Show THE STORY OF THE PIONEERS Brave Men Who First Opened the Way to Civilization THE DANGERS THAT THEY ENDURED The Great Work Which Was Accomplished By the Early Settlers in Utah A True Story that Discounts Many a Work of l icfionmrhe Great Results from a Very mall Beginning Before narrating the famous journey of the Mormon pioneers who in 1817 I founded Salt Lake city it will be proper ito i-to allude briefly to some of the illustrious i explorers and trappers who previous to i that time traversed that part of our great country which now constitutes the Territory of Utah and also to give an I outline of overland travel prior to r 1847 From the town of Santa Fe N iii I which was first settled in the beginning of the seventeenth century the Spaniards I sent out several exploring expeditions to the north and west but it is not known whether any of them ever visited the region around the Great Salt lake until the year 1776 when Francisco Atanasio Dominguez and Silvestre Velez de Es ii calante two Franciscan friars set out from Santa Fe accompanied by seven I oth rs for the purpose of discovering a direct route to Monterey in California I Entering the country now embraced in I the boundaries of Utah from the east I they discovered Utah lake Sept 23 1776 According to Hubert H Bancrofts history of Wyoming Ezekiel Williams a hardy frontiersman and trapper in the employment of the government was the first white man so far as known who I at the head of an escort attempted to reach California via the South Pass in I 1S07 But while upon the headwaters of the North Platte he was attacked by Indians 1 In-dians who killed five of his men and drove off the horses of the expedition I Williams then moved southward wandering wander-ing among the mountains until the I t spring of 1803 when he reached the South Platte The first recorded expedition which passed through what is now part of the state of Wyoming from the east was that i of Wilson Price Hunt in 1811 who conducted i I con-ducted to Oregon the overland part of the Pacific Fur company which founded Astoria This expedition left the Missouri Mis-souri river at the mouth of the Big Cheyenne Chey-enne and followed the general course of that stream to and along the base of the Black Hills traveled westward across the Powder river valley and Big Horn mountains moun-tains to Wind river where they turned south to find grass and game In due course of time they came to the upper j waters of Spanish river now Green river where they found their way to Snake river The following year 1812 three members of Hunts expedition and two Frenchmen returned east but all their horses were stolen by Indians in the mountains and they were compelled to finish their journey on foot to the Missouri Mis-souri Avoiding their former route over mountains they followed the Platte from its head waters to its mouth being be-ing the first to travel that natural highway high-way to the Pacific coast so generally pursued j < pur-sued In 1820 Major Stephen H Long under If order from the government explored the Platte valley as far west as the iunction of the North and South Forks The result of his expedition was to attract attention to the central overland route to the mountains moun-tains which finally made the Platte i North Platte and Sweetwater valleys the great thoroughfare of Pacific travel Half a century after the discovery of II Utah Lake by the two Franciscian friars Dominguez and Escalante we find United States fur hunters standing on the border of the Great Salt Lake tasting its I brackish waters and wondering if it was an arm of the sea First among these confining ourselves to authentic records writes the historian Bancroft was f James Bridger to whom belongs the honor of discovery It happened in this wise During the winter of 182425 a party of trappers who had ascended the Missouri Mis-souri river with Henry and Ashley found themselves on Bear river in Cache or Willow I Wil-low valley A discussion arose as to the probable course of Bear river which flowed on both sides of them A wager was made and Bridger sent to ascertain the truth Following the river through the mountains the first view of the great I lake fell upon him and when he went to the margin and tasted the vaterhe found that it was salt Then he returned and I reported to his companions All were interested to know if there emptied into I this sheet other streams on which they might find beavers and if there was an outlet hence in the spring of 1826 four I > = men explored the lake in skin boats In 1821 William H Ashley a Virginian by birth who two years previous had I erected fort on the Yellowstone enlisted en-listed 300 men and set out for the mountains moun-tains He followed the Platte to the South Pass exploring and naming the Sweetwater and appointed a rendezvous with the Indians on Spanish river which he named after n member of his company ° Green river In 1825 he pushed his explorations ex-plorations to Utah lake first discovered 7 by Escaiante in 1776 but seen by no American before Ashley who gave it his t > own name Here he established a post I and in two or three years collected 5180 r 000 worth of furs He also brought from St Louis a cannona sixpounder which thereafter graced the court of the fort Mr Ashley is described as a brave man shrewd and honest Nor should his intelligence or common geographical knowledge be questioned because he was seriously considering the project of descending the Colorado river in boats by means of which he felt sure he would eventually reach St Louis Mr Green who gave his name to Green river and who had been with Ashley on preious expeditions together with his trappers occupied the country lying west and north of Utah lake for three years after the establishing of Fort Ashley About the year 1826 Mr Ashley sold out his establishment to the Rocky Mountain Fur company which was organized that year in St Louis with 1 edediah S Smith William L Sublette and David E Jackson at the head These men had been leaders under the North American company ando to them b and-o the distinction of having taken the first wagons from the Missouri river to the mountains ten of which each drawn by five mules and two carts rolled the whole distance from St Louis to the Wind river rendezvous the wagons carrying 1800 pounds each and traveling from fifteen to twentyfive miles a day They reported to the government that there was no obstacle to crossing to the west side of the Rocky mountains with wagons had they desired to do so In August 1826 Jedediah S Smith setout set-out from Great Salt iake on a trapping and exploring tour with fifteen men Proceeding southward he traversed Utah lake then known as Ashley lake after which he passed over a range of mountains moun-tains crossed a river which he called Adams the Sevier in honor of President Adams ana then continued in a southwesterly south-westerly direction until he reached Southern South-ern California In the autumn of 1830 that part of the country now embraced in Utah was traversed tra-versed from southeast to northwest by a trapping party under William Wolfskiill The company was fitted out in New Mexico Mex-ico and the great valley of California was their objective point In 1832 B E L Bonneville a Frenchman French-man by birth but at the time of his explorations ex-plorations a captain in the United States army led a company of 110 trappers to the mountains in search of profit and adventure ad-venture They traveled the North Platte route with a caravan of twenty wagons some drawn by oxen which were the first bull teams on this lineladen with Indian goods provisions and ammunition am-munition which were all taken through the South Pass to Green river being the first wagons to roll down the western slope of the Rocky mountains At the point where Lead creek empties into Green river Captain Bonneville erected a fortified camp and remained in the mountains moun-tains hunting furs fighting Indians and exploring for three years Among the several trapping expeditions sent cut in various directions from the rendezvous on Green river by Captain Bonneville was one under Joseph R Walker who with about thirtysix men went to trap on the streams falling into the Great Salt Lake Captain Bonnevilles post on Green river was the first fortification in that part of the country which now constitutes the state of Wyoming Fort Laramie was erected in 1831 which was the only permanent perma-nent establishment made on the overland route until 1842 when Fort Bridger was built From 1834 to 1839 parties of missionaries mission-aries both men and women crossed the plains and mountains descending to the shores of the Pacific The two first white women who traveled across the continent that way were Mrs NarcJssa Whiteman and Mrs Spalding who accompanied their respective husbands on their pilgrimage pil-grimage as missionaries to the Pacific coast in 1836 In 1841 the first emigration of men women and children to Oregon