Transcript

We rolled out, and I drove the next to the lead team and Brother Alfred Keatch [Keetch] drove the lead team all the way across the plains. I had to stand gaurd the half of each night all the way, in company <with> a Brother from Ireland[.] He was allways full of wit, and some times he would say. “Take it easey, and take a nap, the world goes around all the same, and the bullock can not get off it.” We run very short of provisions one time, and captain Miller reli<e>ved us. We were hard up for fresh meat. We came a cross a give out cow, I Butchered her, and we all atte so heartily that it made us sick. We lost quite a few cattle by them ‘giving out,’ and by the time Hams Fork was reached we had to lay over till help could be got. After A while mule teams met us and brought the Fruit, and good things <of> Zion w<h>ich cheered our hearts up very much. At that time the bleached Bones of the giveout <dead> cattle marked the Mormon trail very prominently, and as im<m>igrants passed, they would often write some message for some friend or lover that was in the rear, but I hunted and hunted but never A word could I find from my Elizabeth.

At last we came into Echo Canyon and up through Coalville through Wanship and up Silver Creek. The roads were not as good as they are to day. We camped at Hardy’s Station, and come down Parleys Canyon. It had just been opened for regular travel. But O my! I never saw such roads before. However we pulled through all right, and in coming down just west of the old Penitentiary there used to be an old logg cabin. The Wardell familey had arrived 3 or 4 weeks before and were occupeying this logg house. As we passed, Sister Wardell met me, and walked a short distance along the road with me, telling all about the journey and stated that an old polig had met my young ladey and she had run off with him. This caused me some very unpleasent reflections. We come down and camped w<h>ere the city poor house stands.