Show I I M Martins Handcart rt Company 1856 1856 12 56 i j BY JOSIAH ROGERSON No 5 Since commencing the writings of the annals and narrative of Martins Hand Handcart Handcart cart company I have had numerous le applications personally by phone and letter etter ter to embody enbody the whole in book bogk form at its completion and as the in Interest Interest terest has increased with each number In The Herald H by its readers and the daily dally demand at the office for back numbers it Is more than probable that after the last l st chapter it will be em embodied embodied embodied bodied in pamphlet form but until then it belongs to The Herald with all the valuable documents and diaries I have been favored with since begin beginning beginning beginning ning General R T Rescuing Journal This week through the kindness of the church historian Elder Andrew Jensen Jonsen I was made welcome to copy General Robert T Burtons camp Jour Journal journal journal nal the relief train and Captain George D Grant to help the emigrants of the year ear I have been writing about in tn the last four articles and this in invaluable invaluable valuable accurate and descriptive journal and diary which has never been in n print before and which contains the history of the noble rescuers and relief party with their teams from the time they left Salt Lake City Oct 7 1856 1556 till they brought and landed the last of Martins Handcart company into this city Sunday morning Nov 30 SO 1856 1656 with the names in full of the nineteen men left at Devils Gate to take care of the caches the whole hole of that winter All this will be embodied and blended with Historian diary lary and many Incidents from mem memory memory memory ory in the next four articles together w with ith data from Captain John A Hunts bunts journal all three of which I have be fore me now Captain Martins Journal and Diary To make the record as full as ble I have spared neither time nor pains to get Captain Edward Martins journal and diary which I know he kept daily throughout the entire jour journey journe journey ney ne that year of over 1350 miles for I many any times saw him writing and read his entries in his journal and it con contains cont contins tins t the names of all that died and Ml fell II by the way and where buried burled yet yeti Je i notwithstandIng the search of his relict nd children who are quite willing these names should be had LS s yet ye it has not been found I More of the Cart Fuel Etc Asked by readers as to the size of oft ofa It t a cart wheels they were from four id nd a half to five feet in diameter oth c t h the covered and open carts thus u fling the axle of each at least two nd a half h lf feet above the he ground The covered cart had an iron tire bolted through the felloe or rim of the cart but out the open cart had only a hoop iron tire Ure not nearly so thick as the tire on the covered cart and fastened to the rim by nails or screws The lubricating oil with which to torease torease torease rease the axles mainly consisted of lap lap ap with the addition of ot a bacon baconrind rind Our fuel feel for Looking from the Elkhorn or Loup Fork sixty miles from Florence Neb to Fort Kearney Laramie and till we crossed Tossed the North Platte fifteen miles above the Platte bridge mainly con consisted isted of buffalo chips with a few twigs 1 of trees and cedar Start From Fort Laramie Thursday p Oct 9 Traveled three ites Iles today Why we proceed farther today toda I cannot find In the record as the weather was favorable and the roads good for traveling and making good time over This afternoon we were advised and likely Captain Edward Martin had been before of the purchase by Pres ident Franklin D Richards of seventy five to buffalo robes at Fort Lara Lam Laramie Laramie Lammle mie as he passed there ther some two weeks previous and after camping here and supper over ten handcarts with two men to each cart were de detailed detailed detailed tailed to go back to Fort Laramie and andset get set the robes The writer and his elder brother William were among the number de detailed detailed detailed tailed with nine others with cars un under under under der and In tn charge of a man mart named Wil William William William liam Singleton a urge l arge and tall taU Eng lishman but I am not certain that this is his right name though afterward In 1872 I met him in Panaca Nev We went back to Fort Laramie that night after dark a not less than thans seven s vell or ten miles got the buffalo robes seven to ten loaded on each cart and got back to camp by midnight Another good laurel leaf In the crown of Franklin D Richards and that saved aved nearly half as many lives during the next miles Journey journe They The were distributed next morning judiciously and with general satisfaction Friday l rIda OCt Ott O t 10 Traveled fourteen miles today The roads were very ver rough mountain roads road Proximity of Handcart and Wagon Companies To show the connection as promised some time ago and the proximity of the th traveling of John A Hunts and Captain Hodgetts wagon wagon companies with our handcart company I will quote a few paragraphs from Captain John A Hunts journal Wednesday Oct 8 Traveled twenty twenty twenty ty miles today toda Thursday Thurs a Oct 9 Traveled twenty miles milts today over some