and California Cali-fornia passed the forts t fifteen souls all told The same year Bidwells California company passed by In 1842 Elijah Whites Oregon company of 112 men women and children and a train of eighteen great Pennsylvania wagons cattle pack mules and horses crossed the continent Mr Bordeaux was in charge of fort Laramie at that time and gave the emigrants timely advice ad-vice and assistance although they grumbled grum-bled much at the price of provisions in the mountains These early emigrants to Oregon did not touch Utah and those t6 California via Fort Bridger merely passed through leaving no marks of their travel to speak of The emigrants bound for Oregon and California came together by the usual route up the Platte river along the Sweet water and through the South Pass to Bear River valley When near Soda Springs those for Oregon went north to Fort Hal while those for California followed fol-lowed Bear river southward until within a few miles of Great Salt Lake when they turned westward to find the Ogden Hum boldU river In 1843 an army of occupation destined for the Columbia river passed the com panys posts This expedition consisted of 1OGO men women and children with draft cattle herds of cows and horses farming implements and household goods That year 1843 John Fremont the famous adventurer ex plorer and surveyer followed the immigrant 1 immi-grant trail through the South Pass and on the 6th of September of that year he stood upon an elevated peninsula on the i east side of Great Salt lake a short distance I dis-tance north of Weber river beside which I stream his party had encamped the previous previ-ous night They made another camp near the point where the Weber empties into the lake built a corral for their animals I ani-mals and threw up a small fort for their protection Provisions being scarce I seven of the party were despatched to Fort Hall after supplies and on the 8th Mr Fremont together with four other men including Kit Carson embarked in a rubber boat leaving only three men in camp and dropped down to the mouth of the Weber which the party found shallow and unnavigable Next morning I they were out on the lake and at noon I they reached one of the islands on which they landed There they found washed up by the waves a dark brown bank ten to twenty feet in breadth composed of the skins of worms about the size of oats while the rocky cliffs were whitened by incrustations of salt Ascending to the in his partisan zeal supported by the j proprietors of Fort Bridger for their own j j interests exaggerated the advantages I and underrated the difficulties of the new I route Edwin Bryant who led one of I the emigrant companies decided to follow 1 I fol-low the new route which brought them by way of Bear river Echo canyon and down the Weber river to Great Salt LaKe valley This party with pack mules being guided by Hudspeth for a part of the way was the first of the season to reach California Two other parties those of George Harlan and Samuel C Young were guided by Hastings in person per-son and had much difficulty in finding away a-way for their wagons through Weber canyon Subsequently they lost most of their live stock in the Salt Lake desert but finally reached the old trail and were the last to cross the Sierra Nevada mountains mount-ains that season The illfated Donner company which left the Oregon road July 22 1846 and reached Fort Bridger on the 5ib also resolved re-solved to take the cut off They started from the fort on the 28th only a few days behind Hastings from whom they soon received a letter advising a new change of the route to avoid obstacles encountered en-countered by the other company in Weber canyon James F Reed and two companions com-panions were sent to overtake the advance company obtain additional information and explore the route an operation which consumed a week or more and then the whole party started by the new cut off leaving the Weber river near the point where Hennefer Summit county now stands There they crossed a mountain moun-tain ridge to East Canyon creek thence over the Big and Little mountain and thence through Emigration canyon to Great Salt Lake valley This proved a most difficult way so much so that all of August passed before they reached the valley val-ley They now traveled over the present site of Salt Lake City crossed the valley and passed through what is now Tooele county From the southern extremity of the lake they directed their course to the northwest crossing the desert from the I 9th to the 15th of September with great suffering and loss of cattle It was about I the end of September when the company struck the emigrant trail on the main Humboldt long after the last parties of California emigrants for the season had passed At the end of October the further progress of the company was stopped by a terrible snowstorm and the poor emigrants emi-grants were compelled to remain in the region of the Truckee river and lake until spring during which thirtynine of the eightyseven persons which originally composed the company when they left the Oregon road died of starvation and cold The residue after subsisting for weeks on the flesh of their dead companions com-panions were finally rescued by relief parties sent out from California early the followingspring In 1847 during which year the Mormon pioneers made their famous journey from Winter Quarters on the Missouri river to the valley of the Great Salt Lake between be-tween four and five thousand Oregon emigrants crossed the plains After these preliminaries the Mormons and Utah pioneers of 1847 wtll now be introduced in-troduced to the settler Unlike the pioneers of Oregon and California Cali-fornia who wended their way westward in search of wealthdetermined to profit by the splendid natural facilities that the t Pacific coast afforded the pioneers of Utah sought the isolated valleys of the Rockies for religious motives Having been driven from their homes five different dif-ferent times in the States of Ohio Missouri Mis-souri and Illinois by bigoted and murderous mur-derous mobs the Mormons had become so thoroughly disgusted with mob violence vio-lence that they were thankful for any nook or corner of the earth as a place to dwell in if they could only enjoy the privilege of living there in peace and to worship God according to the dictates of their c consciences For the sake of liberty lib-erty and peace their men and women alike would willingly brave the dangers of the deserts the mountains the rivers the snows and the Indians To them even death itself was more welcome than a continuation of the experiences which they had passed through in Kirtland Jackson county Far West and Nauvoo Hence when they were forced away from their beautiful city and temple on the banks of the Great Father of Waters a city which not only Joseph Smith but the entire Mormon community loved dearer than I < 1 H < 1fir 4 G 0 X < W A i g v 7tf f0 f fhJ 1illJiiIr Irv i c f r BJtr y 4 if f tr < i l Y i + t l ltl i itdlflliJ v tt 7 ji i e ur t J < 0 f V TfiK r i t r lf i f h4 4fJ i ftN i y < I > 1 YIWltif r1liffJIr < lIII I 1J t lltjlei iffi r h4 ji J tll < fIIYIWltif 0 tl 1 Jft r j J = i 0 W > AA fly w J y i f W > fl Lt v r w I Y c r f If f BRIGHAM YOUNG highest point attainable they took a surrounding sur-rounding view and called the place Disappointment Dis-appointment island now Cattle island or as some call it Fremont island because be-cause they had failed to find the fertile I lands and gaTpe hoped for Then they descended de-scended to the edge of the water constructed con-structed lodges of driftwood built fires and spent the night on the island Next day they returned in a rough sea to their mainland camp j I In 1844 several companies of Missourians crossed the plains and the mountains on I their way to Oregon One of these was I led by the notorious Cornelius Gillmm who had taken a very active part in mobbing mob-bing the Mormons in Missouri He started out with a view to establishing an I independent colony which seemed to suit his fancy and the temper of the men who were with him The emigration of 1845 was larger than any that had preceded it Five largo companies with 244 wagons left the Missouri frontiers that year and traveled j by way of the Platte the South Pass and Green river to Oregon That year 1845 another party under John C Fremont visited Utah Leaving Bent Fort in August 1815 they ascended the Arkansas Arkan-sas river passed on to Green river followed fol-lowed its left bank to Du Chesne and thonce crossed to the headwaters of the Timpanogos the Provo river down i which stream they went to Utah lake Thence they passed on to Great Salt Lake made camp near where Salt Lake city now stands crossed over to Antelope i Ante-lope island and examined the southern i portion of the lake After this they passed by way of Pilot Peak into what is i now the state of Nevada t In 1816 the overland emigration was not i quite so large as in 1845 