Transcript

Passing through the states from New York to Omaha, and reached Florence June 12. We left Florence with an ox-train under Captain McCarter and I walked all the way to Salt Lake City, about one thousand miles, driving a cow and carrying a gun most of the time. Owing to the dry season there was very little water in the Platte River except in holes which afforded us plenty of fish.

While in the act of spearing them my attention was attracted by a pretty little striped cat running along the bank. Being an expert with a knife on the end of a pole I gave him a poke and was very alarmed to see everyone holding their noses or turning them heavenward. But it was considered a brace [brave] act for which they presented me with a suit of clothes.

At Fort Bridger a company of soldiers made us go back twelve miles to take the Oath of Allegiance. The grandest sight on the plains was Chimney Rock which appeared in our foreign eyes to be but a short distance away, but after traveling toward it for two or three days the teamsters told us it was still twenty-five miles away and we began to sense the clearness of the atmosphere, being able to see one hundred miles as clear as we could five or ten miles in the old country.

We sang songs by the campfire in the evening using buffalo chips for fuel, and slept on the ground, or took part in guarding the cattle all night, to protect them from the Redmen.

We arrived in Salt Lake Valley one beautiful evening, Saturday, October 3, 1863.