very el soft sandy sand rOl is hard and heavy heay hauling Camped about a mile or two from Fort Laramie Wyo at 7 p m so s readers of o this and handcart survivors survivors ors ora will s see e that Hunts wagon compa company compan ny n at Fort Laramie and In the next l that Hodgetts wagon company com company company pany were ere only seventeen miles or less behind us at this point Nate X te the next line from Hunts jour journal journal nal Friday Oct 10 We were visited by b bIome some Iome of or the brethren from the wagon company Hodgetts Had ge this morning and some seme from the handcart company compan who are but a few miles ahead of us Traveled only six miles today west if of f Laramie One or two more lines from Hunts journal and then I resume Brother i diary j Saturday Oct 11 Trading cattle 1 and remained here all aU day I Sunday Oct 12 Brother Beasley I and family with his wagon and Brother Bell BeU and family with hs hsi 1 s i rp r wagon returned to Fort Laramie We traveled seven miles and camped on the Platte river Saturday Oct 11 Recorder Bleak says We traveled miles today toda Some of our teams began to o fall back of the company and the teamsters signaled us to slow up UJ or stop by firing guns of their condition The writer remembers that this was wasa a fine piece of hard rolling mountain road and while not overly hard to pull up was easy eacy and resting to so go godown down as compared with the steady and heavy heay lugging over level sandy ground 1 r Sunday Oct 12 Traveled nine and 01 miles Rested the balance of tl the day da and gave the cattle a good op opportunity opportunity opportunity to feed Monday Oct 13 twenty rr miles Another piece of fine hard mountain road Tuesday Oct 14 Traveled twenty miles today and ana crossed the Platte again Thursday Oct 16 Traveled eleven miles Today our rations of Hour flour was reduced from one pound to twelve ounces for adults and from eight ounces for children to six ounces ounces per day Friday Oct 17 Traveled only five miles today Washing day Saturday p Oct IS Traveled seven seventeen seven seventeen seventeen teen miles today toda We Ve camped on Deer creek tonight one of 0 the most beautiful camping places on the t e route and going on from this point will twill be bere remembered re by scores of survivors as from pleasant autumn to midwinter and death We Ve are now coming to our Valley Forge and the lamentable death rate nightly Fort Near Platte Bridge During the afternoon Captain Eduard Ed Edward Edward ward Martin advised the whole camp camp to lighten up their extra luggage bags and and canvas canas sacks as much asp as by t y discarding and burning every eve arti article article cle dc of wearing apparel that could be dispensed with save ave and except t our best and warm coats cloaks etc for forthe forthe forthe the coming cold weather and the wis wisdom wisdom wisdom dom of this timely counsel was soon afterward realized When many man of the canvas bags were opened it was readi readily readily readily ly seen that the heads of many man families families families lies were hauling and pulling pu ting luggage in the shape of bool books sJ trinkets and I halt half w pm ut clothing that could be bedi be bedi dispensed di with beneficially and many piles pies nes of this unnecessary loading were VerO Burned here We were were also advised of a fort and a company compan of United States troops where a store and supplies were kept that we would pass on our I journey the next day and several members of our company were per permitted permitted permitted and selected to take such ar articles articles articles of or apparel in lightening lIghte up our loads to the fort and sell and barter the some same s me for flour dried buffalo meat tea sugar and medicines In several instances this advice car carried carried ried red out was the means of saving lives during the subsequent weeks of snow and hardships intervening be between between between tween this time and our arrival in Utah as will be seen by the following incidents Sunday morning Oct 19 The diary says we traveled ten miles but before starting the writers mother then in her year got an empty our sack and half filled it Ith three or four light summer dresses two or three night gowns and other ladles ladies un underwear underwear underwear belonging to mother and old oldest oldest oldest est sister of an extra quality knitted decanter stands some linen bureau and mirror and this stock of merchandise formed the pack of the writers trading experience In the Rocky mountains The carts packed Abe we rolled rolle out for five or six miles mUes till we reached a point south and opposite the Platte bridge The pack of cloth clothing clothIng clothing ing was lifted from the cart put on my m back and I started with several others for the trading post the company con continuing continuing continuing on its journey on the north side of the North Platte to the fatal cross crossing crossIng crossing ing some six miles further After crossing the bridge and watch watching watchIng watching ing the company betimes I saw and noticed j the snow and storm clouds hovering hov hovering hovering ering over and lowering down the point of the Black hills nearby with a pre premonition premonition premonition monition indescribable Reaching Rench ng