being estimated at 2500 persons mostly men whom about i 1700 went to Oregon and the remainder to California The emigrants destined for California were met in the region of Fort Bridger by Lansford W Hastings who already had made two trips to the Pacific coast and James M Hudspeth i These men induced several of the emigrants emi-grants to save several hundred miles of I travel and to avoid many hardships by taking the cut off south of the Great salt lake l partly explored the year previously I pre-viously by John C Fremont Hastings j any other snot on the earthit was with a certain kind of relief that they made their encampments on the uninhabited prairies of Iowa where they could enjoy their sleep at night and their toils by day without having their ears saluted with dreadful oaths and blasphemies from the mouths of those who had murdered their prophet and patriarch and others whom they loved sIt is true however that many of the exiles shed tears as they cast longing glances back upon the lovely city which as they journeyed farther and farther away was at last lost to view By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and wept We wept when we remembered Zion was perhaps never sung with more feeling and meaning by the Israelites of old than by the Mormon exiles when they pitched their tents or slept in the open air on the I banks of the Des Moines in the frosty winter and cold spring of 1846 And when they placed under the sod the earthly remains of their loved ones who exposed io the inclemency in-clemency of the weather fell as martyrs by the wayside they thought oi their warm and confortable homes in Nauvoo and like the Hebrews who longed after the fleshpots and garlicks of Egypt wished they were there But these feelings feel-ings were only temporary fcr there was land of Canaan though unknown to I them lying somewhere toward the setting set-ting sun where liberty freedom of conscience con-science and peace ShOUld be granted them and thither they were going and Nauvoo was to them after all now a thing of the past It was in the month of February 1846 that the Mormons as the victim o a relentless re-lentless religiouspolitical crusade commenced com-menced their famous exodus from Nan voo Ills Early in that month their advance ad-vance companies crossed the Mississippi I river and after a partial organization on Sugar creek the weary journey westward I through the prairies of what was then I Iowa territory was commenced Their destination at that time was unknown and even President Brigham Young and those associated with him in authority I who led the Camp of Israel knew not to what particular locality in the far i west they would bring their exiled people I peo-ple Oniy this they were certain of that they were aiming for the Rocky mountains mount-ains wnere the prophetic eye of I Joseph Smith years before had seen the Saints become a mighty people I California and Oregon which at that time began to awaken more than common i interest in the civilized world were I warmly recommended to the Saints by many influential men in the nation as I being in every respect suitable for such a community as the Mormons to locate in but Presideut Young clearly foresaw that if he brought his people to the Pacific coast whither Missourians and other emigrants em-igrants were wending their way in large numbers renewed persecutions and driv ings would undoubtedly fellow in the near future as the Saints there necessarily necessa-rily would be brought in contact with many of their old enemies from Missouri and elsewhere while on the other hand if they chose some isolated spot of country coun-try where nobody else desired to locate they might perhaps be permitted to live in peace and prosper But the question was where in the great Rocky mountain region could they find a suitable tract of country At this time not much more was known of the country adjacent to the Great Salt Lake than that which its name the Great American Desertimplied notwithstanding the fact that a few trappers trap-pers and explorers had traversed it in part for some years past aud that as number of Oregon and California emigrants had passed through as narrated In the foregoing fore-going It should also be remembered that all these people hurrying on to the Pacific coast considered the regions around the Great Salt Lake absolutely worthless and unproductive and that no white people could possibly make a living there from what the soil could produce The trappers were apparently all unanimous unani-mous in their opinion that the country was unfit for settlement and had made no real attempts to raise grain or vegetables of any kind so far as is known Hence when the Mormon pioneers of 1847 first planted their feet in the great basin they found the country as desolate and unimproved unim-proved as the famous explorers Doming nez and Escalante did when the first discovered dis-covered Utah lake in 1776 When the advance companies of the Mormon exiles set out from Nauvoo the spring of 1816 it was hoped that at least apart a-part of them that same year would succeed suc-ceed in reaching some valley in the Rocky mountains where the Saints could locate permanently but the call of tho government for 500 Mormon volunteers volun-teers to participate in the war with Mexico Mex-ico made this impossible as the young and ablebodied men who should have gone as explorers and pioneers enlisted as United States soldiers Winter Quarters Quar-ters on the west bank of the Missouri river about six miles north of the present site of Omaha Neb was therefore there-fore established At this place which was nearly 300 miles from Nauvoo and in the surrounding countrythe exiles spent the dreary winter of 184647 suffering in many instances extremely from sicKness and want of adequate shelter Early in the spring of 1847 preparations were again made to send out a body of men to the Rockies for the purpose of finding a new location for the exiled Saints A selection of men was made to take the hazardous journey and nearly all who were called responded cheerfully The necessary teams camp equipage and provisions were quickly provided from the scanty stores on hand and on the 5th of April 1847 Heber C Kimball moved six of his teams which he had equipped and prepared to form part of the company com-pany out of Winter Quarters After traveling six miles in a westerly direction they camped in a convenient place thus forming a kind of nucleus for the rest of the pioneers to gather to During the few following days the company was greatly augmented by other persons joining join-ing the camp which soon commenced to travel westward slowly In the evening of the 15th of April President Brigham Young and other leading men joined the camp at a point twelve miles west of the Elkhoru and about fortyseven miles from Winter Quarters The following day Friday April 16 1817 the pioneers were called together and organized with captains of hundreds fifties and tens a captain of the guard and other officers were also appointed There were 143 men altogether besides 3 women and 2 children or 148 souls all told in the pioneer camp they had 72 wagons and their animals consisted of 93 horses 52 mules 66 oxen 19 cows 17 dogs and some chickens The wagons were chiefly loaded with grain and farming implements and with provisions which were expected to last them for the return journey At 2 oclock p m on that same day the pioneers as an organized body made their final start for the Rocky Mountains Moun-tains and after traveling three miles the company encamped for the night The next day April 17th the journey was resumed and in the evening the company com-pany was called together and organized in military order with Brigham Young as lieutenantgeneral Stephen Markham as j colonel and John Pack and Shadrach Roundy as majors The captains of tens as previously appointed were to hold similar I sim-ilar rank in the military organization I Thomas Bullock was installed as clerk ot the camp and Thomas Tanner appointed e ap-pointed captain of the cannon II Being thus fully organized traveling and for self defense this noble band of pioneers the founders of Utah proceeded slowly on their journey Their camp rules were somewhat strict but the men obeyed orders cheerfully no swearing or profanity was allowed and no jarrings or contentions to speak of were experienced on the whole journey At 5 oclock in the morning the bugle usually sounded as a signal for every man to arise and attend at-tend prayers before leaving the wagons Then the people would engage in cooking cook-ing eating feeding teams etc until 7 oclock when the train would move at the sound of tne bugle When danger from Indians was apprehended each teamster kept beside his team with loaded gun in hand or within easy reach while the extra men observing same rule regarding f re-garding the weapons walked by the side I of the particular wagon to which they belonged j and no man was allowed to leave his