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Show F.S STORY OF TRIALS OF THE HANDCART PIONEERS f Marks the. Fifty-seventh. Anniversary of Arrival of Company in Salt Lake Valley. If is the fifty-seventh annl-of annl-of the arrival in Salt Lake if the famous Martin hand-nip hand-nip any. It waa a Sunday r, November 30, 1856, -when raggled survivors of the band dragged themselves the mountains into the val-b val-b was their promised land, ong tho mountain passes .ttered over the plains bo-re bo-re 150 graves, tho grim tes of the Journey, avy blanket of snow lay j valley. The survivors say three feet doep on Main Back in tho hills tho snow ped in great drifts and the t party had fought its way them. l Eogerson, Sr., was one of riio reached tho journey's erewith is his narrative: osiah Rogerson, Sr. will not be n romance, but j truthful narrativo of tho .voliugs, hardships, Bufferings & privations of one of tho itcd bands of Christiana that ; in prayer and worship, give in this article only a le main facts of tho travels 's and Willio's companies, are intended mainly for tho jt those companies still liv-children, liv-children, grandchildren and dchildreu. 145 to 1355 tho European oon-wrilten oon-wrilten to President Young, Woodruff, President Kim-Willard Kim-Willard Richards importuning importun-ing and pleading that the tho church in Utah would ay or in any way assist thom ito to the valleys of the .. No matter how they could i, whether to come with ox horse teams, or como on foot their blankets on their y begged and persisted to be "to come as soon as possible, etic Dream, it Young from early in 1854 with his cquusel took these in earnest consideration, and ill of 1855, after 'suggestions counsel, they wore impressed feasibility of the handcart to Sv H,rt mshed each company ions. 7 l0Ur and other Ijrov3s' narrte X h?nd.a brief b,lt truthful hSStp0LUle first iDCopt5on of the Idaho111 G1ali0wa of St Charles, wrote;' r dale o Juno 7- 1S97 m,!l? lattor Part f ay. 1855, Ed- W, nd 1 were laboring in the Herein Here-in n?,SHlrVorenco- At that time we nSedfatAih0 homo o Brother Lowell, rt rL 4borgavcnny, Monmouthshire. 1?y ?tj i mori"g,Brothor Ellsworth n d? ,Br?thor Gallowav, are you awake? I answered 'Yes BrotVer Lllsworlh said: 'I have had a peculiar IS dufiuK tbG niKht- has been K 63 me three separate times. ,7d t'ou llko ,mo to Peat it to you? I answered Yos.' Ho eald: t J ,e?Siod Lw,as at homo in Salt tCl$' Htab and went to the president V Brigham Young's, 'office. L saw President Young. He said, "Why, Edmund, we have qust boon talking about yon. We aro thinking of having a company of saints cross the plains with handcarts next year. We "would w-?iyou to, ta-ke cliargo of tho company. Will you do it?" fsaid, 'If you say S0' JF1- Uo nsltcd "ie: 'What do you think of the dream?' I answorcd, Well, I think it is more than a com-raon com-raon dream. I would write it in your jouraal and eeo what comes of it.' hen wegot to tho conferonco houso he wrote it and read it to my wife and mo. About six weeks after that wo were again together at tho conference con-ference houso. A lotter was there for Brother Ellsworth from President Young. Whon Brother Ellsworth had road tho letter, ho got his journal and handed me tho lotter. He read from Mb journal what he had written, an'd then handed me his journal to compare with the- lotter; they were aliko word for word. " 'Well, Brother Galloway, what do yon say about crossing the plains with a handcart?' he said. I replied: 'There is a motto of a highland clan which iB my answer: "What othor men dare, we can do, the Lord helping us." ' Then he turned to my wife, 'Well, Sister Galloway, what do you say?' 'I will follow my husband.' 'Thon I will enter your names as tho first volunteers. volun-teers. "This took plaoo in Aboroychan, Scotland, Scot-land, the last of June or early in July, 1855. We then commenced to talk handcart emigration. Early in December, Decem-ber, 1855, I recoivod a letter from Liverpool to hunt up what was left of the Unitod bretliron, for thom to go with tho first haudcart company that would leave Jiivorpool soino tirao in March, 185G. Sixty of us left for Liverpool with ovor 500 on the ship 'Enoch Train,' for Boston, Mass, Tho first and pioneer company of handcartB in chargo of Edmund Ellsworth, Ells-worth, was met at the foot of the Llt-tlo Llt-tlo mountain by President Brigham Young and tho leading authorities of the church, Honceforwnrd President Young and others walked at tho head of tho nioncor company until tho arrival arri-val in Salt Lake City early in the afternoon after-noon of 8optember 26 1&6. Thus the dream, was litorally fulfilled. My wife walked all the way and helped to pull our handcart for nearly 1500 miles. Such is my knowledgo of tho "handcart origin. Tho forogoing is Bimply a profaco and an answer to many inquiries that havo been put to tho