Transcript

Sperry, Charles, Autobiographical sketch [n.d.], 2-3.We soon began to prepare our wagons for starting and looking after our teams. We left Hyland Grove about the middle of June with three yoke of oxen and two wagons and 3 cows. Crosed the Mosary [Missouri] river the 3rd day. Made our wasy [way] to the Elk Horn and ferred that stream on a logg raft. Left there about the last of June. We ware orgenised into Jedediah [Morgan] Grants and Willerds [Willard Trowbridge] Snows fifty[.] then we took our jurny westward. Sometimes there was so manny compeneys camped clost together that it was ncecessary to travel in too or three columns. There was a gard cald out to go with the cattle when we camped. Sometimes the cattle remaind out all night but very often they ware brought up and correld. We kept gard in our camp as well as with our cattle. We traveld up the Platt[e] river for nundreds of miles. Fort Laremy [Laramie] was about 500 miles from Elk Horn. We crost the Plat[te] river at that place for the first time.

The emegrants going to Oregon traveld on the south side of the river while we traveld on the north side until we came to Laremy [Laramie]. We traveld some distance up the south side then crost over a ridge and struck the sweete water [Sweetwater] and traveld up that streem for some distence. Then crost the back bone and pased the Pissific [Pacific] Springs. After that all the water ran west. We had a nomber of stampeeds of cattle on the way. They would git scared of something brake out of the correll and run off. At one time about 25 head broke away and went back to the Masary [Missouri] river about 150 miles. One of our oxen was with the bands. He came on the next year. Sometimes the whole trane of 50 or 100 wagons would stampede then evry boddy would have to look out for themselves to keepe from being run over.

We got into the Salt Lake valley with 5 oxen, 3 cows, 2 wagons. Near the first part of Oct. 1847 we arrived.