post without the permiseion of his officer In case of an attack or any hostiie demonstration by the Indians the wagons traveled in double file and on a few occasions even four abreast The order of encampment was to draw I up the wagons in two semicircles i semicir-cles with the tongue and mouth of each wagon to the outside and a fore wheel of each wagon was placed against the hind wheel of the wagon before fore it the horses and cattle were t I brought inside of the inclcsure The corral cor-ral thus formed was oblong opening at I either end where a guard was stationed The tents were pitched outside of the cor rail In the evening at 830 the bugles were again sounded as a signal for holdIng I hold-Ing evening prayers in their wagons and all retired to rest at 9 oclock On the 21st of April the pioneers arrived at a point on Loup Fork opposite to which stood a Pawnee village Many of the Indians came across the river and were treated by the pioneers to flour salt and other edibles and seemed to be highly pleased They were particularly anxious to shake hands with the pioneers pio-neers and would run Irom side to side repeatedly for that purpose so as not to miss any one On the 24th the pioneers crossed the Loup Fork at a point where it was about I four hundred yards wide but very shallow I shal-low The bed of the stream consisted of I dangerous quicksands I Early in May as the pioneers were I journeying along the north side of the Platte they came to a place where the Indians were engaged in burning up the grass in consequence of which the prairies and hills for miles in all directions direc-tions presented a blackened surface A council was called to consider whether or I not it would be wise to cross the river i and strike the old road to Laramie there I being good grass on that side of the river But in view of the thousands I who were expected to follow in their track it was concluded to continue as t before braving the Indians and the I burning prairies for said the pioneers a new road will thus bo made which will stand as a permanent route for the Saints independent of the old route and the river will separate the I I Mormon companies from other emigrants emi-grants so that they need not quarrel for wood grass or water and fresh grass will soon grow for our companies to follow fol-low us this season Thus the pioneers broke a new road across the plains over which tens of thousands of P Mormons have since traveled and which was famous as the old Mormon trail till the railway came to blot almost from memory the toils and dangers of a journey 1 jour-ney of more than a thousand miles by slow teams to the valleys of Utah It is a curious fact that for several hundred miles the grade of the Union Pacific railway rail-way is made exactly upon the old Mormon Mor-mon road On the 1st of June the pioneers arrived opposite Fort Laramie where they tarrIed tar-rIed a few days repairing their wagons Here they were joined by a small company com-pany of Saints from the southern states who had wintered at Pueblo and who now accompanied the pioneers to the valley val-ley This company consisted of seventeen seven-teen persons with live wagons one cart eleven horses twentyfour oxen twenty two cows threo bulls and seven calves From this point also four of the pioneers were sent to Pueblo to meet the detachment detach-ment of the Mormon battalion encamped there and hurry them on to Laramie to follow the track of the pioneers On the 12th of June the pioneers arrived ar-rived at the point where the Oregon road crossed the Platte Here they overtook a company of Oregon emigrants who paid the pioneers for ferrying them across the river 150 for each wagon and load in flour at 210 per 100 pounds yet flour was worth 10 per hundred at least at that I point These earnings were equally di nided among the members of the camp and amounted to five and onehalf pounds of flour two pounds of meal and a small piece of bacon to each man President I Woodruff writes that it looked a3 much of a miracle to him to see the flour and i meal bags of the pioneers thus replenished in the Ba3k Hills as it did to have the children of Israel fed with manna in the wiceness During the few following days the pioneers ferried other companies across ana when they finally resumed the journey on the 10th they left ten men in charge of the ferry to continue the work of assisting other emigrant companies across the river On the 21st of June the company reached Independence rock on the Sweet water and on the 26th the South Pass On the following day they met Moses Harris a trapper who spoke very discouragingly dis-couragingly of the regions around the Great Salt lake On the 28th they met 1 Colonel James Bridger on his way to Fort Laramie He camped witn the f pioneers over night and in consultation I with President Young and other leading men of the camp he gave a detailed description I de-scription of the country for which the pioneers were aiming This report was I anything but encouraging On the 30th the pioneers reached Green river where they met Samuel Braunan who hnd led a company of Saints from New York to I California by way of Cape Horn the year previous This man tried his best to influence in-fluence President Young to go to california I i Cali-fornia whero he Mr Branuan was locating lo-cating his company on the San Joaquin river but President Young could not be swayed from his original plan either by the glowing description Mr Brannan gave of the Pacific coast nor by the discouraging dis-couraging reports given by Colonel Bridger and Mr Harris about the region of country around the Great Salt lake On the 4th of July while the pioneers were yet encamped on Green river they were overtaken by twelve of their Mormon Mor-mon Battalion brethren who had wintered win-tered at Pueblo The 13th of July found the pioneers encamped in Echo canyon with President Presi-dent Young and others sick with mountain moun-tain fever It was at this point that Orson Pratt was instructed to take twentythree wagons and forty two men I and proceed on the journey and endeavor I to find Mr Reeds route across the mountains i moun-tains as they had been informed that it would be impracticable to pass through Weber canon Elder Piatt pushed ahead as instructed cutting his way I I through the mountains making roads I and building bridges ana after crossing what were afterwards designated as Big If t and Little mountains this advance com L I 1 pany encamped on the night of July 20th I a feW miles only from the valley of the Great Salt Lake I Wednesday July 211S47 Orson Pratts I advance company resumed the journey and I traveled two and onehalf miles ascending a mountain for one and a halfmile they I then descended on the wst side one 1 1 mile when they came upon a swift running run-ning creek which they called Last creek now known as Emigration creek There I they halted for noon Erastus Snow who I had overtaken the advance company from the rear camp and Orson Pratt now proceeded pro-ceeded in advance of the camp down Em gration creek four and onehalf miles to a point where it passes through a narrow canyon and issues into the open valley below To avoid the canyon Reeds wagons wag-ons who went through thepreviousyear had passed over a very steep and dangerous danger-ous bill Messrs Pratt and Snow ascended this hill from the top of which they obtained ob-tained a beautiful view of the valley at the north end of which the broad waters I of the Great Salt Lake glistened in the sunbeams After issuing from the mountains writes Orson Pratt among which we had been shut up for many days ana beholding be-holding in a moment such an extensive scenery open before us we could not refrain I re-frain from a shout of joy which almost involuntarily escaped from our lips the moment this grand and lovely scenery was within our view immediately descended de-scended very gradually into the lower parts of the valley and although we had but one horse between us yet we traversed trav-ersed a circuit of about twelve miles before be-fore we left the valley to return to our company which we found encamped one and a half miles up the ravine from the valley and three miles in advance of their noon halt It was about 9 oclock in the evening when we got into camp The main body of the pioneers who were in the rear were encamped only one and a half miles up the creek from the advance ad-vance company with the exception of a few wagons containing President Young and others who were sick with the mountain moun-tain fever They were encamped further back in the mountains that night Thursday July 22 This morning writes Orson Pratt George A Smith and myself accompanied by seven others rode into the valley to explore leaving the camp to follow on and work on the road which here required considerable labor for we found that the canyon at the entrance of the valley by cutting out the thick timber and underbrush with some spading and digging could be made far