writer for several sev-eral years jast as to why Prosidont Brigham Young ever inaugurated such an experiment us the handcart com-, panics with tho appalling losses of lifo that resulted. It can only bo truthfully answorod by the statement that wo started threo or four weeks too Into, and the storms carao down threo or four wooks earlier than usual. Fifly-Boven Fifly-Boven yoaro ago. when ovory inembor of our company that had survived tho hardships of 875 miles in tho snow landed in Main street in Salt Lnko, from President Young's monument to Fifth and Sixth South tho snow was two or three feet doop. Main stroot today is cloar of any snow whatovor. Now for a few correct dates of our journey: The members of our company and of the Hunt's and Hodgctt's wagon companies com-panies loft Liverpool Sunday morning, May 25, 1850, and on Monday, Juno 30, wo wero towed Into the (Lock at Boston. July- 2 wo look the cars from Boston to Albany, passing through Buffalo on the glorious Fourth of July. Wo reached Cleveland, Ohio, on the 5th. passing Kirtland with its temple in the night. Sundny evening, July 6, wo arrived at Chicago, HI., whoro wo stayed all night. Monday, July 7, we loft Chicago early in the morning and arrived at Eock Island in the ovening. Tuesday, July S, wo crossed the Mississippi Mis-sissippi by a ferryboat and then took tho cars from Davenport for Iowa City, reaching thero the sarno evening. Wednesday, July 9, we wore employed in unloading and hauling our luggago to tho camping ground on "Iowa hill," three and ono-half milos northwest of Iowa City, la., the outfitting point for that y oar's Mormon emigration. At Iowa City flour waa $3.50 per hundred: hun-dred: corn meal. $1.50 to $2.50, and bacon ba-con 5 to 10 cents per pound. On tho 10th or 12th of July, Captain "Willie's company left the camp ground via Council Bluffs for Snlt Lake. On Saturday, July 6, Martin's oora-pany oora-pany left this camping ground with. 400 mon, women and children, and wo reached Council Bluffs on August 21 and wont up near tho ferry over tho Missouri Mis-souri and camped on Pigeon creek. August 22 wo were forried across tho Missouri and made camp close to and below tho old Mormon sawmill or win-tor win-tor quarters near Florence, Neb., and here somo 200 members of Captain Toone's company, that had preoeded us from Iowa hill about a wook bofore, joined and wero blcndod with our company, com-pany, making tho total oomo 022 men, women and childron. Fivo days aftor this, "Wednesday, August Au-gust 27, Captain John A. Hunt's wngon company passed through Council Bluffs. We Tested in tho camp ground near the old Mormon sawmill three full days, and -after a very remarkable mooting' moot-ing' of all the members of our company and being informed fully by President Franklin D. -Richards of tho possibility possi-bility of our oncountering snowBtorms before wo should reach Bolt Lake, and that we were then throe weeks or a month lato in starting from thero to mako tho 1031 miles journey to Salt Lako, we all consented with uplifted, hands to go on and take the risks. Undaunted by Risks. Monday, August 25, we started, from tho camp near Florence and pulled up the hill three miles and camped for the night. On Friday, August 29, we crossed the Elk Horn. Saturday, Septomber 6, we passed more than 1100 of the Pawnee tribe of IndianH who wore going eastward. Sunday, Septembor 7, traveled sixteon miles, and just after wo camped President Pres-ident Franklin D. Richards and fifteen or twenty returning missionaries overtook over-took UB. Monday, Septembor 15, we passed Fort Kearney. One very commondable fact has been omitted in all the sketches heretofore written and it deserves de-serves special record and crodit. Tho father of Dr. George W. Middle-ton, Middle-ton, tho physician and surgeon, now residing in Salt Lake, and his grandfather wero in charge of one of tho provision wagons ot Martin's handcart companv with throe yoko of oxen, and from Fort Kearuoy to Lar-amio Lar-amio and up to tho time this ill-fated company became snowbound at the Devil's Gate, the father and grandfather grandfa-ther of Dr. Middloton would pick up tho children that were walking with their mothers nnd tako others from the arras of their parents and put them in their wagon. The fatherly and: kindly solicitude solici-tude characteristic of the grandfather and his son deserves all praiso. Wodnosday, October 8, wo camped in sight of Fort Laramio, leaving Fort Lar-amio Lar-amio on the evening of October 9. From this time on, Hunt's and TJod-gott's TJod-gott's wagon companies kept closo behind be-hind or a short distance ahead of us all the way to tho South pass. Sunday morning, October 19, we left Deer crook and in the afternoon and evening crossed the North Platte, where tho two wagon companies assisted us greatly in getting across. For tho next four days tho snow fell almost