Transcript

The company w[h]ich numbered 450 souls that we come with had to stay in said Saint Lewis [Louis] 5 weeks then go to aplace cal[l]ed Kercuck [Keokuck] to waite for the cattel to tak[e] us across the plains[.] after Been [being] in Saint Lewis [Louis] about 2 weeks I wose [was] one out of 13 that wose [was] caled upon to go into Bonvil 5 hundred mil[e]s in the State of Misourey [Missouri] to B[u]y up 8 hundred Head of oxen to take that seasons Emagration, across the prair[i]es to Salt Lake City in Utah[.] we made the trep [trip] and Bought the oxen and returned to Kercuck on the 27th of May[.] after travling over one thousand mil[e]s here my wif[e] was Glad to see me we remained at this place ontill the 4^th of june then we took up our Line of March for Salt Lake City[.] we traviled to the councel [Council] Bloofs [Bluffs.] stayed here 1 week then crossed the Muserey River[.] camped on the west side 3 days then we traviled over the deserts and plains and over Rivers and creeks and over the Mountains[.] Before we got with in 3 hundred mils of Salt Lake City our previsens Run out so that we wose [was] Glad to eat the cattel that would fall down on the Road for want of grass[.] But the Lord wose with us all the way so that after 4 Mounts [months] of hard traviling for Both men-women and cheldren in wich time we had triviled from Kercuck to the valey the destence of 1500 miles[.] here we reched Salt Lake city on the 11^th of october 1853. all well