Transcript
Transcript for John H. Tippets journal, 1846 July-1847 June
After s[t]aying with my family from the 15 of febuary to the 7 of April I s[t]arted again with the pioneers to go cam camp till they came up. They came up on the 15 Day of the month and on the 16 we started
on the 20th of the month we past the pawne Indians[.] they apeared quite friendly
on the 22 we camped at the mishionary settlement on river[.] we crosed the loop fork of the Platt[e.] after crossing we traviled on 2 miles and camped for the Sabath[.] the 25 of the month a pleasant and beautiful day.
On the morning of the 26 we was caled by the alarm[,] the g[u]ard having reported that indians was near[.] one of the gard shot at one[.] we got our breakfast and started[.] camped at on at night a lit[t]le creek[.] Br [Jesse Carter] Little and Br [Willard] Richerds lost a horse apeare [apiece] that was taken by the indians[.] [Orrin] Porter Rockwell and three others went back the next day after them and was met by 9 indians
on the 27 we started[.] traviled till near night and camped on a hansom little creek about ten miles north of the Platt[e]
on the morning of the 28 we rose and got ready to start[.] it is fare and pleasant[.] we came to the Platt[e] River traviled up apease and camped
the 29 is a pleasant day
the 30 day is cold and windy[.] the first day of may is a cold rain winday day[.] about noon we saw a hurd of bufalow and started out[,] some hunters on horses[.] they took after them and killed five big ones and six calves
on the morning of the 2 of may we got up and the night had been so cold that water in our buckets was froze half inch thick water in the slews was also frozen but the sun rose quite pleasant and warm
May 3 we started[.] traviled two miles which is on Sunday to git feed for a our cat[t]le and horses[.] the night was so cold that ice froze in our buckets again
we are laying by to day to repare wagons and wash[,] which is Monday the fo[u]rth of may
the fifth and sixth ware quite pleasant days[.] we past several hurds [herds] of Buffalow[.] kild one cow and several calves and fetcht two alive
it is now the 7 of the month which is may[.] the day is warm and pleasant
May 27 we are camped on the bank of the [p]latt[e] [R]iver[.] this morning is winday and disagreable[.] the feed is gitting poor on the account of the continuial hurds of Buffalow[.] some of our teems are giving out
May 7 [8] it is A warm and pleasant day[.] we are stoped for noon on the bank of the platt[e] river and the ground on both sides of the river is covered with Buffalow and they come up with in thurty or forty rods of our wagons
May the 9 is Sunday[.] we started and traviled three miles to find feed for our teems[.] the feed is verry poor on the account of the nu[m]erous hurds of bufalow[.] they eate it out[.] the day is warm and pleasant and we are stoped to rest
May 10 This morning was cool[.] we started at nine oclock[.] traviled till noon to bate[.] it is now warm and pleasant[.] we travil along verry agreeable all in union
[May] 11 is warm and pleasant day[.] we traviled till the middle of the after noon and stoped for our teems to feed as we had found beter feed than we have had for several days
May th 12 the mornings and eavenings are verry cool and the middle of the day is warm and pleasant[.] we git along verry slow on the account of the feed being et out with by the bufalow[.] leaves it verry poor for our teems
May th 13 as usual we started at eight oclock[.] it is winday and cold all day[.] we camped at night on a hansom shole creek [a] little above where it emtied into the north fork of the platt[e.] we are now up the north fork nearly 15
miles this morning is the 14 of
the feed for our catle is giting beter and I feel in hopes we shall git along some faster this morning[.] before we got ready to go start it began to rain and was so cold that our horses shook with the cold[.] we past over a bluff[.] it was generally sunny and the base of it had ben shifted and changed by the wind
May th 15 is a cold and windy day with some rain[.] to day we past through another bluff that the wind had blown in heaps and blown holes in the ground from three to five feet deep and several rods long[.] when we went down the bluff we went down in a plase that the wind had blown out wide a nuff [enough] for a road and the sand was eight or ten inches deep[.] when we got down came onto abeautiful green bottom of grass and we stoped and bated our teams[.] our hunters have killed nine buffalows in all and anumber of calves
May th 16 is a cold winday day and disagreeable day[.] it is on Sunday and we are lying by and have little or no wood and the Buffalow dung is so damp it does not burn verry well
we are camped a quarter of a mile from the north fork of the Platt[e] and agood many Buffalow came in sight this morning on the belief bluf's a half mile from our camp[.] one of the hunters killed one jest at night
may th 17 this morning traveling over a bluff of a c[o]uple of
May th 18 This morning we started as usal[.] the fore part of the day was warm and pleasant[.] we traviled 15 miles crosed two creeks[.] stoped for night on a little creek that came from the bluffs which are near half a mile from the river
May th 19 we s[t]arted as usal b[u]t it is a wet stormy morning[.] we crosed the point of a bluff of three quarters of a mile which the wind had blown in holes and drifts[.] it was very heard [hard] for wagon teems to draw our loads throug[h.] we traviled till near noon and had to stop on the account of the rain for an hour or two and started again and traviled 2 miles[.] had to sop Stop again and camped for the night
May th 20 This morning we started as usal the day being pleasant[.] we traviled along on the bank of the river[.] crosed two creeks[.] traviled 15 miles and camped for night
May th 21 we started this morning at the usal hour[.] had verry good traviling[.] bated at noon[.] traviled till four oclock in the after noon[.] stoped for the night and saw indian and his squaws came to us[,] stayed a few minutes and went back to the bluff.