more preferable than the route over the steep hill mentioned above We accordingly ac-cordingly left a written note to that effect ef-fect and passed on After going down into the valley about five miles we turned our course to the north down toward to-ward the Salt Lake For three or four miles north wa fouud the soil of a most I excellent quality streams from the mountains and springs were very abundant i abund-ant the water excellent and generally with gravelly bottoms A great variety of green grass and very luxuriant I covered the bottoms for miles where the I soil was sufficiently damp but in other places although the soil was good yet the grass had nearly dried up for the want of moisture moist-ure We found the dried places swarming with very large crickets about the size of s mans thumb This valley is surrounded with mountains except on the north tne tops of some of the highest being covered with snow Every one or two miles streams were emptying into it I from the mountains on the east many of which were sufficiently large to carry mills and other machinery As we proceeded pro-ceeded towards the Salt Lake the soil began be-gan to assume a more sterile appearance appear-ance being probably at some seasons of the year overflown with water Wo found as we prodeeded on great numbers num-bers of hot springs issuing from near the base of the mountains These springs were highly impregnated with salt and sulphur the temperature of some was nearly raised to the boiling point We traveled for about fiften miles down after af-ter coming into the valley the latter parts of the distance the soil being unfit for agricultural purposes We returned and found our wagons encamped in the valley about five and onequa rter miles from where they left the canyon The main company broke camp at 830 I oclock am and soon eame up with Elder Pratts advance company There I were several bad places in the road and the brethren spent considerable tiind infixing in-fixing them Elder Clayton writes It is evident that the emigrants who passed this way last year must have spent a great deal of time cutting a road through the thickly set timber and heavy brushwood It is reported that they spent sixteen days in making a road through from Weber river a distance of thirtyfive miles It has taken us over three days to travel that distatce as we had to spend many hours in improving the road After traveling one and three fourth miles we found the road crossing cross-ing the creek again to the south side and then ascend a very steep hillso very steep that it was almost impossible for heavy wagons to ascend and so narrow that tne least accident might precipitate a wagon down a bank of three or four hundred feet in which case it certainly would be dashed to pieces To avoid this very dangercus place the brethren set to i work making a new road down the canyon along the creek which took them about four hours after I which the company resumed they jour ney and soon emerged into the open valley val-ley traveled five and a quarter miles further and encamped by a small creek Days journey seven and a quarter miles President Youngs rear company again resumed the journey traveled a few miles and camped in East canyon Friday Juiy 231his morning John I Pack and Joseph Matthews were dispatched dis-patched as messengers to the rear camps to inform President Young and the brethren who were with him about the progress of the advance companies and of their explorations The camp moved about two miles north and encamped on the stream subsequently known as City creek in what is now part of the Eighth ward of Salt Lake city I Here the camp was called together and I Orson Pratt offered up prayer and thanksgiving thanks-giving in behalf of the pioneers all of whom had been so wonderfully preserved on the whole journey from the Missouri river to the valley and he dedicated the camp and the land unto which they had come to the Lord imploring his blessings upon their labors and nIl that pertained unto them The meeting was then addressed by Willard Richards and Orson Pratt after which various committees com-mittees were appointed to attend to different differ-ent branches of business preparatory to putting in crops About two hours after the arrival on the banks of City creek I their camp ground plowing was commenced com-menced a short distance northeast of the camp three plows having been rigged for that purpose George W Brown ran the first furrow that was plowed by a white mijn In Utah The furrow was plowed where I Main street Salt Lake city now is in front of where Godbes drug store now I stands Having plowed a furrow about one hundred yards in length the plow broke In the meantime Wm Carter now of St George Utah had got his plow and team in working order and started to work in good earnest he did not stop till he had plowed a full half acre of land II on the block where the Knutsford hotel is now situated Hence to him is ascribed as-cribed the honor of having done the first plowing in Utah Others started to plow about the same time as Mr Carter and as the soil was exceedingly dry several plows were broken during the day In the afternoon some of the camp who had been appointed for that purpose built a dam across City Creek in order to convey the water from that stream onto the land which was being plowed After I soaking the ground the plowing was comparatively easy Three plows were kept going most of the day I I President Youngs rear company left their encampment in East canyon ana I crossed Big mountain When on its I summit the president directed Elder Woodruff in whose carriage he was lying sick to turn it around so that ho could have a view from that point of a portion of Salt Lake valley He declared that there was no pines where the Saints would find protection and safety From the summit of this mountain they traveled six miles when they came to a beautiful spring in a small birch grove where they encamped for the night Here they met Elders Pack and Matthews from the advance camps who reported that the men ahead had explored the Great Salt Lake valley as far as possible and made choice of a spot to put in crops Saturday July 21In the forenoon the pioneers commenced planting potatoes pota-toes after which they turned the water from the creek upon them and gave the ground a good soaking About noon President Young Heber C Kimball Wilford Woodruff Lorenzo D Young and the others who constituted the rear company arrived at the pioneer encampment on City creek The president presi-dent and all who had suffered with sickness sick-ness were improving quite fast and were now able to walk around Apostle Wit ford Woodruff in describing his entrance into the valley that day writes This is one of the most important days of my life and In the history tho Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints After traveling trav-eling six miles through a deep ravine ending with the canyon we came in full view of tho valley of the Great Salt Lake the land of promise held in reserve by God as a resting place for his saints Wo gazed in wonder and admiration upon the vast valley before us with the waters of the Great Salt Lake glistening in the sun mountains towering to the skies and streams of pure water running through tho beautiful valley It was tee grandest scene that we had ever beheld till this moment Pleasant thoughts ran through our minds at the prospect that not many years hence tho houso of God would be established In the mountains and exalted ex-alted above the hills while the valleys would be converted into orchards vineyards and fruitful fruit-ful fields cities erected to tho name of the who came here should buy any land that I he had none to sell but that every man should have his land measured out to him j I for city and farning purposes He might I till it as he pleased but he must be industrious in-dustrious and take care of itJ I Monday July 26 Plowing and planting plant-ing was commensed early Lorenzo D Young went further up City I creek to a spot where a scrubby I oak tree was standing near where the bridge now crosses the creek at the northeast corner of the Tem I I pIe block This spot seemed a more desirable de-sirable camp ground than the one then occupied He returned to camp and by permission moved his wagons on to the ground President Young riding with Apostle Woodruff in the haters carriage and others soon after came along and being so pleased with the location I directed the company to move on to it which was subsequently done Near this I new camp ground they made a choice spot for a garden which they began to till the same day About 1U oclock a m President Young Heber C Kimball Wilford Woodruff George A Smith Ezra T Benson Willard Richards Albert Carrlugton and William Clayton started from camp on a short exploring ex-ploring expedition Ascending the mountains moun-tains northward they reached about five miles from camp the top of a high peak on the edge of the mountains which