Transcript

Sister Ellen Hallett writes from Lehi City to her parents in Portsmouth, who are not members of the Church, and says, "I came to Great Salt Lake City on the 4th of September, and was kindly received by brother C. V. Spencer, who took me to his house and made me very comfortable. On the 6th, I engaged with a lady as general servant, at a dollar per week. I was with her one week when brother and sister H., having heard I was there, sent their team from Lehi City for me, where I have been made very comfortable ever since. They are in very good circumstances, have got a nice farm and a pretty little house, and are having another house built.

I have been to Conference and the meetings were excellent. President Young addressed the Saints; and, if ever I felt like praising God, it was when listening to the voice of his Prophet and the holy men whom God has called to speak his Word and bear off his kingdom. At the close of the Conference, we all shouted Hallelujah, and praised and glorified God. I thought of you all, and wished you were here to share the joys of these beautiful valleys, which are surrounded by very lofty mountains on which snow can be seen all the year round. This valley is very level: you can see thousands of acres of land on the level, the atmosphere is so clear. All the people whom I have seen have been very healthy, fat and good-looking.

I was sick part of the way and had to ride part of the time, but was not destitute of friends. The people were exceedingly kind to me, and gave me different things for a change when I could not eat my own food. I got well, however, and was able to go over the mountains singing and praising God every day. We enjoyed the journey much. We used to get up in the morning, often when the moon and stars were shining, and get our breakfast, take down our tents and go up to the front of camp to prayers, and then off on the road. We stopped for dinner sometimes one, sometimes two hours, and then off again, stopping to camp at sun-down, perhaps a little sooner or a little later; this depending on our being near to water. We had plenty of good fodder all the way; and plenty of wood, with the exception of one part of the way where we gathered 'buffalo-chips.' When night came we were generally tired, but not too much so to enjoy the dance and song. Being scant of bed-clothes, I was thankful for the use of a buffalo-robe and some blankets kindly loaned to me by brother Hockings, one of the teamsters. There is some most beautiful scenery by the way. We saw no buffaloes; but we saw some antelope, deer, wild geese and ducks, and other kinds of fowl and plenty of fish. We got lots of plums, and grapes, and currants, and cherries, which we made pies of. Some places you could get a cart load of plums in a very little distance.

I hope, my dear friends, you do not think that I am in want, or any one in these valleys. I could make my home in ten or twelve places. We were met in Emigration Kanyon [Canyon] and were given fruit, &c., and when we came to the camping-square the people brought us bread, butter, eggs, preserves, honey, potatoes and many more things that made us comfortable."