Transcript
Transcript for Stella Cahoon Shurtleff and Brent Farrington Cahoon, compilers and editors, Reynolds Cahoon and His Stalwart Sons: Utah Pioneers (1960), 117-18, 121
(Returning Again to the Margaret Carruth Story)
"We stayed at Winter Quarters a week or ten days and fixed our wagons for the journey. Then about May 1st 1848, we left Winter Quarters with eighteen yoke of oxen, six cows, two horses, seven wagons, and a spring-wagon which my sister, Janet and her three children rode in. We traveled in President Brigham Young’s Company in the fore part of the journey. But when the feed began to get scarce the large company was divided into smaller ones and then we were in (Father) Morley’s company and others.
"We had a long and tedious journey and not being acquainted with the road made it much worse for us. The roads were very bad or in fact, there were scarcely any roads except those we made ourselves.
"Sometimes we stopped and camped on the road a half day or sometimes a whole day and the brethren would go out and kill game, buffalo and other wild animals for the company to use as food. While they were hunting, the sisters stayed at camp and washed clothes, baked bread and prepared to start on the journey the following day.
"When we reached Sweetwater, we encountered a very heavy snow storm and were compelled to camp. It was here that a great many of our cattle died. While we were at the Sweetwater, President Young wished the Saints to send back some of their wagons and oxen to assist the poor Saints at Winter Quarters on the journey the following season. We sent back two wagons, four yoke of oxen and two young men teamsters who had driven our wagons for us.
"We sent these wagons and oxen to William F. and Daniel S. Cahoon and their families to bring them on to the valley. These were Andrew’s brothers, but Andrew’s father [Reynolds], mother [Thirza], and two unmarried children traveled in the same companies as we.
"During our journey across the plains men were obliged to stand guard every night to protect our cattle and camp from the Indians, who were very destructive and treacherous at that time."
A whole city of moving people, wagons, herds of cattle, sheep, pigs and chickens —such was a company of Mormon Pioneers; and may we pause to pay tribute to the Carruth brothers and sisters for the unselfish assistance they gave to their new relatives and friends. They shared their provisions, wagons, oxen and all they possessed.
("Zion" is Reached after Eight Long Months of Travel)
"We arrived in Salt Lake Valley in the evening of September 23, 1848," writes Margaret in her autobiography, “eight months since we left our home in Scotland. You may be assured that this new country was very wild and desolate-looking at that time. The Saints who had entered the valley before us, were all living in forts which were built as protection from the troublesome Indians who were very numerous.