Transcript

7th [May] at 10:00 PM. On the 8th secured passage on the steamer "West Wind", for council Bluffs, where we arrived without casualty, On Sunday May 12, about noon, where we soon met my brother Elias and many other friends. Here we spent a month or more in getting ready, packing up, fixing wagons getting up cattle & etc. Mr. Wm. [-] Martindale was here as a missionary from the valley, and here is where I attended the first S.D. Saint meetings, or heard my first sermon, and have always had the consolation that I was not preached or perswaded into the Church.

On the evening of May 25th I was baptized by my brother Elias, and on the 15th of June we moved over the Missouri river and on the 16th made camp one mile West of Florence, which is situated about 6 miles North of Omaha, and was the general out-fitting place for the Saints since 1847, then called Winter Quarters, this was but a small village, having few stores and some log cabins & etc.

On the 19th of June Elders N.V. Jones, William Martindale and Jacob Gates called the cam[p] together, held a meeting, administered the sacrament at this meeting, I was confirmed, and did not note by whom.

Our company was organized with my brother Elias as Captain[.] We had about 50 wagons, averaging about 2 yoke of cattle to each, and over 200 souls, all but a very few were members of the Church, and of many nationalities; Americans, English, Scotch, Irish, Danes[,] Swedes, Norwegians, Welsh, all were inexperienced on the plains, most of them had never before yoked up an ox, nor driven an ox - team before, except Peter Rank of willcreek and Mr. or BrotherKelsey who were returning to the valley. I was driving a team of 3 yoke cattle for my brother Elias. We started at 3:00 PM, as a company and made our first move of six miles and camped on little Japilion [Papillion Creek]. A correll is formed by driving around on a circle and interlocking the wheels, [illegible] leaving a small opening at one side, sometimes chaining them together on the outside. The camping and cooking is done [.] and on the inside the cattle are kept, when not on feed, and for safety from stampeding by the Indians, but we seldom resorted to driving the cattle into the corrall, only to yoke them up. It was a ludicrous and a very awkward move both laughable and sorrowful on the part of some, and especially of our brethren from England, Wales or the continent [.] in driving oxteams, and the result that followed was tipping over of wagons, breaking tongues & etc.

On June 25th we met the first half, and on the 26th the other half of the Church train of about 200 wagons who had come from the valleys, to meet the poor at the Missouri River, who were coming from England and the continant, and were unable to fit themselves out with teams provisions & etc.for the journey accross the plains. Reached Columbus at noon of the 26th where we were ferried over the Loup Fork and camped near by. Tuesday July 2nd we crossed the Wood River, here I mailed some letters for the East. Stopped two days July 3 and 4th at Wood River Centre, and on the evening of the 4th came near having a cattle stampede, as we were bringing them up in the evening to corrall them. Had a dance here in the evening in the corrall, but my dancing education had been neglected, and I did not indulge, in fact I felt too sorrowful and sedate, the last month or so, and did notseek or wish for any kind of amusement. On the 5th we passed within a few miles of Fort Kearny, 200 miles West of Omaha. July 9, made camp, about dark on the banks of the Platte River, among myriads of mosquitos. A little boy was run over by a loaded wagon today and after being administered to seemed to forget he was hurt. We are traveling on the North side of the Platte River a shallow turbulent stream , that is ever changing its channel, and near half a mile wide. On July 10th we stopped, set tires, rains are less frequent of late, and tires getting loose. Reached Pawnee Springs on the evening of the 12th about 10;00 PM, in a violent thunder storm. I felt thankful I was not on guard that night. I hastily unyoked my cattle and let the guard look after them and crawled into my wagon, to bed. I had to share the wagon with the old gentlemen A. Messinger, all the way accross the plains, who snored so as to jar and shake the wagon, quite an annoyance to me. I was generally on guard every third night.

Pawnee Springs rises, or boils out of the level ground and has a flow of about 6 inches diameter, moving little grains of gravel around the mouth, with the force of the clear cold and delicious water. No trees or shrubery near, but not very far from some low sandy ridges. Saturday July 14th camped on the banks of the Platte, being outside the timber belt[,] we have had no wood for some days, cooking & etc is all done with "Buffalo Chips", (dried manure). It is amusing to see the women gather up buffalo chips in their aprons and carry them for miles in that way till we make camp, but at this camp I saw a small grove of timber and brush on the South side of the river. I concluded to take off all my cloths, swim across with an axe and rope and bring over some wood. The river is a swift current with an uneven bottom, at one place one can wade it and in a few steps it may be 10 or 15 feet deep. Being a fair swimmer I had no fears on that part and consequently arrived on the other shore without much difficulty and ascended the bank immediately[.] being naked, I was covered with mosquitos and green or blue flies, some call them ox flies, their sting is as penetrating as a hornets, and for a moment I felt as if I had a swarm of bees on me for I was [-] literally covered with them. I dashed back into the water to get them off, and then hastily made another attempt to get a log to the water[.] after several attempts I procured my log, which I floated across, but it hardly paid for the fun and suffering I had in getting it.

