In the Spring of 1852 in company with a number of others I left St Louis on the 4
th
of May 1852 and on board the Saranac took passage for Council Bluffs and after a pleasant Voyage of Seven days we arrived at Council point and as we left the boat, many of us had to sleep on the ground without tents[.] The heaviest dew fell that night that I ever remember sleeping under[.] The next day moved up to Kanesville where we had to wait for about one month before our company was organized came up by land buying their teams on the way having bought their wagons & out fit before they started. I joined teams with a Bro Peck. I was pretty well fixed up for a single man having nearly as much for myself in somethings as Bro Peck had for his family, but we all shared alike theirs was a good family to travel with & we got along first rate together. We did not cross the Mis[s]ouri River until the 14
th
of June, and then there were only four Companies a head of us. I did my part in standing guard & other camp duties. I was not required to drive my own team. Bro Peck & Son would do that because I had done more in other directions towards the outfit, but I help get our tent up nights and down in the morning, gather Buffalo chips & wood for cooking ect[.] I very frequently drove team for sick men, & sometimes would carry some of the Females over the streams. One time dropping one of them in the middle of a wide stream at which she was cruel enough to say I did it on purpose. I have been reminded many times of this event in different parts of the Valley by some of the folks that witnessed the accident (fun). There were many things transpired during the Journey of a pleasant nature as well as some unpleasant ones we had a small band of 5 or 6 pieces in our company[.] We had some good hunters in our Company and we were frequently treated to Buffalo or Deer
Meat, when we arived at the south pass 225 Miles from the Valley I decided to leave our company take some bread and a Blanket and walk a head into the Valley. In company with two others we started out and reached the Valley in about 9 Days our train got in about 7 days after. We found it very cold sleeping out where night would over take us. The last night out we slept on the top of the big Mountain.
After breakfast on the Morning of the 5th of Sept (Sunday) we set out for the City where we arrived a little before noon feeling very tired and lame. In the afternoon I went to the Old Tabernacle and heard Prest H.C. Kimball preach. I arrived in the city without a cent having lost what little I did have while sleeping on the ground with my clothes on[.] After meeting I went to <Bro> Samuel Worthing who treated me Very Kindly.
On the Wednesday following I procured a fine yoke of Cattle from Bro Worthing’s Mother, then 2 hind wheels of a wagon with a pole out of a fence for a tongue and loaded up with Potatoes, Mellons—cucumbers, Onions, & Beets from Jas Palmer, and 50 lbs Flour & Some dried Mutton from L Worthen, and started back on the road to meet My Wagon & the Family with whom I had traveled. I started back alone, but I met lots of our folks as they came along in a scattered condition it not being convenient to Keep a large company together after getting into the Mountains. As I went along I distributed some potatoes and Mellons to some of my acquaintances, and well pleased they were with the treat. I traveled back as far as the Weber River and learning that my team would be along to camp there at night I turned my Cattle out and waited as our wagon hove in sight, it looked like a ship dismasted. They having had a upset that day and broke the bows ect
As soon as Sister Peck saw me she came bounding along nearly jumping over the tops of the Sagebrush, so pleased was she to see me again with a fresh yoke of cattle, & provisions & fresh Vegatables out of which they made a feast that night[.] The next Morning we hitched the fresh yoke of Cattle to the loaded Wagon with one ox and a cow and a small yoke of Cattle to the cart I took out and started again for the Valley, where we arived on the 13th Sep