Transcript

We now made preparations to leave our native land with a company of emigrants lead by Utah Elders—we left Aalborg about June 10, for Copenhagen where we left June 12 and after three days on the steamboat Waldemar arrived in Hull, England, crossing that land to Liverpool, where we remained a few days, preparatory to our voyage across the Atlantic. We went on board the freight steamboat Manhattan and after 12 days arrived at New York the 4th July. We were over 600 emigrants nearly all Scandinavians, a few English and some from Holland, also a lot of Irish people not Mormons.

The leader of the Scandinavians was Niels Wilhelmsen, a man beloved and highly respected by all who knew him. We sailed up the Hudson to Albany then by rail to Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Detroit and Chicago then to St. Joseph, Mo., from there by boat on the Missouri river to Omaha—were encamped there for two days when we took train on the U. P. Ry. [Railroad] to North Platte, the terminus 300 miles—there we camped three weeks, had some sickness and deaths among the emigrants.

Here we were fitted out with oxen and new Schuttler wagons for the 700 miles balance of the journey to Salt Lake City—we were also fitted out with provisions consisting of fat bacon and flour etc. Our oxen were in splendid condition—this is what is termed an independent train consisting of 60 teams with four oxen on each wagon—the Capt. of train was [blank space] Rice of Farmington, assisted by returning Elders and others—the emigrants being unacustomed in handling the Oxen[,] some difficulties was experienced but soon overcome. I remember traveling along Platte River, Chimney Rock, Independence Rock, the Sweet Water [Sweetwater], crossing said stream (no bridges) South Pass where a good snow storm came on us— we laid over two days it was the 15th and 16th Sept.,—while there Mrs. Christoffer Madsen gave birth to a child, we had general good health in the Company, a fine young man from Aarhus Conf., was accidentaly shot and there a few deaths from other causes.

Remember crossing Green River, passing Fort Bridger, coming through Echo Canyon by Coalville and finally passing through Parley’s Salt Lake City. This journey of 700 miles was on foot all the way from North Platte City, leaving said point on the 11th August and arriving at Salt Lake City the 5th October 1867.