continuously, blowing in our faces arly all tho way until wo got to e lted Bluffs, where wo stopped four days. At this camp, when tno enow was from ono to two feet deep, Joseph A. Young, Dan Jones and Abo Garr came to us and told ub that we would havo to go on eonie thirty miles farther west, where we would meet ten wagons from Utah with provisions and other supplies. Sunday. Kovomber 2, wo camped at tho Devil's date, snow deep and very cold, and whllo snowbound horo several of tho most prominent mornbers of the relief party from Salt Lake, that had crossed tho plains ton or fifteen times during' tho period from M8 to '5G, remarked re-marked that they had novcr soon a company of tho Mormon people In such a pitiable plight or condition, and tholr hearts wero filled with gloom and some doubt as to our being able to bo extricated extri-cated and brought through to Utah that winter. November wo went across the Sweetwater Sweet-water and went up Into what was called Martin's Cove, whero there were plenty of good cedars and plnos, and horo we camped three or four days. Sunday, November 23, wo camped close to tho old fort at Fort Brldger, Wyoming, and It was one of the coldest and most severe nights that wo experienced on tho whole Journey. Monday, November 2i. wo camped on tho Muddy, eighteen miles west ot Brldgor. Tuesday, November 25, wo camped on Bear river. Wednesday, Novombor 20, wo camped in tho head of Echo canyon. Thursday. November 27, wo camped "on tha east Eldo of the Weber river, Just below tho mouth of Echo canyon. Friday, , November 23, came up East Canyon creek and camped in Quaking Asp Grovo. Saturday, November 2?, crossed the Big mountain, snow falling fast; passed over tho Little mountain, and camped in the head of Emigration canyon. The Journey's End. Sunday. November 30 Started early this morning and arrived In Salt Lake a littlo beforo noon, with all tho handcart company and soveral families from Hunt's and Ilodgett's two wagon companies, com-panies, but the last ot tho members of tho two wagon companies dd not reach Salt Lako until tho 15th or 16th of December, De-cember, Tho first handcart company of 1356 loft Iowa City Juno 23 and arrived In Salt Lake October 2. Willle'3 company, tho fourth company, arrived In Salt Lako November 0, and Martin's handcart company on November Novem-ber 30. Ellsworth's and Dan McArthur's arrived ar-rived In October, a fow days aftor tho first company. In 1857 Chrlstlanson'3 handcart company com-pany arrived In Salt Lako, Sunday, Sop-ternber Sop-ternber 13. Saturday, September 12, the last of Israel Is-rael Evans's handcart company, consisting consist-ing of 154 souls and thirty-one handcarts, arrived In Salt Lake City. No handcart companies came through In 1858, but In 1S59 George Rowley's handcart company arrived In Salt Lake on Sunday, September 4. In 1860 Daniel JRoblnson's handcart company, the first In this year, arrlvod In Salt Lako Monday, August 27, and on Monday, September 24, tho Bocond handcart company arrived In Salt Iake. In chargo of Oscar O, Stoddard. Theso wero tho last companies tltat crossed tho plains with handcarts. As to Captain Willie's company, wo have been fuvored with the only Journal that ho wroto of his company's Journey. Ho eays lils company consisted of 500 persons. 120 handcarts and six wagons. Slxty-slx died on tho Journey, mostly between be-tween Fort Kearney and Fort Brldgor, through scarcity of provisions, cold and over-exertion In the mountains and snow. From tho tlmo they loft Florence. Nob., August 19, until they nasod Fort Kcarnoy, they made good headway, but possibly through tho lack of vigilance on the part of ono or two of thu night guard, on the night of thu 4th of Soptcmber, and 265 miles west of Florence, fifteen yoke of tholr oxen wero missing. These oxen had beon pulling pull-ing tho provisions, and to this day It 13 believed beyond all doubt thut they worn stolon from tho herd by half-breed Indians In-dians and squawmcn. Tho trusty guardian of the tomplo entrance, en-trance, John Y. Smith, and another fearless fear-less member of tho company, were so-lectcd so-lectcd on tho morning of tho 4th of Septembor Sep-tembor to go In nuost of tho missing oxen, and tills was fifteen miles west of Fort Kearney, when the United Status troops and the Cheyonnoo wero at war with each othor early and lato, and whero Thomas Margotts and Almon W. Babbitt and others had beon massacred by the Choyenne Indians a fow days bofore. bo-fore. Smith and his companion went as requested, In search of tho oxen, going off tho road to Bleep at nights, but finding find-ing no clow to thi whoroabouts of the fitoclc With their blankets on their backs, they returned on tho 6th, and rejoined re-joined their company. t The Death List. i This great loss of tho draft oxen Im- I peded tho progress of tho company, as tho flour and other provisions had to bo . taken out