Transcript

After seven weeks on the sea we arrived in New Orleans, staid there some three days, then went to St. Louis by steamboat from there to Keokuk by steamboat. The teams and wagons were purchased by I C. Haight & Bro Shurtliff. Our company consisted of 35 wagons, or there abouts with families to each wagon. John Brown was captain of our company. We travelled through Iowa to Council Bluffs, crossed the Missouri river at Florence, old “winter Quarters”, from this point we commenced our journey across the plains, crossed the Elk Horn river, and the Loup Fork. Appleton Harmon’s company near us. This was for protection against Indians.

When we camped at Wood river, [Appleton M.] Harmon’s company on the west side, our company on the east side. The river rose high and we made a new brid[g]e across this stream. Soon after crossing wood River, our wagon tongue broke, this delayed us. At night where we camped some Pawnee Indians came, and in the morning a large band came, and demanded flour and other things. These Indians had been fighting with the Sioux, they were hungery and said they must have something to eat. we coralled our wagons; we then gave them flour, sugar and other things, and about 10 o’clock we started on our journey. We were short of provisions. We lost several head of cattle on the journey, we travelled over the Black Hills road west of Fort Laramie.

Near Green River on the 16^th. of September my wife [Jane Chittenden Kingsford] had a son named Thomas Ephraim; she had been sick all the way over the plains.

Between Fort Bridger and Green River we were met by friends from the Valley bringing us flour and horses; at Bridger we got more supplies, and about a week after October Conference, we arrived in the Valley of Salt Lake. 17^th.