Transcript

When we came to council Bluffs, Joseph Young ordered the Co. to lay over three days, as I was taken very ill, but on the third day I managed to join the company and we journeyed on. There were 29 women, children included, that tried to get on the one wagon we had. I had been put on, but with the heat and exhaustion I lost my first little babe which came before time. Joseph Young acted like a father to me and others on this trying journey, and after a few days of rest, I was able to help with the hand carts again.

One day we met two Indian Bucks and one of them wanted me to exchange my wedding Ring with him for an old brass ring, but I declined to do business, and made out I could not get mine off so they let me keep both my own Wedding Ring and their brass one. The brass ring I had for a number of years as a remembrance of those days, but do not know what became of it as years move on. After traveling a few miles more we came to a tent, where we found a band of indians with their squaws. I had a small brass pin I offered them, and asked for meat. They grunted and then sent one of the squaws to bring meat, they gave me a dandy leg of mutton, maybe it didn’t go far, but I remember what little we each had of it tasted pretty good to us. At another time the indians killed a buffalo, and left it to the Hand Cart Co.

The indians were very good to us where ever we met them, at another time I sat down from exhaustion, while the 59 hand carts went on. some time after when I went to go on again, I did not know which was East, West, North or South. I walked along and two big Indians met me, each was on a dandy horse. I said to them “hand carts” several times and they pointed saying “Hand Carts” so I decided that must be West, So started to follow the direction they had pointed out[.] They walked their horses by my side for quite a distance, when we came to a river, one of them grabbed me up on his horse and took me over. I thought I was a goner, but they landed me safely, but somewhat damp. They then pointed again saying “Hand Cart” and left me standing all alone while they turned and rode as far as I could judge, North. I started on and at last struck our Company which was camping for the night. I told the company I thot I was going to die and to fix me a place to lay down. While lying there three teams came to our camp. They had been sent by Brigham Young to meet us. Say maybe that company wasn’t glad to see them, as we had nothing to eat the three days past, and many in the company were suffering very much for the want of food. We had killed an old ox, which helped to draw the wagon as it could not go any further, and it had given the entire company a meal, but also all of us a bad case of disentary so for three days we were entirely without food. Thomas Mac Intire [McIntyre] had been sent ahead by Joseph Young to tell any folks he met that the company was without food, and all more or less ill from heat, exhaustion, and no food. When our messanger arrived in Salt Lake City the folks were holding a meeting, but Brigham Young dismissed the meeting, gathered privisions and sent it by the three teams, to our starving company. After we all had a little to eat we felt like different people. At the time we were so near starving, we were surrounded by indians who would not give us anything to eat, so Captain Roley [Rowley] gave orders to move 12 miles farther to get away from them. I could not go any farther and our one team had been going day and night for three days, so we all had to keep on walking. Sister Snellgrove went to the captain and told him I could go no more, so he put me on the team, and when I finished my trip to Salt Lake City I came in on a team, more dead than alive. We landed in Salt Lake City on Sept. 4th 1859, and as we entered the City, old and young came to meet us, and in the old eighth Ward Square they had every thing they could gather and had prepared a feast for us.