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Show 1849 l)aptJ.zccl Jtme,1849 by Bro. Clark in the j\iaaouri I· i" ere ;-:Y fnther had ilrlPlOvod his moans someuhat t1hile At Council J:"Oil'lt 1;"0 had, forr:.ed e ome ple.aannt f:riendohipsj amon5 thOfti,o(:'vcral of the Allreda, nnd James Eird and family. J. C. L. Srni th had r eacbed Salt Lke Valley all right. He me-de a 11 ttle money by trading wi th tl1.e r.l1i:rr-UltS who wer e 011 their w y to Callforniajl and had li'bernlly sent us some to help us Being a1)l€1 to fit out a team arlO. wagon, my :fa.ther commenced props.I' ationa for our dOl)ar·tu:r.e west. On May 29 1850 we le:f Cotulcil oint wi th tht) b ody of the Sainte. We went down the river to the lower ferry and orossed the lZissouri Riv$r on JunC3 A few It 1850" miles frotH the fCE1"Y the Saints stopped a few days while th con1:pany TW.S orgr:mized. Tho company consisted of fifty \Vag0112 with a cup' ain, and d' vided into tens -rll.th a oaptain o'ver each ten l1'dlo Ad'Lis was chosen oapta.in of the company and Robert Wiley captnin I was .. ,. \ , , ... .. l!I of our ten. Th orgel1'lization being 001'll1)letea, :preparatio:ne wel'ge rns.d to commence ·the journey. The first few d.,aye onr progress waG.3 e$pecinlly £110,/0 lTa.rly everyone had wild and unbroken cattle, and 1 t required ti ie 21'1d patienoe to get them to their Our OO'M'S were nearly places. all worked and soon became tl"'actable ana the best :part of' the team Om." toums and V1eOn$ ware ef vari.ous Id nde IJ few however of t"1e best. '::.y fatheto team consie·ted of one la.rge yoke of OJt.:n, good but very old. The l-'CRt vIars wild gteera and ccws Y'le foul\\ a Lao that many of the teamsters were rq handa ruld not accumtomed to handling' wild A few d..'i3.Y9 produced ani-aals. quite a change t and tealTIst.ers and t eame soon. learned their plaoes and, duties; and our progress 1r\O.G it little betteat. We al"rivE}(l e..t Fort Kearney on the 23rd of Jt4'"'le, 1850, and. apent the fourth of' July eroeslrlg the south forI' of the Platt R1vc:r. ;;e croased n t an angle wh.oh made i:t a 11 ttle over a mile from bank to, bank. Tho ra.·tel' averaged about eighteen inches deep, and had a qu1ck sand bottom. Ere was a Rubject for reflection: a few poor, half clothed)) ho.lf-fed Saints SlJena.itag the Nation' s Holiday_ 'toiling from eal'ly dawxl until dark througH water and quiok aand to place the defHrt$ between tbem and their perDecutors. J...nd this in a land of lH>crty. lZa.ny of theme ma:rche were LJade a.t the vry 'time when, five hundred of our men wore in the field fighting the battles of the gO"lfern!!lsnt that had al.lowed us to be driven away, if, it had not Thsse toilsome j ourneye f hardshipe, expo sur-ea , at c. helpJd ito cauaed many to lay d9wn to rest, never to rise again until the InOr11in of the resurrecti on I We arrived at Fort Laramie on the 19th of Julyo Rere w found t fit tew U11i ted States troops with B@vel"ul tl"aders, half breeds, vagabonds , etc. August "it}l, 1850'V0 'a.rrived at tba f4Deilil¥o Gathft This f is qui te a rer1arke.ble scene, vlhere th0 Sweet Water zune thl-ough a canyon with rock sides ri sing perpendioular from the W[;'l,t erltJ dee, for hUl'ldr0da of feet. Q,u1 te number of wagong belonging to iim1srants to the m:irHHJ of Ca.lifo,.nil h4d been burned. at thi G .p Lace Unable 1,'0 take jhem- fa.rther th.ra emigrantf3 had bUl'1'Hd their wagons rather than t see them full into th hands of the Mormons. .tlany of them we ze eo eager to get to the mineo supposed to contain euch fabulous vrealth that tire(l animals, w.f!;on5 and other prOlerty ware left by the hUi1dreds along the way. Some of this 'W1M;) gathered up by the S-sints, A great abundance of and llelped them v'ery much ga,rne lived along the , .. .. .. , ," , r ' i .. . .. , , , (,_ ' 'I It, !. |
