Transcript

We were the only two Americans in the camp; which was made up of Welsh and English, who had no experience in these circumstances and surroundings. This threw much labor on to me. We started on to the Plains under these difficult circumstances. We arrived at Loop [Loup] Fork and with some difficulty crossed it. The day we crossed, some fat, wild cattle were seen on the east side. The following day Jos. W. [Joseph W. Young] directed me to take some men and try to get them. We crossed the river and followed them until we found Indian tracks behind. The long travel on foot and fording the river twice in the hot sun was very heavy on me. After arriving in camp at night, there came on a terrific thunderstorm. The men of the camp seemed panic stricken and the cattle began to scatter. Gathering 3 or 4 men who still retained sufficient coolness to work under my directions, we saved the cattle. The result of these exertions was: the following day I was taken down with brain fever, from which I did not recover for five months.

At Wood River brother Levi Stewart and Isaac Knight came up with us. By them word was sent to the Valley of my helpless condition and of the sickness of the wife [Mary Ann Pugh Young] of Jos W. While we were in the Pawnee country along Wood River, the Pawnees with several hundred warriors made a raid on camp evidently to plunder. Before they left they taxed us pretty heavy in camp outfit, flour, sugar and &c.

Jos. W. wife grew no better and I continued very low. Nothing of special importance happened until we arrived at Independence Rock. There we were met by two teams from the valley, the result of the news of our condition taken in by brothers Stewart and Knight. One was sent by Uncle Brigham, the other by brother Feremorz. My feelings cannot be described in making this connecting link with friends whom I had so long desired to see. Myself and family with necessary things were put into these wagons. Jos. W. took his own wagon with his sick wife in it. Charles F. Decker had charge of these teams. While sick on the plains I have but little recollection of dates. I think this took place about the first day of September. The teams were driven as fast as the sick could bear. We crossed Green River in the middle of the day and stopped to rest. There Jos. W. wife died. The teams drove to [Fort] Bridger as soon as practicable and there obtained something to put the body in. We arrived in Salt Lake City in the evening of the 25^th of September 1853.