Transcript
Transcript for Peirce, Robert, Letter 1848 Aug. 31, [1-2]
. . . . We left Winter Quarters the 12
th
day of June and arrived at the place of destination the 3
rd
day of October a journey of near 4 mo, the first six hundred miles, nothing very worthy of remarks except a tractless wilderness, and wood scarce, but Buffalo dung plenty, Cooked many days with buffalo chips! Immence herds of buffalo, thousands in sight at a time, no serious damage from the savages, here we first came in sight of snow, on the rockey Mountains, about the middle of August, the last six hundred miles, is through mountains & sand desert, it is perfectly sterile and worthless[.] it is not adapted to the support of man or beast, the mountains covered with eternal & perpetual snow, we have traveled as much as three days at a time, without one mouthful for our Cattle and horses to eat or drink, many died, many taken by the Indians, our loss was immence (the Company) we lost fifty horses in one night, & seventy head of oxen at another time, & many small losses, we had six waggons loaded and got through with the loss of but one ox myself