Transcript

We arrived at San Pedro, California, all well. There were wagons waiting to take us to San Bernardino. I was detained by custom officers. I had to pay custom on my clothing. We hired a conveyance and soon overtook the company. The two returning missionaries went to Los Angeles to try to hire wagons to take the company to San Bernardino, but the news of the Mountain Meadow massacre had just arrived in California, which so excited people that the elders had to escape in the night and they said there were 40 armed men coming to kill us all. We did not see anything of them and arrived in San Bernardino safely.

Our stay there was not long, as the call had come for the colony at San Bernardino to come to Utah for the U.S. troops were on the way to Utah to kill the Mormons. A man named Alonzo Colton told me if I would buy a team of horses and put in with his I could ride to Utah with him. I did this and we were soon on our way to Utah.

It was Colton's plan to go with the U.S. mail stage, but the first day out we broke the king bolt in our wagon, so we went on to Mohave and waited for another wagon train.

I shall never forget the first night out. I was guarding the horses alone, that means walking around them so they couldn't stray away. Suddenly something came rushing from the mountains close to where I was. I ran to the fire as I knew no wild beast would attack me close to the fire. I did not hear it any more, but next morning there was a dead deer near by. There were nine people in our company, two young girls, one boy, two women, three white men and an Indian. The women slept in the wagon, the others made a bed on the ground. I slept alone and suffered with cold as I did not want to sleep with the Indian. I had just one blanket and rolled up in it.

After a few days other wagons came along and we resumed our journey. But when they did not make Colton captain, he would not travel with them but set out alone. This was very dangerous as the Indians had killed several people recently and were very much excited.

I had to walk as we were heavily loaded. I found it pretty hard to keep guard at night and walk 25 and sometimes 30 miles a day.

But we all kept well and we felt we were greatly blessed.

When we got to Las Vegas the Mormon fort was deserted. It was considered unsafe on account of Indians and the U.S. troops who were reported to be coming to kill the Mormons. About this time we began to get short of provisions and lived mostly on beans we found in a cache on the way.

We soon reached the settlements on the Santa Clara river.

When we passed the Mountain Meadows, where the dreadful massacre was perpetrated, every thing was covered with snow, so we saw nothing of the revolting tragedy. After a few days we reached Parowan, Utah. I decided to stay there as I was heartily tired of the journey. Mr. Colton had certainly made it very disagreeable for us.