Transcript

Up to this time I had not been able to do any thing towards a fit out for the Valley, but in the spring of 1849, I drew a land Warrant, and traded it for two yoke of oxen and a wagon, and set about geting ready for the journ[e]y. The first week in june we camped in the Missouri Bottom and was organized in tens, fifties and hundred, by Elder Geo. A. Smith, thus.

Allen Taylor Capt. of Hundred, Enoch Reese Capt. of first, and myself Capt. of second fifty. I had 73 wagons in my Company & Capt. Taylor traveled in my Company, my father [Isaac Allred] & father in law [James Hoyt] being with us. My team consisted of a yoke of oxen on the wheal, & a yoke of cows on the lead, and I drove the lead wageon to the Valley. Capt. Taylor haveing crossed the Plains the year before as Capt. of Pres[iden]t. Young Company was of great service.

He advised us to tie our stock by the head out side of the wagons as they were correlled [corraled] at night, which I strictly observed, but Capt. Reese did not, with the result that he had not been out a week untill his cattle stampeded in the night, smashing down wageons to get out. This so frightened them that they broke up into small companies. Bro. Perkins asked me to let him come into my Company with 10, I said yes fall in the rear[,] which I soon learned was bad polacy for their stock[,] remembering their fright[,] started to run while moving. As soon as I saw it[,] gave the word to halt & stand by their teams. In a short time teams were runing in all directions except a few at the head altho one team rea[ran] the entire length between the two lines. I stood by my team talking kindly to them and the[y] did not move. It was frightful to behold especialy when we geathered up the wounded, three was badly hurt, and one, Sister [Margaret] Hawke, died that night. We had no more trouble on the road, but the journey was long & tedious, and as we entered the Mountains we split up into smaller Companys for convenience for feed & camping.

Oct. 16—1849 we arrived in Salt Lake City, or where the City was afterwards built I bought a room in the old Fort and lived there that winter.