Transcript

Transcript for Joseph Harker reminiscences and journal, 1855-1895, 42

In the spring our branch was called upon to fit up a man to go to the valley with the Pioneers. I gave five bushel of corn and I also sent from one to two hundred lbs of flower I was to get back in the spring to take it to the valley with me. But when the day came for us to start they failed to fulfill their promis. And the family I lent it to apostaised and this was partily the cause my family had no flour when we entered the valley. We gathered at the Elkhorn river where we organised into five companies, with Captains of hundreds, fifties, and tens, with Parley P. Pratt and John Taylor of the twelve apostles.

We started from the Elkshorn [Elk Horn] river June 15. 1847[.] I travelled in Bishop Hunters company, of one hundred, Joseph Horns [Horne’s] fiftie and Bishop Ho[a]glands ten. We had meny trials on the way but I never had a happier summer in my life. My wife would drive the team and I would take my gun and go and hunt game untill I was tird.

When we got in the Black Hills, we were getting short of meat. Apostle John Taylor took myself and James Horn in his carriage to go and kill bufflo, after we got a few miles a head of the company we went up in the hills and killed about 5 bufflo in about half a hour, all within a quarter of a mile of each other. I returned to Bro. Taylor's carriage and we killed 4 other animals quite near the company. We cut the meat in chuncks and it was very good to eat.

When we got to Echo Canyon my son William was born Sept. 26. 1847. at 2 o'clock in the morning. I got Sister Harriet Whittaker to take care of her until we got in the valley. The roads were very rough and muddy, coming over the mountain it took us 5 days.

We arrived in the valley Oct. 1. 1847. and camped by the old ford by a spring.