| OCR Text |
Show The Tanners and the San Bernardino Mission 169 This little mountain paradise was, by the present road, three hun dred and eleven miles from Great Salt Lake City, and was altogether the most beautiful place in all the route. Some thousand or fifteen hundred acres of bottom, or meadow lands, were spread out before like a green carpet richly clothed with a variety of grasses, and possessing a soil both black, rich and quick being a mixture of sand, gravel and clayey loam, and the decayed visitations of ages. It is everywhere moistened with springs, and would produce potatoes, vegetables and small grains in abundance without watering.P us - This was a description of the Mountain Meadows where six years later the tragic event known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre would take place. In 1851 it was the most peaceful and lovely place . seen along the seven hundred mile route. In contrast to the above ments taken from Pratt's here description, journal: are a few chosen state 13th we camped at a large spring, usually called the Vegas. The country through which we have passed is worthless desert The longest distance without water is about 50 miles We have Two cows as yet lost no cattle through hunger, thirst or fatigue. May . . . ... were stolen from traveled us by the Indians seventy-five miles through . . . Since leaving Vegas horrible desert. we have a most May 23rd heavy roads up hill and sandy, day hot. Arrived at Salt After resting Springs gold mines towards evening; water brackish for a few hours we started on in the evening and traveled all night, with the exception of short intervals of rest. The hot day and heavy ... so harassed the cattle that we made but little progress camp in a suffering condition, some cattle had given out entirely, and fifteen or twenty miles between us and water. This was themost trying time of a11.1 roads had . . . The Mojave River was reached May 28 and though there was still the San Bernardino Mountains and the Cajon Pass between them and their destination, the desert was behind them and there would be water and feed the rest of the way. It was now a matter of slow, patient travel and in two more weeks they would reach the San Ber nardino Valley. While the main body; of the travelers was moving slowly but methodically over the mountain barrier, Apostles Lyman and Rich together with Captain Jefferson Hunt and William Mathews went ahead of the train on horseback hoping to meet Isaac Williams at |
