Transcript
Transcript for Stevenson, Edward, [Diary], Collection 1849-1922, reel 1, fd. 3, vol. 6, 75-81
This Morning Camp called to order[.] Meeting opened By myself being Called on By Bro[.] Canon[.] after appropriate Remarks it Was Proposed & carried unanimous that I Should be Captain of Co[.] [,] F. [Thomas] B[rown]. H[olmes]. Stenhouse [,] Chaplain[.]
After Suitable Instructing it was Proposed that the Co. furnish me With A Horse or Mule to do Camp Duty[.] in A Short time I Received 80.. Dollars. Meeting dismissed[.] I proce[e]ded to town & Bougth [bought] A Mule of Bro[.] A. B R. Wright that came Through Recentley from Salt Lake in 30 Day’s [days] carrying A, Man on his back Although quite Small[.] Paid 60.. Dollars[.] on my Return found Bro. [blank space] [Thomas] Lyons Cow Runing away[.] Persued her to Town (being Nearly in camp) & caugth [caught] her[.] Lost in the Race A Pair Mule Shoes[.] Returned to camp 11 . o[']clock P.M. finding Bro[.] [John] Hopley [Hopla] badley hurt By A Runaway load[.] Lost His Wagon Tire & Broke his fetters[.] Placed Watch over him for he had been quite Boistrous[.] Some one had given him Spirits Soon after the accident
Sat 25 had the Line Searched for & New Line Put in not finding the Line Replaced it By a Newone [new one]. Several of the Poor are Pleading for deliverance[.] Some of them We are takeing along [illegible] Some more came to join our Company[.] visited Town &c Bought Box of 18 tin plate a[t] 8½[,] One Black tin & 2 Brass Kettles for G. Q. Can[n]on at Omaha[.] Returned to Camp to Prayrs & Taught the Company Camp Life.
Sun 26 <1859> Started Camp with good success considering the Oxen were wild and the teamsters say green having been clerks[,] Mechanics & other occupations wholly unconnected with such matters [.] We had one most desperately wild ox who was wicked enough nearly to kill several men & stampeded the rest of the cattle[;] previously to coming into our camp had hooked a man & torn his pants[,] vest & shirt
We travelled six miles & camped on the Little Lakes without any accident
Captain [Robert F.] Neslen['s] Started to day & camped on the Big Lakes four miles in advance of ourselves[.] At night we had prayers & having posted the guard we retired to rest quite uneasy but a way of a beginning of Camp life [for] most teams and one rain storm visited us upsetting many of the tents & wetting the people in the waggons
June 27 Finding all our cattle had remained generally with us duri[n]g the night but the road away bad from the effects of this storm[,] some remained in Camp until late in order to give the people an opportunity of drying their clothes & getting otherwise ready for another Start.
We travelled four miles saw tolerable roads & crossed the Big Lakes & passed on & camped on a small creek without wood and completed a distance of ten miles.
June 28 <1859> Camp started passed over the Bridge at Elkhorn City camp a distance of five miles[,] the roads from Florence of a Rolling or Hilly nature. Passed on a distance of four miles more & camped on Rose Hill caught a few fish & were much tormented by mosquitoes—Roads good with the exception of about nearly half a mile near the bridge which was very sandy
June 29 Travelled eight miles and passed Freemont [Fremont] over a flat prairie about a mile & a half above and nooned on a head of the river Platte.
After passing several small and clear lakes with some small fish in them[,] camped on a Slough near the Platte eight miles from Freemont [Fremont]
1859
June 30 Travelled about fifteen miles some good roads and camped on a bend of the Platte river about one mile and a half from Shell creek