Transcript

{Pages 9-11}

—we took the boat to Florence the Outfitting place of the L D S Emegrants[.] here we rested for some time allowing time for more Emigrants to arrive enough to form a Company large enough to be safe against Indians and for the emigrants to gather their outfits such as wagons Cattle Horse Cows & ct[.] by this time some of our Company began to run short of money so much so that some could not proceed farther without assistance[.] So my Father having some money He assisted those that were in need some 5 or 6 familys[.] well the time finally came for us to start so we were Organized with W[illia]m budge as President and A man by the name of Nephi Johnson as Guide and Captain[.] we pulled out to the first watering place when one of our peoples little children [either child of Christian Wittwer or Heinrich Baers] took sick and died[.] there being little chance to get lumber to mak a Coffin so Father took the box Carreing his big bass fiddle and made use of it as a Coffin[.] after all was over we again started on our Journey[.] it sure was a Commicall looking outfit mooring along[.] the oxen were awkward and the drivers seemed to know less than the oxen about that kind of work[.] often you would see a man on each side of the team herding them along, but as a general thing the land was level so we got along pretty well[.] the days were long the feed was good and plenty of water so we would get unto [into] Camp early and just before Camping time you would see people Gathering buffaloe Chips wich was dried cow and buffaloe dung that was in place of wood[.] there was little or now wood along the platt[e] River to make a fire of for Cooking purposes[.] there were a great number of buffaloe[.] you Could see Hundreds of them feeding a short distance from the road[.] there were also plenty of Antilope a small animal a good deal like a dear and when it jumps it would show a white spot on its back, as we travaled along we would see a peice of paper that some earlier train had left telling when they had passed along and sometimes you would see a new made grave where some poor soul had been laid to rest Caused from different Hardships endured while on the way for it surely was a trying time for all especially those having large families to provide and care for and as we went west the days grew shorter and the water and the feed hard to find[.] sometimes we would have to travel much farther than they expected to go on account of no water[.] then the Children had to be fed and put to bed and other things that pertains to a family attended too but for all the suffering the people were joyful through all their suffering and Sundays we always laid over on Sundays and held meetings and all seemed to enjoy it looking anxiously looking for the time when they would arrive in Zion and that finally arived on the 5th day of Oct 1860[.] we Camped on the lot where now stands the City and County Building SL City.