Transcript

Keokuk, Iowa was our outfitting point w[h]ere we received our oxen, cows, and wagons. Here is where our camp life commenced. We were on the frontier of civilization; we remained here some time waiting for our oxen. Here we were put in companies, twelve persons to a wagon. There were, I think, four families in our wagon, my family and that of an old man’s was small. There was a captain over each ten wagons and a captain of the company of fifty wagons when we started from here. And when the wagon I belonged to was just pulling out a man comes to me and says, “You have been selected to remain here in company with three others to bring along a herd of cows when they come.” I had never been one day away from my wife before since we were married. The company went some distance to a place called Montrose, and by this time they found out that they were too heavily loaded for a journey of 1,300 miles. Each family had a box, some had crocks and books. We had to lighten up; the locks and hinges were taken off the boxes, and the boxes were all piled together and burned. Crocks, extra cooking utensils, books and anything that could be dispensed with had to be got rid of. The inhabitants of that place got lots of things for a few vegetables or a little milk. When the cows came, life was something new for a sailor. The cows were purchased of farmers all over the country and were all strange to each other and of course would not travel together, and I can assure you we green horns had a hard time of it. They would go every way but the way we wanted them to go. When we reached our company my wife soon informed me of all the things she had to part with. We were allowed one box to a wagon to put in the best things of the persons belonging to the wagon, and me being away at the time, selected mine for that purpose. Our route through Iowa to the Missouri river to where Omaha now is was a distance of 300 miles. It was a wet season of the year. I had made myself an oilcloth coat to wear on the ship as I thought before I started, but had no occasion to wear it. But it came in good to put on the wet ground in the tent to make our bed on. The grass was up to our waist and every morning when we would go to gather up the cattle we would get wet to our skin. This 300 miles was one of the greatest trials I have ever passed through, except losing my wife. I had never been used to walking and it was a great deal of labor to me. I have many a time lay down on the ground and cussed the day that I was born. I am sorry to say it but it is so. But long before we got to Salt Lake I could have walked many more miles than our teams were able to do each day.

We were camped some time where Omaha now is. It took quite a long time to ferry the wagons and cattle over the river. This place was called Caneville [Kanesville], and the last place settled by white people. When we crossed the Missouri we were in the Indian territory and one thousand and thirty miles of dry country before us. We made this part of our journey in a little over ten weeks. This part of the journey was hot and we would walk through rivers and creeks with our clothes all on and let them dry on us and not have any bad effects from so doing. We had two yolk of oxen to each wagon and two cows. Some men would break in the cows and use them. I drove the loose animals the whole distance, had one person at a time to help me. During the last 500 miles when the cattle were poor and sore-footed I would be left a long way behind the company and at times when it was very dark. I could not have found the camp if it had not been for the sense of smell of an old gentleman that was with me. He could smell the camp fire a long way off. Some time before we reached our journey’s end our provisions became very scarce. Then we commenced to kill our poorest cattle to [word faded out] out the deficiency. If anyone ever learned the value of salt, we did at this time. (I have always been careful of salt ever since.) We lived on poor beef alone and no salt too – it is something you could not comprehend if you have not tried it. During our journey we could see many useful articles by the roadside that were left by those who were ahead of us to lighten their loads. Men would be stationed by these articles while the train would pass by them or some thoughtless persons would put things in the wagons and soon put us in the condition of those who had to leave them. I was so hungry the latter part of our journey that I had made up my mind that as soon as I got in the valley of Salt Lake I would commence to beg, but as usual, the last day I was a long way behind the company. And as soon as I got out of the mountains I could see the city in the distance. I left two oxen that had hindered my progress all day, and traveled a little faster. When I reached camp my wife informed me that the people commenced to beg at every house they passed. When I learned that, it took all the courage out of me and one of our company, seeing we had nothing, gave us enough to make us a supper. Thus ended our journey, on the 30th of Sept. 1853. I kept no diary of those days so I cannot give you as interesting account as I would like to have done.