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Show 342 ~.':!: of goi:ng with Brother Woodr u.ff· t'd Winter Quarter-s . Am then t he Ohuroh vta.s cal led • upon oy t he u. •· g;overnntmt .fof- five .hul'idred volunte e1.. a t ,o ehltat i .n 'their ser. . vice, i n the war aga.:i.nst Me.xi.eo. It be 'ng oo:ns i.dered wiadorn. t he men were fur• nisbed and Albert Smit h and Az:ariah Smith 'Vtere tw--o of JGhe number-; lea·:fing motha:r arrl t hr ee children with the Ohu:roh • am send l ng what money we ·oeuld spa..re of' ol..tr pay h ack to them, · At San Dle g;o we drew o·U.r n.tuskats 1 and' cartr idge boxe s , knapsacks ;. eto., 1 w·h i ·eh mad.e-. ov.t a pretty ,go.od harness, bu'b. we got a team and v1a:g on , to take them on.. 1.. ':! f f!');r '.Gh.;;J· h ~irdal-dp that we pass·ed t hrough i tt tPa"J'el :!,ng ·t hat ·l~ng,· di.s-'banoa t o Ca lif'orni a ; I ltave not room· nt:>r· worde to expl~in. But witl~ t he pre,IS :. r "ing hand. of God_. \W f i .nal1y arri w d 'safe on t he ?aai.fic coast. Company c, to which father and I ~ lo n~_ed.; were ·quartered at San Diego. 'Where I had t he op or-t;unit y of s ee i ng; a tld ~.o ( ne; on hoard some ah1.ps f or the first time in Tfi:?l li.fa. We ~amaine d thet?e until ':our di s ohar&,t. T'ne question tha.n was how and whe rt) shall 'Mt f•i nd hoJnf> •~ '? ! . W$11• we boU.gh:t some hors es to ride at1.d pa~k -our · provisions, ~:~te • ., als:o uying ·s ome s 0ock t o d l .. iVe n i t h us:· f or b.ee f • But We eould not drive ·bhetn1 as t hey ·:.vou l d f i ght us, a~d we soon had ·t o kill all of t ham and jerk the meat s·o t hat v-1e · could pack it v!i"h us. l 1th mueh diff iculty we ·traveled SOme 500 -miles nofthJ and then turning east. , on our w.a.y t o Salt Lake., be j.ng i nformed t-hat the Church vY'~ra goi ng to se·ttle a t t hat place .: . After getti.ng w~· 11 on e>ur way·~' vre we~e met by Cap·~ · Br oWn ' s· o d1'lpany 11 . just f r om Salt J;..ake., 1rvit.h e.. l$t .er from mo ~;l1ar 1 a.:nd also a l ett;e r 'f:r-mn .t he Ttilelv@• • Thiw :was ·. :read, and gave us much satisfa<:rc.ion-. I t w~s considered wisdom ,f ·or a good portion o .~. our number t o l"Eft'lren t o Ca.li r ornia, a a prov~ai:o na vroz:e scar c.e and not muah t o · be d one at pre s·&~t. I took· o:tle horae and ·•ith -a :goud portion of , out· nwnber t o r~turn ~o Califor ·nia, a s Irr o-.;;.iaicns we,re scarce ·and not muoh t be dox1s at p.rasent. I took 011e horse a.n::l with a goo9 portion " f .Gtu• number went baekJ but father .. wi uh f oul"' ,a ni..-tnals .• went on to Sa,l t Lake~ Our company ra ... t~ned as far aa Sutt~ r's f ort, gott i ng a. Job of Su,tter to d i g' ·a -o.a a l~, wishing to build a :)rist mi ll .. A f .ew of. us, ac cord ~ n _') t o his wi :3he s , ~nt 'Wit h Mrlf Mar-sha.ll to the plaee now ealled Coloma to r,uild a s awmill,, \\'hio:J;l was built.,. I worked piimi 11g plank on the foreboy . and .. d:T.gr;;. :i.ng t he t a ilrace; and with ri!Iar- . shall b lasthig s-ome bi g r i .ek w· , i~h mad ~ . t he I ndians wonder to s ee them s plit open so e a:sy. A.'eter ·the ~a.(';le was pretty we 11 f inis.hed anq wat er. had been tu.rn$d i n , Mr. :Ma.T'IGhall ha.pp$ned to p ia ~ Up i n the r t:a..ca t he . f i:r'?t nue;ge ·e o.f ·gold f ound in Calt""" . fornia.~ . TJ:ti,~ was · o'n Januariy 24 1 1848., · ith muoh troubl e a nd pers everance we ~ qon gat h<ared u.p some,• . Th£~ ·wo~d soon e·ot ·out and. spread like f ~.re• that gol d ha :l be an fo\Wd• The peopl e cam$ f locking in from every dire ct i on , taking u claims~ and soan mads a nl.int ng country o·f it. I mad ~ out t o et some $500 ·of' hhe g o ld~ and vlt'i th a edmpan.y ~ i n 'che s pring prepal"ed with s oms war: one an3 p ~ ok · ani:tna ls t o go t~h:r ough t o Sa.l 'l'» Lake .~ • |
