Transcript

1854 left England arrived in America April.

We landed about first of April in New Orleans, U.S.A., traveled up the Mississippi River to St Louis from there to Kansas City, then a small town[.] I took work in a saddle shop and stopped there about a month. The boss was a German. He was content with my work but did not pay me all it was worth;

Finally we got ready to start[.] 72 wagons in all[.] some three hundred milch [milk] cows from four to six oxen to a wagon, We broke a new road from Weston six miles from Kansas City[.] We had pilots to stake the road off for us[.] We traveled through tal gras all the time and finally got to Leavenworth by the river[.] We had to ferry out wagons over at that place[.] Then we proceeded onward to Fort Kearney[.] Erastus Snow and Benson met us there and

One morning at 10 A.M. Capt[ain] [Hans Peter] Olsen, the leader of the company ordered halt[.] We drove the wagons together in a circle our wagons close up to each other[.] herd of buffalo came running across the road[.] I will here say that we beheld a sight that lords and millionaires would leave Europe to participate in[.] it was a sight that never can be seen again unless the whole country ar[e] led waist [waste] again for that butifull [beautiful] animal is almost extinct. There must have been 100=1000. It appeared like the waves of the ocean to see them move or gallop. The Capt [k]new the danger having crossed the plains before, Had we not drove into a Camp, we would have been destroyed for they never stop nor go aside. In fact they could not for there was no room, No human being can imagine the sight the awe the impression the noise or roar of so many thousands of wild animals moving all as one.

We captured 22 of these beautiful animals, the friends of the red man, the remnant of Jacob and if a half a dozen painters had been there they would have had a treat and could have made thousands of dollars in working up rare pictures for the European market,

the life in Camp is about as hard to describe for me as the sight of the buffalo—-the ideas of 750 people from all parts of Scandinavia having all at once as by a miracle 22 fine buffalo left right in camp for them to enjoy all free gratis for nothing[.] Wel[l] everyone in camp was a butcher or rather a part of one, one skinned another cut up the meat, then the women got it ready to dry everybody laughing and were as busy as bees. I stood and looked at one of the beautiful heads and the large innocent Eyes and then in the evening I made a pair of shoes of the hide, but they dried so I could not use them. but most of the meat had to be thrown away some days after, We continued our travel day after day and nothing of importance transpired making any note of[.] The Capt said we should kill the rattlesnakes. I killed about nine. some Indiens [Indians] stopped us and asked tribute of us for passing through their land. some 200 miles east of the mountains we made a grand halt. the oxen gave out and the provisions too so we had to lighten up[.] I made a pair of pants for a boy and got 5 lb of flour in pay and I was as happy as a lark. I was in the wagon with a family by the name of Hansen. Bro [Peter] Beckstrom and I was with them as a kind of passenger

when we came to Fort Bridger I took charge of the oxen and drove them into Salt Lake City[.] Before we reached the city my oldest sister Caroline and another sister Marie met me and give me some eggs and bread. we camped in Union Square in the evening of the 5^th October 1854.