Our route now led over some sandy hills or bluffs. The wagons sometimes sunk into the sand half way to the hubs, and makes a harder, more [-] sluggish or more lifeless pull than mud the same depth; We often had to double teams, and sometimes put 18 or 20 yoke cattle on one wagon to move it up t the hills, which caused slow progress among some of these sand hills. On Sundays we generally rested most of the day, and hold meetings, very often though move camp only a few miles. Almost every evening and morning the camp was called to prayers and those who did not attend were not considered very good saints . On the 25th. we camped near Chimney Rock which is situated on a level plain, a very high knoll, with a tall perpendicular chimney like rock or tower reaching skyward to a great hight, we have traveled in sight of this for three days.On the 26th, a scotch sister had trouble with her husband, and run away from camp, evadently in perswasion of an evil spirit, or a very despondent feeling as if she would destroy herself, in searching for and perswading her to return detained us considerably.On Wednesday July 31, we passed Fort Larmie, whith is Sourh of the river about two miles, I induced a man to drive my team, while I walked ahead, crossed the river, went to the Fort, mailed some letters, and received some [-] mail from friends in the East. This place was considered about half way between Omaha or Florence and Salt Lake City, but the worst of the road is said to be still between us and the valley. The country now is becoming more hilly and gravely and the oxen getting foot sore and we have to resort to shoeing them. We are also getting more accustomed to breaking wagon tongues, which we have to mend as best we can for there is no timber to make new ones, we have to splice as best we can and wrap and bind with wet rawhide.

August 1, 1861, crossed the river to the South side on a bridge, the river not being very wide or deep here. Reached Cottonwood creed August 2nd, here had an ox killed by lightening, having driven the cattle across the river to feed, and a thunder storm came up. Here I also had the experience of a 36 hour fast, through being on guard and away from camp, and on business or duty for camp. When I returned had to hurried by yoke up and drive until the second day, was nearly consumed, yet I did not pay much attention to it, being robust and strong and able to endure, what most anyone else could. We reached Horseshoe on the 3rd, and on the 4th, Elders Gates, Spencer and Jones overtook us, they having driven through with mules, and a lightspring covered wagon. They brought us the news of a big battle at Bulls Run, at which the Union troops were terribly whipped and driven with great loss.

Our next main point was Independence Rock and the Sweetwater river, which we reached on the 14th, and on the 15th Devils-Gate, a narrow passage through which the river passes, with very high perpundictular walls, It was in this vicinity that I saw in the Sweetwater more fish to the square foot from one to two feet long, than I ever saw in my life before, and felt that it was a great loss that we had […] no nets to catch them in. I think with a small sein we could have caught a wagon load in half an hour, as the waters were very low and the fish were corralled as it were in the deeper places, which were not over 2 feet deep and unable to pass over the shallow places.

On Sunday the 18th Peter Rank and Mr. Kelsey with part of the camp, 21 wagons in all left us, becoming dissatisfied, and on the 19th we met some 6 companies of U.S. Troops, from Fort Crittenden on their way East, to join the Northern Army, and defend the U.S. Flag, or fight for the Union, and whip the seccessionists of the Southern States, out of the idea of dissolving the Union. On Friday night August 20th we had some snow, quite cold, but several families of our Welsh friends next morning did not sense it, or it did not cool their ardor, as some were quite warm under the collar, having quarreled, that discusted the whole camp, and would no doubt have caused the poor Lamanites to blush, had they seen and heard the uproar; but it was finally quelled and were enabled to proceed, and on the 22nd we overtook P. Ranks second [….] train at upper crossing of the Sweetwater, passing Pacific Springs on the 23rd , quite cold and frosty. Feed was now very scarce and our cattle becoming weak jaded and worn out. On the 24th five more wagons left us and went onward, we reached the Little Sandy on the 25th , where we found some better feed; here we rested two days to recruit our cattle, moving out on the 28th[.] We reached Green River on the 29th and crossedit on the 30th , camping on Black Fork on the 31st . Next day, took Youngs cut-off at Hams Fork and reached Big Muddy on Sept. 3, here Elders Orson Prat and Erastus Snow, returning missionaries, overtook us and camped with us; bringing us later news from the States and seat of war. On Sept 4th we camped near quaking asp ridge, here Peter Rank and his company left us again and continued their journey; we are now in a rather mountainous country. On the 6th after traveling 16 miles we camped at the head of Echo canyon, and on the 7th after a very tedious and rough drive down Echo canyon we reached the Weber River, camping a few miles South of Echo canyon, and on Sunday the 8th we moved up to where Hoytsville now is, where we rested for several days, it was at this time that S.P. Hoyt had located here, and commenced to build a mill.

On Tuesday the 10th a few wagons, my brother Elias amoung them started for Salt Lake City, and came in through Parleys Canyon, camping on the second night, or the 11th just North of the mouth of Parleys Canyon, and on the 12th entered the city, stopping one block west of the 19th Ward meeting house with some friends, some of the party, where we had dinner, and in the afternoon I found a place to board at Mrs. Busbys in the 13th Ward where I moved my boxes and luggage and took up my abode.