of tho wagons and loaded onto the carts and pulled by tho members of tho company. This rotarded the arrival of the company in Salt Lake and, but for tholr Iosh, they would have arrived here on Novomlr 1 Instead of a week later, As to tho loss of llfo, soveral of thu most Intelligent uiumbors of Dm Martin company iisaerted that ovor half tho members of the company had been lost. We took this matter up In tho historian's his-torian's office here and spent at least ono month, with tho assistance of tho nt A. M. Musoor and Andrew Jensen, on this point, and after pettlngr the names, as nearly as possible, or those who did arrive In Salt Lako In tho rollof wagons fifty-seven years ago Sunday. November 30, by diligent Inquiry and careful Investlfjatlon wo flxed the actual loss of lives as between 135 and, possibly, 150. Taking Into consideration that wo wero tho last company of that season and that wo had threo votorans of Waterloo, between 75 and SO years of age. and some members who had been In the Queen's Llfo Guards In London and Scotland, Scot-land, and considering that more than half of our C2U members were from 35 to 55 years of age, It is hardly to bo wondered at that our loss was so great. Had the heavens been as propitious as they have been this fall, wo should not hav burled over fifty during the wholo journey and they would havo been the oldest of our company. Leaving Fort Laramie (or Us proximity) proxim-ity) on tho morning of October 9, wo mado camp at Door Creek on Saturday, October IS, having mado 125 miles In the last nine days; but littlo did wo dream that wo wero Hearing our "Valley Forge," our death rato began to Increase nightly. Hero wo took from our cart sacks, which we had brought from all parts of Groat Britain, every eouvenlr and present and every bit of clothing that was not necessary for ovory-day wear and warmth and burned them on this Indian meadow camp ground, one of the most beautiful camp grounds on tho whole Journey. Hunt's and Hodgott's two wagon companies com-panies were in close proximity to our camp this evonlng. but wo got a good start and got to the fatal crossing of tho North Platte by 2 or 3 o'clock in tho afternoon, aft-ernoon, and with their unlimited nnd kind assistance we were ail across by 4 o'clock in tho afternoon. Some of the wagons and the families romalned on tho south side till the next morning, but our Martin's Mar-tin's company, after yetting a bite of supper and a tin cup of warm tea (for the evening commenced to bo very cold), moved up the north aide of tho North Platte two or throe miles, whore the Cot-tonwoods Cot-tonwoods and willows were moro plentiful. plenti-ful. Soon aftor gottlnp in our tents tho snow commenced to fall and by midnight was Ave to six inches doop. Crossing the Platte. Tho crossing of tho North Platte was fraught with more fatalities than any other Incident of the entire Journey. Here we shall record for the beneilt of tho children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the votorans ono or two more paragraphs that havo never before been printed. This was tho old Oregon and California crossing, and at this point several mem-bors mem-bors of President Brigham Young's pioneer pio-neer company built a ferryboat and ferried fer-ried numbers of Oregon emigrants across the river, which In the months of September Sep-tember and Octdber Is not less than 100 to 150 yards wide, with a rocky bed and a goodly supply of boulders as smooth as alabaster. Several of tho male members of our company, who had pulled their carts over 1000 miles, when they nearcd tho south sldo of the stream wero stricken with fear and quailed, and had to be put Into the wagons, the younger ones pulling tho carls across. Moro than n score or two of the young female members of our company waded the stream that In many places was waist deep and deeper; and If they unfortunately unfortu-nately stepped off one of the smooth boulders, they found the water a foot deeper. Blocks of mushy snow and Ice had to ho dodged In many instances by the wador, with tho sad Information that tho snow had already fallen farther up tho Platte and Us tributaries, through which wo had to pass before reaching tho Sweetwater. Tho results of the wading of this stream by the female members of our company was immediately followed by partial and temporary dementia, from which several did not recover till the next spring, The writer has been able to find but one diary that was contln- I ually kept by any member of the company com-pany after this fatal event, and even the historian, John Jacques, stopped his diary at this point. Enough regarding the fatalities. In conclusion. I will only add that I never could find words ample and sufficient suffi-cient to express thanks and! gratl-tudo gratl-tudo to the veterans of the relief party and rescuers sent out by President Brigham Brig-ham Young from Utah. |