Transcript

On the 9th day of May the Company was ready to cross the plains. There were sixty wagons, which we made into companies, each company having a captain. I was one of the captains. Ten wagons to a company. After traveling for a short distance we found out we did not have enough oxen to pull the loads. Some of the brethren left for more oxen, coming back with 25 yoke. We were then requested to unpack our trunks and do away with all that we could possibly do without. I packed my things in a sack and threw away my trunk as many others did. In hitching some of the wild oxen to our wagons I was run down by one of them but was not hurt very mch.

The road we traveled had never been gone over before. We waded in grass knee deep, and every day would have to cut down the banks of creeks. For this purpose a corps of men traveled ahead with spades and shovels. At one time we were led out of our path coming to a steep bluff near the Kansas River. We could go no further, and so went back to the turning point taking the whole of one day. We had many such stops. Many dangerous roads to cross. At one place on the Kansas river our cattle had to swim the stream. Here one of the boys 18 years of age was drowned.

We finally reached the old emigrant road on July 22nd. What a change it was after we had traveled such a hard road. Walking now seemed easy.

On the 4th of August we met Erastus Snow, P.P. Pratt and E.T. Benson, of the Twelve Apostles, also a Brother Spencer. They stayed over night with us, and before parting next day Apostle Snow blessed the Scandinavian Emigrants. This day we traveled by the Platt[e] River and saw herds of buffaloes. We killed some of them and had a great supply of meat to our journey’s end. A little later we passed an Indian Camp. The Indians shot two of our cows. Further on we met a band of traders and told them what the Indians had done. Thirty of them went down to the camp and demanded the Indian that had shot the cows. They would not tell, so the traders took the Indian Chief and killed him. This enraged the Indians and so there was a battle between them. We had now crossed over the Platt[e] river and heard that the Indians were going to make an attack on us so we prepared ourselves. Late in the night we heard the tramp of horses feet on the other side of the river and thought that the Indians had come, but found out that it was the traders returning.

We were being joined by other companies and by this time there was a large train of us. We camped at Sweetwater for four days to give our cattle a good rest.

On Sept. 4th we passed Devilsgate and met a band of Indians. One of them gave me a new pair of moccasins. We were nearly out of provisions.

On Friday the 12th we met four wagons loaded with flour and we had 4 pounds for each individual in the train. These wagons were sent from the valley together with others who we met later.

On the 16th we met 16 more wagons with flour and we had 30 pounds for each individual in the train and that should last us until we arrive in Salt Lake Valley.

We camped on the Green River on the 18th of September and rested there until Sunday the 23rd. Our cattle, our traveling power was weak, many of our oxen had died and the most of those we had left were weak.

On the 29th we held a dance in the evening.

The 30th of September and the first of October we drove through Echo Canyon.

Brother Olson started ahead of us for the City to have a talk with President Brigham Young. A brother from the Valley whose name I did not learn, took charge of the company. We were told that we had 36 miles left to reach the Valley.

On the 2nd of October we drove through Spring Creek Canyon, a narrow Canyon where we drove over the creek many times.

On the 4th we drove over Big Mountain and part of the wagons drove up on top of Little Mountain and camped.

On the 5th the other wagons drove up and we continued this day, the 5th of October to the City.