Transcript

We took passage on the Brooklyn as far as Monterey, and there I engaged with Dr. Semple to work on his newspaper, The Californian, the first paper published in California by an American. The paper was printed half in Spanish and half in English, to suit the mixed population. It was finally moved to San Francisco, and I still worked on it, till the spring of 1847 [sic], when the Saints were counseled to gather to the mountains.

My parents obeyed the call, by getting an outfit, sending for me to come home, and starting some time about the first of August. We traveled as far as Pleasant Valley, where our teamster left us to dig gold; and as we could not get another, the folks concluded to stop and try their hand at digging the precious stuff. But with all their persuasions and entreaties it seemed to me that I could not be satisfied to stop with them, and finally they gave me an outfit and I came on to the mountains with James Ferguson and a company of Mormon Battalion.

We arrived in Salt Lake valley in the month of October, 1847 [sic].