Transcript

Friday jul 3 a part of captain Sanders company left. A waggon overturned near a bridge. During a meeting in John Youngs company I was set apart as curate but because of illness I was not present. We started our journey, drove 2 miles,

jul 4 we rested and

jul 5-6.

jul 7 we drove 15 miles and camped near Elmshorn [Elk Horn],

jul 8 we drove 16 miles and camped near Mormon Liberty Pool,

jul 9 we drove 16 miles, camped near Rott,

jul 10 12 miles[.] camped near Schel [Shell] Creek,

jul 11 19 miles[.] camped near Platt[e] by Loppart.

Sunday jul 12 drove 3 miles and went by boat across the river for 60 cent per waggon. Everything went well, we had a nice meeting, P. Bechstrøm was there, we camped near the forest.

Jul 13 drove 20 miles, passed a huge Indiancamp, 2000 indians, they were kind, they played games, camped near Platt[e].

jul 14 drove 20 miles[.] camped near Platt.

Wednesday jul 15 1863 drove 18 miles[.] camped near Platt,

jul 16 drove 22 miles[.] camped near Voodrever? [Wood River]

jul 17 drove 3 miles, camped near br. Pasch store, here we changed oxen. We weighed all the luggage because some of the people had too much weight. Hans Petersens widow left a stove and a box with glass, Poul Larsen a stove, Lars Hansen a stove, Lars Hansen a stove, Hans J. Kruse a kettle and a box with glass, Søren Hansen a chest and 2 pans, Hans C. Hansen a chest, a box with glass, Wilhelmine S[vendsson]. a box of glass. All these things should be picked up by the waggons from the Church. Our teams were lighter because we left all these things, and some boxes were destroyed. We drove 18 miles and camped near Platte.

Sunday jul 19 C[hristian]. Jensens little daughter [Mette Marie] died. At noon we camped near Platte together with captain [John R.] Sondess [Sanders] company. We had a meeting together with talks, songs and prayers and we felt good, then we drove again 18 miles, camped near Platte.

Monday jul 20 br. P[eter]. Jensens daughter [Johanna M.], 3, died. Drove 18 miles, camped near Platte.

Jul 21 drove 20 miles, camped near Platte,

jul 22 br. Anders Bonnesens daughter [Kersti], 2½, died, drove 15 miles, here is the last chance for firewood.

Jul 23 3 times we crossed Skunk Creek, at noon we camped near Pony Creek, sandy, in the evening rain and t[h]under, drove 14 miles to Platte,

jul 24 met a company of foreigners, in the evening we gathered together to celebrate the pioneers arrival in Salt Lake Valley. It is 16 years ago. Captain John [R.] Young spoke about the driving out of the Saints and about their traveling; we drove 14 miles, camped near Platte.

Jul 25 we crossed a branch of Platte, North Bluff Fork, camped near a spring. Br. O. Hansen and family came to our company, he was left behind because hos [his] horses ran away, we drove 16 miles.

Sunday jul 26 sandy road, crossed several creeks, camped near a creek after we drove 16 miles.

Monday jul 27 we crossed some little sandy hills, P[eter]. Jensen killed a cow because she was limping and not able to follow the others. The meat was sold in the company, 5 cent for 2 pounds, we camped near Platte by Swift C., Drove 15 miles.

Jul 28 at 2 am. our oxen trampled several times and ran up the hills. Captain and some brethern at horseback and on foot followed them, we drove 2 miles and they began trampling again. When they stopped 6 persons were badly hurt. S[oren]. Hansens wife [Ane Marie] died after 1 hour, str. [sister] Valborg died after 5 hours and Ole Jensen died after 2 days. This was a day of sorrow. We buried them in the grave of Zion. 1 ox broke its leg and was butchered. Our journey that day was 3½ miles.

Jul 29 we crossed some creeks and the oxen began again to trampling, but nobody was hurt. We drove 17 miles and camped near Platte.

Jul 30 we crossed some creeks and here we met 9 brethern who was sent out from the Church. Here was C. Andersen from Salt Lake City. We left O. Jensens and J. Olsens waggons here and Ole Jensen died 2 hours later. We drove 20 miles and we have now travelled 400 miles from Florence near Platte.

Jul 31 we crossed some hills, Young Red looked for a runaway ox, and he brought it back in the night after he had travelled 75 miles on horseback, we drove 18 miles and camped near Platte.