they considered a good place to raise an ensign so they named it Ensign Peak a name by which it is still known Wil ford Woodruff was the first person to ascend as-cend this hill Brigham Young became very tired and weary in climbing it on account ac-count of his recent sickness The view of the lake and valley from Ensign peak was very pleasing to the brethren From this point tho explorers descended to the valley below and tben started north to visit the Hot Sulphur springs After spending considerable time in that vicinity vicin-ity they returned to camp about 5 oclock had put up his forge was busy in connection con-nection with the carpenters rigging up plows ana other farming implements A company who had been to the mountains moun-tains for the purpose of getting timber with which to build a skiff returned in the evening bringing a very handsome pine log measuring about twenty inches in I diameter They went to work immediately immedi-ately preparing a saw pit in which to saw i the log and intended to make a skiff as soon as possible During the afternoon several other Indians In-dians came into camp to trade Some of j them remained with the pioneers overnight over-night Wednesday July 28 The exploring party arose refreshed and feeling well after having slept in the open air They traveled about ten miles south along the eastern base of the Oquirrh mountains found a barren country and i no water Orson Pratt ascended a ridge 1 about three miles south of a point where the company halted for noon From I i the top of this ridge he could see the Utah 1 lake Striking eastward across the valley I the explorers returned to the main camp arriving there tired and weary about 4 I oclock pm after having traveled during I dur-ing the day thirty miles On this trip j they saw about one hundred goats sheep aud antelope playing about the hills and I valleys After returning from this trip the company i com-pany was more satsfied than ever that they were already encamped upon the spot w1 ere their contemplated city should be built Apostle Woodruff writes After our return to tho camp President Young called e council of the quorum of tho Twelve There were present Brigham Young Heber C Kimball Willard Richards Oron Pratt Wllford Woodruff George A Smith Ainasa M Lyman and Ezra T Benson We walked from the north camp to about tho centre between the two creeks when President Young waved Ms hand and said Hero is the forty acres for tho temple The i city can bo iJo out perfectly square north and south east and west It was then moved and i I i I 1f rl EAGLE GATE Photo by J H Crockwell Lord and the standard of Zion unfurled for tho i gathering of nations President Young expressed his entire satisfaction satis-faction at the appearance of the valley as a i restn place for the Saints and felt amply repaid re-paid for his journey While lying upon his bed In my carriage gazing upon tho scene before us many things of tho future concerning the i valley were shown to him in a vision i After jrazlng awhile upon this scenery wo moved four miles across tho table land Into j I the valley to the encamnment of our bre thor tho-r n who had arrived two days before I As econ as our encampment was formed before taking my dinner having half a bushel j of potatoes I went to the plowed field and planted them hoping with the blessing of God j ito i-to save at least the seed for another year I The brethren bad dammed up one of the I creeks and dug a trench and by night nearly the whole ground which was found very dry was irrigated owards 1 evening brothers Kimball Smith j Benson ond myself rode several miles up the creek City creek into the mountains to look for timber and see tho country There was a I thunder slower and It rained over nearly the whole valley it also rained a little in the fore part of the night Wo felt thankful lor this as It was tho generally conceived con-ceived opinion that it did not ram In tho valley during the summer cason Sunday July 25The morning was fine and pleasant At 10 oclock a m the pioneers met for public worship in the circle of the encampment encamp-ment and were addressed successively by Apostles George A Smith Heber Kimball Kim-ball and Ezra T Benson The speakers all expressed their feelings of gratification at the prospects before them and were well satisfied with the country to which they had come Elder Kimball referred specially to the manifold blessings with which the brethren had been favored during dur-ing their travels Not man woman or child had died on the journey In the afternoon thewhole congregation partook of the sacrament of the Lords supper for the first time in the valley and the people peo-ple were addressed by Wilford Woodruff Orson Pratt and Willard Richards Remarks Re-marks were also made by Lorenzo D Young John Pack and others Elder Pratt spoke from the text How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings that publjsheth peace that brmcetb good tidings of good that publisheth salvation that saith unto Zion thy God reisncth I Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice wIth tho voice together shall they sing for they shall see eye to eye li i fo 1 when the Lord shall bring again Zion Isaiah 52 7 8 This text was very appropriate for the occasion Though still feeble with the most languishing lan-guishing of diseases the mountain fever and scarcely able to stand upon his feet President Young was still the lawgiver on the first Sabbath in the valley If he had not strength to preach a great sermon ser-mon like that of Apostle Pratb ho could in a few words give some timely advice Be told the brethren says President Wilford Woodruff that they must not work on Sunday that they would lose five times as much as they would gain by it None were to hunt on that dny and there should not any man dwell among us who would not observe these rules They might go and dwell where they pleased but should not I dwell with us He also said that no man p m quite weary with their days ex plorationsa I During the day Elders Joseph Matthews 1 and John Brown crosspd the valley to the mountains westward They returned in j the evening and reported that the distance dis-tance to these mountains was about fit I teen miles They found the land on the west side of the valley to be of n poorer jl quality than that on the east side A horse which they found near the mountains moun-tains was brought by them to camp It I had undoubtedly strayed from the emigrants emi-grants who had passed that way the year previous i During tho day the men who were en I grtged in farming planted about three acres more with potatoes and also several I acres with corn peas and beans Some of the hunters who had visited in I i I the mountains reported that there was I i plenty of good timber in all the canyons adjacent to the valley such as sugar I I maple ash oak fir and pine i A number bathed in the warm sulphur I I springs about three miles northwest of I I the encampment ana some of the sick I were greatly benefitted by so doing i I Tuesday July 27Eary in the morning J I morn-ing two of the Utah Indians came into camp to trade Two ponies were bought I of them for a rifle and a musket At 830 I oclock Amasa M Lyman who had left j the pioneer camp at Fort Laramie to visit I the detachment of the Mormon batallion i at Pueblo arrived in camp He was accompanied I ac-companied by Samuel Brannan Rodney I Badger and Roswell Stevens They reported I re-ported that the Pueblo company would I arrive in a day or two 1 The twelve accompanied by Samuel Sam-uel Brannan and several others I i started about 9 oclock am on an exploring expedition taking with them one carriage several horses and I mules with some provisions and blankets blan-kets Orson Pratt who was one of the I I company writes I I 1 We directed our course west Two or three miles brought us to a river called tho I Utah outlet it Is about six rods wide und three > feet deep at the ford gravel bottom Its current i is not very rapid and ihe water not quite so transparent as the mountain streams generally 1 In this valley its course is north towards tho Salt Lake into which it empties About thirteen I thir-teen miles further across a level prairie with i i hero and there the bed of a lake which is now perfectly hard and dry we camo to tho north j point of a range of mountains which forms tho western boundary of this valley At the foot of j I these mountains at the north point there is a i 1 stream of fresh water very little brackish We halted hero a short time for the horses to feed I About sIx miles further west following tho i emigrant trail brought us to the Great salt I lake which hero made up near the base of the mountains We all bathed in the salt water i which is fully saturated with salt its specific gravity is such us to buoy us up in a remarkable manner the water was transparent tho bottom Is sandy We continued on about four miles further when we reached a valley Tooelo valley i val-ley putting up to Inc