Transcript

Having arrived safe at the place of our destination and having had nearly five months to look around us, I thought a few lines from us would be accepted by you and all inquiring friends. I sent you a letter on Sept. 7, giving you some account of our journeying from Garden Grove to that place of our affliction, on account of the loss of our little girl whose body we carried with us the next day 13 miles and buried it on the morning of the 9^th near the camp ground called the Pacific Springs, on the left hand side of the road, Oregon route—south pass of the Rocky Mountains. I put down a head board with this inscription: Ann Bennion, died Sept. 7, 1847, aged 1 year, 9 months and 19 days. The same day we traveled 21 miles, the longest day’s travel of any on the journey, which brought us to a stream called the Sandy. The next stream was Green river, about as large as Dee river but in places not more than three feet deep, so we went through it. Soon after, we left the Oregon Road and took a new road to this valley, which was more rough and mountainous. However, we arrived safe in the valley on the 5^th day of October, the fourth wagon in our company, all in good health and glad to find a stopping place after traveling upwards of five months, which traveling through this wilderness is toilsome and wearisome, firstly on account of having to travel in large companies for defence against the Indians, moving by day and keeping guard by night. Secondly in some places feed and water is scarce for the cattle, some of which are poisoned; and thirdly and the most disagreeable of all, the dust arising from so many teams almost at times suffocated man and beast.