the fort and soldiers quarters I soon found the store and after emp tying my m pack and his examining the merchandise for barter hd directed me meto meto meto to a row rov of buffalo robe Indian tepees tepee ten or fifteen in number that I found tenanted with and their Sioux and Indian wives In nearly every tepee I found a meat fire or an iron Charter Oak stove and In racks sticks and strings were sus suspended suspended cakes of ot Jerked buffalo meat drying d ing and being partially cooked for forthe forthe forthe the winters preservation After show showIng showIng showIng Ing the squaws my stock of dresses etc they became instant buyers pay paying payIng paying ing me with a liberal hand cake after cake of this choice and meat and in some Instances es making me un understand understand understand to help myself from the stack for the nice underclothing From two or three of the I got 3 or U 4 and when J sold out there fl I had not less than fifty or sixty pounds of this meat and money to spend with the Reaching his store per moth mothers mothers mothers ers instructions I purchased a half pound or more of black pepper peDer sev several sev several several eral ounces of cayenne pepper some someI I tea sugar sugar soda etc and lastly after starting for my company which aft after after after er having rested for noon noon was as travel traveling travelIng travelIng ing as fast as Jt J t could on the other ot her side of the river passing assing the soldiers cooks cabin I raid paid 1 for a four or loaf of light bread warm from the stove pan Others that I had come with to the fort that day bartered and purchased similarly and as an instance of the prices of provisions there I saw Mrs Betsey Wilson the wife of James Wil Wilson Wilson son of Levan and Juab for the last forty years pay the a gold I piece for ten pounds of flour and 30 cents per pound for square crackers The results and success of my barter bartering barterIng bartering ing trip that day saved ed the lives of sev several several several eral In our family and the liberality of my mother with many a cup of buffalo beef soup seasoned well yell with pepper alleviated the sufferings and saved the lives of several more in our subsequent snowbound camps where we were com I pelted to stop for e days or a week at a time One more Incident which resulted In Inthe Inthe inthe the tragic and ana terrible death of two of our company and then I proceed on the journey journe Tragic Death of Father Stone and a aYoung aYoung aYoung Young Girl As 1 I was leaving the soldiers quarters quarters quarters with the load of provisions on my back I espied Father Jonathan Stone I think from the London conference a man of about 55 to 60 years of age in one of the log cabins He w wits yas s sit sitting sitting sitting ting by the th side of a fire on the floor the nook cook handing him bread and meat which he was devouring with relish I went and called to him and begged and entreated of him to come on tell telling tellIng telling ing him the time and that it was wag get getting getting getting ting lato late in the day that I could see our company a mile or two off preparing preparing preparing ing to cross the river and that the storm clouds were getting quite low Sister Wilson just previously men mentioned mentioned mentioned was with me and added her en entreaties entreaties entreaties treaties for him to come on 01 on with us to camp but all the response we were able to obtain was was his promise that he h would be along soon It was now be between between between tween 3 and 4 p m and we made all haste to catch before they commenced to cross cro the river but the team had crossed filled with the aged and children Leaving my load of provisions in charge of ot Sister Wilson on the north side of the river f t trolled rolled up my m trousers and waded that cold river six or eight rods wide slip sUp slipping slipping ping betimes off the smooth stones and boulders Into deeper water Reaching the other Side de I J found my m elder broth brother er too weak and timid to undertake the crossing but soon loon on getting Into the rope harness on the lead of the cart with brother in the shafts and an elder eider sis sister sister sister ter wading waist deep in several places but keeping by b my m p side I made the crossing again without accident After all had crossed the river we camped an hour or so close by the river and after a tin cup or two of hot I tea and a bite or supper but buta a loaf of light bread oread for pie and cake in our family we traveled on up the river a mile or two that th t same evening and made camp Father Stone did not show up or reach our camp that night and apparently went back to the bridge on the road he me crossed the river there again that night and turn turnIng turning turning Ing west up the river toward the cross crossing cross crossing ing found his way Into Hunts wagon camp with a young girl by his hand 9 to 12 years ears of age making inquiries there as to the location of our OUT our camp cam to which he belonged He left this camp immediately after dark without being further noticed by any allY of o oIts its members the th girl eirl with him This was the last seen of Father Stone alive all e for when Captain Edward Martin after missing him next morning re returned returned |