southward from the lake This valley we judged to be about twelve miles In diameter On the south there was a small opening which wo supposed might bo a continuation of the valley or an opening into a plain beyond It was ne trly dark and we concluded con-cluded to return to the placo of our noon halt i where we enoiraped for the nltzht 1 The men at the main camp continued plowing and planting Burr Frost who I carried that the temple lot contain forty acres on the ground where wo stood It was also moved and carried that the city be laid out Into lots of ten rods by twenty each exclusive of the streets and into blocks of eight lots being ten acres in each block and one and a quarter in each lot Jt was further moved and curried that each streot be laid out eight rods wide and that there be a sidewalk on each side twenty feet wide and that each house be built in the center of the lot twenty feet from the front that there might be uni forimty throughout the city It was also moved that there be four public squares of ten acres eaih to bo laid out in various va-rious parts of the city for public grounds At 8 oc ock the whole camp came together on tho temple ground and passed the votes unanimously The apostle were appointed a committee to lay off the city etc Thursday July 29President Young with a number of others mounted their horses and started out to meet the battalion battal-ion detachment under the command of Captain James Brown They met the advance ad-vance columns of the soldiers about four miles from camp and proceeding further they met Captains Brown and Higgins Lieutenant Willis and the main company I some distance up in Emigration canyon There were 140 of the battalion and about one hundred of the Mississippi Saints who came with them from Pueblo They had with them twentynine wagons one carriage car-riage 100 horses and mules and 300 head of cattle which creatly added to the strength of the pioneer camp increasing the number of souls there to about four hundred I Before the companies emerged from the canyon a water cloud burst which sent the water into the creeks from the mountains moun-tains with a rush and roar like thunder resembling the opening of a flood gate The shower spread over a large portion of the valley The pioneers returned at the head of the companies and marched into camp with martial music The soldiers appeared ap-peared in military order and many of them were mounted They arrived at the lower camp of the pioneers about 4 oclock pm and subsequently made their encampment on City creek between the upper and lower pioneer camps As many of their wagons were broken and I their teams failing tfcey were under the necessity of stopping until further orders although they had intended to proceed at once to the bay of San Francisco The twelve returned to the upper camp at 5 oclock p m The meeting between the brethren of the Pioneers amI the battalion boys was indeed a joyful one Friday July 3Jrhis morning the twelve met in council with the officers of the battalion and afterwards about thirty visited the Hot Springs In the evening a general meeting of the camps was held and President Young who spoke directed his remarks more particularly par-ticularly to the soldiers He considered that the battalion had been the means of saving the Saints from destruction and felt very kinkly disposed toward them for the sacrifice they had made They were I requested to build a bowery on the Tem plo block on the morrow in which the people could assemble for worship Saturday July 31The battalion constructed I con-structed a bowery on the Temple block a little southwest of the upper pioneer camp It was about forty feet long by twentyeight widesufficiently large to accommodate all the members of the camp President Young and others visited the battalion camp where Solomon Tindall Thomas Richardson and other soldiers lay very sick During the day about twenty Shoshone Indians visited this camp with several squaws Colonel Mirk ham reported that there were three lots of land containing altogether fiftythree acres already plowed Twothirds of a lot of thirtyfive acres was planted with buckwheat corn oats etc another lot of eight acres with corn potatoes beans etc and four acres of a plowed lot often of-ten acres with garden seeds About three acres of corn was already up about two inches above ground and some beans and potatoes also began to show themselves them-selves This was the result of eight days labor besides making a road t < the timber tim-ber hauling and sawin timbr for a boat making and repairing plows etc Thirteen plows and three harrows or drags had been working during the week Sunday Aug 1The past night was cold and windy At 10 oclock a m the Saints assembled for meeting under the bowery on the temple lot It was decided that the three companies should form into one camp and labor unitedly together that tho officers should act as a committee to form a corral or camp and that this be done on the morrow mor-row that the horses and mules be tied near the camp at night that the company f com-pany build houses instead of living in wagons during the coming winter and that they go to work at once to erect dwellings that the houses be built in such a manner as to form a stockade or fort to keep out the Indians that tho women and children be treated properly and the Indians let entirely alone Colonel A P Rockwood remarked that a log house IGxlS feet would cost J10 and one of adobes half as much Captain Brown was in favor of setting tho men to work building both log andndobehouses in order to hasten the work Captain Lewis Lieutenant Willis and Samuel Brannan spoke in favor of erecting adobe house3 The latter remarked that he had a man in California who with three men would agree to make adobes for a 30foot house build the house and put a family in it in a week His printing office was put up in fourteen days and a paper printed After some remarks by Willard Richards it was voted to put up a stockade of adobe houses Samuel Gould and James Dunn reported themselves them-selves as lime burners and Sylvester H Earl Joel J Terrill Ralph Douglas and Joseph Hancock as brick makers Elder Kimball then stated that those who intended to send ox teams back to Winter Quarters must be ready to start them off in a week Monday Aug 2This morning the wagons all moved up and formed in an oblong circle between the two creeks two branches of City creek a little east of where the upper pioneer camp had been located It was decided to send Ezra T Benson with a company of horsemen back to meet the next company of immigrants immi-grants They started about noon In the morning Orson Pratt and Elder Sherwood commenced surveying the city beginning with the temple block but finally fin-ally concluded to wait until the chain could be tested by a standard pole which had to be brought from the mountains In surveying the temple block forty acres appeared so large that a council was held to determine whether or not it would be wise to reduce it onehalf Ten acres were finally decided upon for the campsite camp-site Wednesday Aug 4William A King commenced making a new rodometer which he finished on the 7th This new machine could tell the distance traveled for one thousand miles without keeping any account It was to be used on the return re-turn trip to Winter Quarters Thursday Aug 5Jesse C Little and I others who had returned from an exploring explor-ing tour to the Utah lake reported that there was a fine country east of that lake and that the land there was well adapted for cultivation They also reported that they were now sure that the stream running run-ning a few miles west of the Pioneer camp the Jordan was the Utah outlet as they had followed it to its junction with the lake Saturday Aug 7This morning fifteen men commenced building a dam in the creek a short distance above the camp in order to bring the water around and inside in-side the camps After finishing their wrk in the afternoon a pleasant little stream of cold water was flowin on each side of the wagons all around the camp Where the water overflowed the banks of the ditches the ground soon became so soft and miry that cattle would sink afoot a-foot or more in mud About noon a terrible whirlwind struck the camp and did considerable damage It whirled a chicken high up in the air tore some of the tents and wagon covers and shook the wagons violently In the afternoon the twelve walked to the Temple block to select their lots President Young took a block east of the temple and running southeast to settle his friends around him Heber C Kimball Kim-ball a block north of the temple Orson Pratt south and running south Wilford Woodruff a block cornering the Temple block the southwest corner joining Orson Pratts Amasa M Lyman took a block forty rods below Wilford Woodruffs Wood-ruffs George A Smith one joining the temple on the west and running due west Monday Aug 9Samuel Brannan Captain James Brown and several others started