Transcript

May 3, 1848 we started west in company with Eliazer [Eleazer] Miller, for the mountains. We stayed at Winter Quarters now called Florence, (Nebraska) several days. June 2 we got to the Horn. The companies were organized into Hundreds and fifties, to keep the Indians from stealing the horses and cattle.

We came from Winter Quarters with the Ezerale [Zera] Pulsipher company. We traveled a long way on the Platte River. The grazing for our cattle was generally good, and for wood we used buffalo chips. We would find a little wood and sage brush now and then.

June 30, 1848 Levi Reed and I went to hunt and killed a buffalo, the first that was killed by our company. July 12 we came to the ancient bluff ruins. July 22 we got to Laramie (Wyoming); the road soon became gravelly and the cattles feet got sore. Aug. 26 we were at the Pacific Springs. James P. Terry, my wifes brother, came this far to help us along—with one yoke of his fathers oxen and we agreed we should return to fetch father Terry the next season—and he took one yoke of my oxen back. We could not move for want of teams, but there were t[e]ams sent from the valley to help those that needed or wanted help. So President Brigham Young told Bro. Vance [Hanks] to help us to the valley. We traveled along with Brigham Youngs group – our company had gone and left us. We now traveled fast but the weather was cold and it snowed several times.

Sept 22, 1848 we got to the valley of the mountains.