Transcript

From here [St. Louis] we embarked on another flat boat for Kansas City. Here we remained for about 3 weeks until we were rigged out for out [our] journey across the plains. It took us about 2 weeks to go from St. Louis to Kansas City. Brother Empy came from Salt Lake and purchased our cattle for us. Of course we all had to pay for our own or our proportion as we were 10 people to each wagon. I was the teamster for our outfit and drove 4 oxen and two cows. It was a great sight when we were all hitched up, and the cattle ran and stampeded in every direction. Of course were all green hands, except our captain. It’s almost a miracle that none of us were hurt. Wagons were tipped but nothing broken. There were 62 wagons with 3 or 4 men draging at each team by ropes on the cattle. Some got away and ran until they were exaushted when they were caught, but I can tell you it was a sight that will never be forgotten by those who saw it.

We started across the plains in June. One day as we were camped on the Platt[e] River hundreds of buffalo came among our cattle and right at our camp; we killed 18. Another time when our provisions were nearly gone another herd of buffalo was sent by the Lord to replentish out [our] store. We used to form our wagons into a correll with the cattle on the inside, but one night they stampeded from the guards twice in the same night, but fortunately none were lost. When we arrived at Chimney Rock we had another stampeed with our teams hitched. We had been warned of this as every company who passed this rock with ox teams had a stampeed. There were 2 or 3 accidents. One exen was drowned, while Fording the river at Fort Levenworth. Two days before we arrived in Salt Lake City a baby girl [Josephine] was born to my wife Elizabeth. We arrived in Salt Lake City October 5, 1954 [1854] having been nine months and 13 days from the time we left Denmark.