Transcript

In 1867 when I was seven years old, we returned to Utah. It was my job to gather sacks of buffalo chips for fuel. I walked most of the way because I didn't like the jolting of the heavy wagons. When we children stopped to gather wildflowers on the prairies, the men would halt and whistle for us to catch up. The Indians were attacking wagon trains all along the way but fortunately they didn't molest us. Several times we found cabins or wagons along the route where the Indians had killed emigrants. The railroad was being built then and the Indians resented the intrusion into their hunting grounds. One buffalo came near and we watched the men shoot it. A constant guard was kept along the way and when the alarm was given we would drive the wagons into a circle and make a corral and get the guns ready for a fight. Once we did that and what we thought were Indians proved to be white soldiers approaching.

We had milk cows along, and when we put cream in a can in the wagon, the jolting would churn it to butter. We kept our provisions and dishes in a tub and when we stopped mother would turn the tub upside down and it served as a table. One man had his milch [milk] cows pulling his wagon, and we called him the cow man. I don't know if he got much milk from his cows after they worked all day pulling a wagon. Being a child I had few worries and I really had a good time crossing the plains.