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It soon "became evident that in the knee-hi£#i grass the wagons were too heavily loaded. Some people had ignored the regulations. Brother Olsen traveled to Leavenworth to talk to Apostle Orson Pratt, who resided in that city as Church Emigration Agent. He loaned the company sufficient money to purchase 50 more oxen. Many of the saints were asked to repack and to discard unnecessary items so lifter loads could be obtained. Ilorten was appointed to a group of men who went ahead of the train to cut down creek banks 30 the wagons could cross without delay. At one point they caxie to an insurmountable "bluff on the banks of the Kansas River and had to retrace their steps and take a different route. At still another point along that river they had to swim the teans across and an eighteen-year-old man was drowned during the crossing. On July 22 they intersected the old emigrant road. The traveling got much easier after that. On August 4th Erastus Snow, Parley Pratt and E. T. Benson and a Brother Spencer met the company as they were traveling east. They spent the night and Apostle Snow gave the Saints a blessing before parting from then. They reached the Platt River the next day and saw their first buffalo. Several were killed and meat was provided for the remainder of the journey. Soon after this they passed a band of Indians. The Indians killed two of their cows. A band of traders took word of this to Port Laramie to Lieutenant Grattan, who innediately sent a detachment of soldiers to the Indian camp. Although the Indians offered to pay for the cattle, the commander of the troops gave orders to fire upon the Indians, and in the battle that followed, over thirty soldiers were killed. Until that incident the Sioux had not interferred with the emigrants, but after that the later trains were to suffer much harrassment. On September 11th and 16th, wagons from the Salt S3 |