May the 22 as us[u]al we started traviled along on the bottom of the north fork of the platt[e] till the middle of the after noon when we came to the point of a bluff that came to the river[.] we crosed 2 dry creeks[.] before we came to the bluffs we rose the [text missing] which was principally sand and gravel[.] we crossed around between the hills for 2 miles[.] crosed a dry creek in the bluffs 3 times[,] it was so crooked[.] we also had to turn around the hills and hollows[.] came through the bluffs[.] crosed 2 small dry creeks and came on to the river bottom again & took the bluffs more on our write [right.] 2 miles from the river came pased of hard clay and rocks verry broken high and steep some nearly round and verry high some small points & towering up from 40 to 50 feet[.] to day as we was traviling a long we found a pease of a bone that had been the shoulder blade of some animal sup[p]osed to be the mamoth[.] it was 18 inches long 12 inches wide at one end[.] the small end was 6 inches wide[,] 6 inches thick[.] we found a leg bone 18 inches long[,] 4 inches thick[.] a pease of it only was found there[.] bones ware petrefinedrefied as heard [hard] as a stone and ware as heavy[.] george R[oberts] grant and Horace [Kimball] Whitney and one or two more went into the bluffs and went part the way up one and came to a ceder tree and climb the tree and took a young gray eaglet from the nest and brout it to camp[.] it was considerable of a sight
May the 23 is on Sunday and we are lying by and are camped[.] camped about 2 miles from the Bluffs that I have ben describing[.] meeting is appointed at 11 o clock as is our our turn to have me[e]ting evry sabath[.] many of the breathering [brethren] have gone and are going to see the curiosaty of the Bluffs[.] we have had a verry interesting discourse from President [Brigham] Young and Arastus [Erastus Fairbanks] Snow[.] to day at sun down the wind rose and began to rain and turnd verry cold and will [be] a tedious nigh[t]&
May th 24 the morning is cold and winday[.] we started as usal[.] it cleared of[f] pleasant and warm[.] we traviled 16 miles and a half[.] camped for night and a company of Indians came a crost the river to us[.] opiset our camp is a Bluff of curiosity[.] at a distanance it looks like a round two story house with a dorny [dormer] on the top top. The Indians that came to our camp last night staied all night a little distance from us[.] the chief took super with porter Roquel [Rockwell] and his squaw also and staied all night[.] went away in the morning peasible [peaceable] and frindley[.] they ware Sous [Sioux]
May the 25 we started as us[u]al[.] traviled up the platt[e] bottoms through some verry wet hard traviling[.] traviled 22 miles and camped for night
May th 26 Started this morning past the chimney rock wich is on the south side of the river and other bluffs and banks of curiosity[.] the hunters killed four antelopes to day
May th 27 this morning being very pleasant we started as usal[.] traviled eight miles and bated an hour and a half[.] traviled 5 mile and camped[.] it clouded up and thundered and is beginning to rain
May th 27 This morning is clouday and raineing[.] after wating a couple of hours we started[.] traviled eleven and a half miles and camped for night[.] it is still clouday
May th 28 this morning is wet and rainey is cool and very unpleasant[.] we are wating for it to clear away. The rain ceased and the weather looked more favorable and we got our teems ready to start[.] a meating was caled by President Brig[h]am Young[.] he reproved the camp for their light and trifiling spirit that prevailed in there midst and for playing cards and access [excess] of Dansing [dancing] and said he would not go any further unless ou a covinent is made to do bet[t]er[.] a vote was caled and unanimosly carried[.] we started half past one[.] traviled eight miles[.] it began to rain again and we camped for night
May th 29 is on Sunday and the camp are giting ready for a fast meeting and to partake of the sacrament[.] the day is to be spent in fasting and prayer and the twelve are to be in counsel by themselves
May the 31 I have mist [missed] one day in day
June may th 1 this morning we started as usal[.] stoped and bated on the bank of the river[.] traviled in the after noon till sun two hours high and came to Laramie[,] being five hundred and 40 miles from Winter quarters[;] being two thousand and eight hndred miles that I have traviled sense the 16 of last July 1846 to this date June first 1847.
June the 2 we are now camped on the bank of the Platt[e] and shall l[a]y by three or f[u]or days to wash and do some blacksmithing