Transcript

{Pages 14-17}

In 1864 I was called to go to the Missouri River for Emigrants[.] three teams were sent from Kaysville[.] John Blocksom [Bloxham,] Thomas Harris and myself[.] Chris Burton herder drove the teams[,] 4 yoke of oxen to the team[.] Bearlake [Bear Lake,] County[,] Cach[e] County and Davis County furnished the teams in our train[.] Bp Wm Preston was our Captain[.] we went up Weber Can[y]on a pretty rough road at that time[.] we forded the river 3 times and the river was getting quite high[.] it would be up to the wagon boxes but everything went along all right untill we got to the Devils gate on the sweetwater Creek[.] the Cattle had been brought into the coral[.] the Coral is formed by drawin[g] the wagons in two half circles[,] ½ the wagons on one side of the Circle and the other half on the other side[.] on the right hand side of the circle the cattle would be on the inside of the coral with the front wheel 3 feet from the hind wheel of the wagon ahead of it and a chain would tie the two wheels together on the left hand side of the circle[.] the cattle would be on the outside of the caral with the wheels placed the same as the other side[.] well the Cattle had just been brought and some of the Oxen had been yoked when like a flash of lightning they stampeeded and went out at on[e] end of the Coral and turned a wagon or two over on each side of the Gaps and hurting Several but no deaths[.] after the Cattle had been headed and brought back we finished yokeing the oxen, and as we proceeded all went well untill we arived at the plat[te] river[.] the Rivers were all high now and the Plat being no exception for it was very high but we found a place to ford but in crossing the forse of the water Kept crowding the teams down untill they were away below the ford and the water much deeper[.] it floated some of the wagon boxes off and turned some of the wheels backward and four of the wheels were lost[.] the burs turned backward and came off letting the wheels off[.] the Captain sent a lot of us into the River holding each others hands to try and find them with our feet but none could we find so we had to put the parts that were left into other wagons and get new ones at the Missouri River[.] so things went about as before[,] Yoke up in the morning unyoke at noon[.] yoke up again and unyoke again at night untill we arived at the River[.] the date I have forgotten[.] we camped at a place called Florence on the Missouri River[.] there we laid over for some time as part of the Saints to go with us had not arived and some more new Wagons and other mds. [merchandise] & ct had not came[.] while we laid at Florence some of us boys went down the river to Nebraska City to see the place and oh what a City compared with S L City[.] little narrow streets running everywhere in general and nowhere in particula[r.] houses they were so high and the streets so narrow that should one of the buildings collaps on one side of the street it would fall completely accross the street[.] finally the Saints and other things we had been waiting for arived and we began loading some with one thing and some another[.] I had iron bars about 30 or 40 hundred pounds and 11 passengers[,] 4 or 5 males and 6 or 7 females and their luggage

well we fineally got started for Utah with a thor[o]ugh organization as before but much larger and a lot more people in it[.] it put me in mind of the time I crossed 4 years before but the drivers were more accustomed to handle the oxen[.] I often regognized our old Camping places of 4 years before but some things had changed[.] the buffalo were not near so numerous as before and there being more people and the wagons loaded with mds. a good many people had walk every foot of the way across those plains both men and women across rivers[.] it made no difference but they did not complain or at least we heard nothing of it but anyone could see how tired they were as with us on our former trip[.] in the start the days were long and plenty of grass and water[.] we could camp allmost anywhere but as we came on the days grew shorter[,] the water dried up in lots of places[,] the grass dry and not much for the cattle[.] it made it very hard on the people[.] some times we would be very late coming into camp and then supper to get and Children put to bed but when we got into camp in any decent time we allways had camp prayers and all would assemble together and sing a hymn and all seemed to enjoy it and forget the days hard work and all seemed to enjoy good health[.] so in due time we arived in S L City Sep. 10th 1864