally said Ben Cur, Well boys I am sorry to have you go, but if you are determined to go, I will lend you a gun each, and you are welcome to take all the provisions you wish. But realizing the fatigue that would attend the journey, we did not wish to take much provisions for what with the above mentioned gun each (which by the way were very large ones) and a change of clothing each which we each one took with us to Ben Cur's camp we found ourselves pretty well burdened for such a trip. By the way, I must here state that we did not know when we first started out, how far we would have to travel before we would catch up with our own train. But we had been informed by other trains that we met before we left Mr. Cur's employ, that our train was about two days ahead of us. Just before starting out we went off a short distance in the brush and bowed ourselves in humble prayer before the Lord, each one praying in turn and dedicating ourselves to the Lord and imploring his protection.

I will here state this was in the evening strange as it may appear, for we prefered to travel in the night as the days were extremely hot, it being about the first of August. We traveled all night the first night, when towards morning we became very thirsty and we thought that we could hear water running in the distance. We eagerly made our way for the direction of the sound, but proved to be much further off then we expected, that we tired ourselves out very much in reaching it, it being altogether to one side from the main road which we were traveling. Having at length reached the river we took a good drink and rested a little while. When we again wended our way back to the road which we had left, but what with it being so extremely dark and we being so much fatigued, and no doubt having wandered considerably out of the proper course. It seemed as though we never would reach the road again. But finally we found it and oh how thankful we were, we then resumed our journey with renewed diligence until the day dawned and found ourselves in Fort Learimy [Laramie] a soldier's camp.

Some of the soldiers thought that we were crazy, while others advised us not to go any farther, for we were very likely to be killed with Indians. But we did not heed their talk but continued our journey. I must state here that we were liberated from some of our load here, which were those heavy guns, which Mr. Cur band us with the promise that we would return them at this point. We traveled on all that day with but very little to eat or drink until evening, when we arrived at a kind of a post kept for Soldiers by an old man. On our arrival here we were foot sore, tired and hungry. We went in and reported ourselves and our conditions to the old man, who listened to our narrative with marked attention by which his sympathies were moved and he accordingly entertained us for the night. He invited us to sit down to his table, set with some bread and sardines and told us to eat all we wanted. We each one thought that we had never tasted anything so good in our lives.

After supper we had quite a long chat with him about Mormonism. He was very much taken up with the doctrine and was convinced of its truthfulness. At a late hour he gave us some blankets to sleep on and we retired for the night feeling very thankful indeed for the comfortable quarters that we had been led to. We were informed by him that our company had passed by there the day before, and that they were stopping that night at a place called the Horse Shoe about 22 miles from there. We got up early in the morning to resume our journey, when to our surprise an escort of soldiers drove up, who were going on to the place where our company was camped. We went to the lieutenant and asked him if he could take us in. He said that he was entirely full and it was impossible for him to do it. But that we were welcome to put our things in that we were carring, which we did and they started off on a good trot, and we started out on a run after them, with the idea of trying to keep up with them, but we were being left behind very fast: however the soldiers looked back saw us running and trying to keep up with them, had pity on us and stopped their teams until we caught up with them and told us to get in some way, which we were very glad to do, and we were soon speeding on our way.

By noon we reached the place where our company had stayed the night before. We lost no time here, but pressed forward on foot again overtaking our train about the middle of the afternoon. We were very thankful indeed to meet them and they were very glad to see us. They were fearful lest something bad might have befallen us. From this time on we continued our journey with our own train reaching S L C Oct. 5th 1867. I remained in the city during the semiannual Conference which convened on the 6th and attended all the meetings. Here for the first time I saw and heard that great man President Brigham Young as also several of the twelve Apostles. It was a great treat to me.

A few days later and I was on my way for another 300 miles to Washington, Washington Co. Utah. Where my father was living and whom I had not seen for eleven years. I traveled this journey with B[is]h[o]p Covington of Washington, arriving in Washington on the 25 of Oct 1867, after a long and tedious journey of 4 months and 5 days. It was a happy meeting between myself and my father. I lived in Washington about two years. The fore part of which time I worked with my father on his farm, after which I got a position in the Washington Factory, then owned by President Brigham Young which was run night and day myself taking the night shift for one year.