OCR Text |
Show 180 TEAVELS AND ADVENTUEES LN THE FAE WEST. CHAPTER XXVin. Departure from Great Salt Lake City-Equipments for the Journey-Author Paints Portraits of Gov. Young and Apostles-His Restoration to Health-Snow Storm- Cotton Wood Settlement-"Willow Creek-Lehigh-Utah Lake-Snow Storm-Pleasant Grove-Provost-Payson. HAVING determined to go to California by the Southern route from Great Salt Lake City, through the settlements, and over the trail of Col. Fremont of 1843, which I wanted to illustrate with views, etc., I took advantage of the opportunity which offered on the 6th May, 1854. Twenty-three Mormon missionaries, under command of Parley Pratt, were about to proceed over this route to San Bernandino, thence to San Pedro, and the Sandwich Islands; at which latter place their religious labors were to be exercised to convert those benighted islanders to the truths of Mormouism! It was the season that his excellency the Governor usually paid his annual visit to the different settlements at the South. He had also made extensive preparations for a treaty of peace with the Indians under the chieftainship of Wakara. He proclaimed his intention of accompanying Parley Pratt and his missionaries to Cedar City, the most southern settlement, a distance of 300 miles from Great Salt Lake City. At the invitation of Gov. Young, who seemed anxious that I should have a safe escort across the desert, I |