Saturday aug 1 we drove 17 miles. P[eter]. Christiansens cow broke a leg and he had to leave it,

sunday aug 2 we passed Chenny [Chimney] Rock, drove 22 miles and camped near Platte,

aug 3 drove 18 miles, camped near Platte,

aug 4 drove 17 miles, the brethern traded horses, oxen and cows, camped near Platte.

Aug 5 we found firewoods but only little grass, camped near Platte,

aug 6 at noon we rested in a forest, passed Fort Larami[e], camped near Platte, drove 16 miles. 2 waggons drove to Fort Larami[e] and did some errands, the sisters washed and baked and we had nice weather, drove 5 miles and camped near Platte,

aug 8 we came to some high mountains, bad roads, drove 16 miles and camped near a forest, it was far from water and we had to take the oxen 2 miles to the river and to the grass on the other side.

Sunday aug 9 drove 10 miles in the morning, met cap. Sanders company. They had rested for 1½ day, it was so nice to meet again, we camped near Platte and had a gathering. Str. Marie Larsen from Copenhagen gave birth to a daughter.

Aug 10 passed a Telegraph-station near Horseshoe Creek and we saw several dead oxen on our way, drove 15 miles and camped near Platte.

Aug 11 crossed Platte and drove through some mountainpasses. Br. Anders Eliasens son [Joseph Oscar], 1½, died, They are from Gøteborg. Aug 11 Drove over distances with burned grass, camped near Platte,

aug 12 crossed again Platte, grass and trees were burned, Jens Jørgensens and Hans Kruses cows died. Drove 14 miles and camped near Platte.

Aug 14 some of our cows run away but we found all of them, passed Deer Creek "Soldier Station." 2 cows died, they were P[eter]. Jensens and E. Lindbergs. Drove 17 miles and camped near Platte,

aug 15 came to Platte Bridge, br. Hans Andersen got 300 pounds of flour, which he had paid in Florence. $6 per 100 pounds. We crossed the River near the bridge. Here we met a freighttrain which had lost many oxen and T? Some of the brethern from cap. Sanders Company worked as T? for $20 a month. This Company had travelled 64 days since they left Florence.

Br. [D.] Garners ox and str. [Sister Wilhelmina] Svendsens [Svendsons] ox and cow died, drove 16 miles.

Sunday aug 16 had a gathering and the brethern told have [how] happy they were. H[ans]. Petersens ox and Niels Petersens cow died, we drove 6 miles.

Aug 17 we started early and left the old river Platte which had refreshed us so often and where we had camped so often. Cap. J[ohn]. Youngs cow, Anders Bondesens and br. Askelunds oxen died, drove 18 miles and camped in a city-spring.

Aug 18 we did not drive long and camped near a spring, drove 9 miles and camped near Green Woods [Greasewood] Creek,

Aug 19 during the night 65 piece of cattle ran away, the captain and [Jeremiah] Strimham [Stringham] and H[ans]. Petersen on horseback and some brethern looked for them and found all of them. Captain [William B.] Prestons company passed us, they were English and Danish. In the afternoon cap. Young called H[ans]. P[eter]. Lund, D. Garner, H[ans]. Petersen, Hans Andersen, P[oul]. Larsen and N[iels]. Larsen should talked about what we could do, because some of the people had too much goods. The result was that they, who could take some of it should have $2 for 100 pounds of goods 100 miles. Young called a Counsil and told us what they decided and it was carried out, drove 5 miles and camped near Sweet Water [Sweetwater],

aug 20 left early and found some sage which we gathered, at noon we met a company of horsemen from California, passed Devil Isle? [Devil's Gate.] N[iels]. Larsens cow died, we drove 15 miles,

aug 21 H[ans]. Andersens ox died, drove 16 miles,

aug 22 I. G. Jensens ox died, H. Petersens cow and N. Larsens ox died, we crossed Sweet Water 3 times, drove 15 miles.

Aug 23 we rested in the morning, drove 5 miles, had a gathering in the evening and the misic [music] and dance,

aug 24 str. Petersens ox died. We drove 19 miles,

aug 25 some oxen died, our journey went still well and we felt good, we had our prayer meetings mornings and evenings.

I have not had time to write my journal so I will give a short resume about the journey.

1863 apr30 I left Copenhagaen with a company of the Saints, we went via Kiel, Grimsby, Hull, New York, Florence. We arrived here [Florence] jun 23, everybody was happy and we had a nice spirit among us. We stayed here some days, then we drove 3 miles from Florence. I got really sick. I was in cap. Sanders company, jul 5 I was called as curate in cap. John Youngs company. We left Florence jul 7 with 240 persons in 47 waggons and arrived in Salt Lake Valley sep 12.