for San Francisco Jesse C Little Lit-tle and others went wjth them with the intention of accompanying them to Fort Hall The Twelve had decided on a namo for their location and a caption for all letters and documents issued from the valley namely Salt Lake city Great Basin North America On this day at 4 oclock pm the wife of John Steele one of the battalion gave birth to a daughter which was the first < child born in Great Salt Lake valley The little one was named Young Elizabeth SteeleYoung for President Young and Elizabeth for Queen Elizabeth of England I Eng-land She is now the wife of James Stapley of Kanarra Iron county Tuesday Aug 10President Young and Heber C Kimball went to the adobe yard to commence building houses in that vicinity President Young laid the foundation foun-dation of four houses Heber C Knnball four and Colonel Markham Willard Richards and Lorenzo Young one apiece This was the commencement the building build-ing of what was subsequently known as the Old Fort in the Sixth ward Salt Lake city A number of logs had already al-ready been hauled on the ground Colonel Markham reported that in addition ad-dition to the plowing done the first week thirty acres more had been plowed ana planted thus making eightythree acres altogether The plowing ceased the second sec-ond week and the men were now directing direct-ing most of their attention to making adobes hauling logs and preparing to build houses Henry G Sherwood and his aids were busily work surveying the city Tanner and Frost the blacksmiths of the camp were engaged in setting wagon tires for the company preparing to start east and this day tnej set fiftytwo Wednesday Aug 11 Early this morning morn-ing a large company of Utah Indians crme to visit the camp and it was with difficulty they could be kept outsIde of the wagons Some of them had no clothing cloth-ing on except the breech cloth and they were nearly all small of stature One of them was detected in stealing some clothing cloth-ing laid out on the brushes to dry When they found they were not permitted Inside In-side the circle they soon moved off to their own camp which was located about three miles northwest of the pioneer camp Workmen commenced laying the adobe wall which was to be twentvseven inches thick and nine feet high the adobes were IS inches long 9 inches broad and 4M inches thick About oclock p m a threeyearold child of Brother Therlkill a grandchild of Brother Crow was found in the creek south of the camp drowned Various efforts vere made to restore it to life but they were not successful The parents mourned bitterly over tbe accident which was the first death in the valley Thursday Aug 120rson Pratt and William Clayton spent the forenoon in taking observation to ascertain the height of the Temple block It was found to be 4309 feet above the level of the sea and 65 feet above the Utah outlet The altitude one mile up the creek from the Tempe block was 211 feet above the Temple grounds 6 I The blacksmiths were busy shoeing I oxen preparing to starting the ox teams back on the following Monday Some of the soldiers began to get quite anxious I about their families and were desirous of starting back as soon as possible WilLfd Richards laid the foundation of another house George A Smith commenced I com-menced two and Wilford Woodruff two houses making seventeen houses so far in course of erection Most of these were fourteen feet wide and from twelve to I seventeen feet long These first houses were built on the east line of the stockade i or fort and commencing at the northeast I corner in the following order Brigham Youncr lour rooms Lorenzo D Young two Heber C Kimball five Willard Richards two Wilford Woodruff two George A Smith two Amasa1I Lyman two and Ernstus Snow one Two loads of good salt were brought in from the lake for the company to take With them east Brother Crows grandchild who was drowned in the creek the day before was buried this being the first funeral that took place in the valley Friday Aug 13The twelve held a council at which it was decided that each member of that quorum should make choice of the blocks they were to settle their friends upon President Young took a tier of blocks running south I through the city and Heber C Kimball selected several blocks on the north and northwest of the Temple block Orson I Pratt took four blocks Wilford Woodruff I Wood-ruff eight George A Smith eight and I Amasa M Lj man twelve blocks according accord-ing to the companies organized with each Saturday Aug 14As it was the intention in-tention to start the ox teams on the return re-turn trip the following Monday all the brethren who were going back with them went on an excursion to the Salt Lake They found the distance twentytwo miles i Jesse C Little Joseph Matthews John Brown Lieutenant Willis and John Bu chan in who had accompanied Captain Brown Samuel Brannan and others as far as Bear River on their way to California Cali-fornia on the previous Mondav returned to the pioneer camp They had been on an exploring expedition as far as Cache vallej of which they gave a favorable 1 account Lewis B Mjers and another min also returned from the same country coun-try Some of these brethren had visited a settlement made by a mountaineer Miles Goodyear on Webers Fork a short distance dis-tance east af the lake Sunday Aug 15 Several of the brethren breth-ren who had gone to Utah lake for fish and to explore returned in the morning giving good reports of the country in that vicinity Monday Aug 161lost of the wagons going to Winter Quarters with ox teams started during the day and traveled to the mouth of Emigration canyon where the waited until the next morning for the remainder of the company Tuesday Aug 17The remainder of the company destined for winter quarters started for the mouth of Emigration canyon I can-yon where they joined their companions f who had started the day previous Soon after resuming the journey conjointly 1 the were overtaken bv Heber C Kimball Kim-ball Willard Richards and others from the pioneer camp in the valley who gave the departing brethren the necessary instructions in-structions and some timely advice and then returned with his escort to the sal I Icy after which the company traveled to Birch spring where they encamped for the night having traveled thirteen and onehalf miles from the camp on City creek f The returning company consisted of 71 1 men with 33 wagons 14 mules horses I and 92 yoke 01 oxen Thej arrived in Winter Quarters Nov 21 following I J Thursday Aug 19A party of mountaineers moun-taineers consisting of four white I U men and two squaws arrived In the valley in the afternoon from Fort Bridger Their ostensible reason in coming I com-ing was to see how the pioneers were I getting along as they expressed themselves I them-selves but the real object of their visit was undoubtedly to trade with the Indians I In-dians They camped about a mile below I the pioneer camp on the bottpm I Friday Aug 20The laying out of the city was completed the first survey consisted of 135 blocks cash containing ten acres The blocks were subdivided into eight lots of one and onequarter acres each Tha streets were made eight rods wide There I were three public squares including the I adobe yard now the Sixth Ward square I and the Temple block also contained ten I acres Henry G Sherwood returned I from an exploring expedition to Cache I valley accompanied by a man by the name of Wells who had lived for a num I ber of years among the Spaniards in New Mexico Albert Carrington John nand n-and others started in the evening on an exploring expedition to the Twin II I Peaks Saturday Aug 21 President Young Hebei C Kimball and others moved their I wagons and effects from the camp on City Creek to the stockade where work on the houses was being pushed vigorously t ahead Sunday Aug 22The day was warm I I and pleasant A special conference was held at the bowery at which President Young said I move that a president be appointed to preside over this place I Seconded and unanimously carried 1 move that there be a high council Seconded I Sec-onded and carried 1 move thatall other necessary officers be appointed for this place Seconded and carried I move I 1 that we call this place The Great bait Lake City of the Great Basin of North America Seconded and carried I iuove that we call the postoffice The I I Great Basin postoffice Seconded and carried Heber C Kimball said I move that I we call the river running west of this place The Western Jordan Carried President Young remarked It is the right cf the twelve to nominate the officers of-ficers and the people to aecide by their I vote whether they will accent them or not It is necessary that the adobe yard the stockade or old fort should be secured I se-cured so that Indians cannot get in lo accommodate those few who shall remain I here after we the pioneers return it I would only be necessary to build one side I of the fort but common sense teaches us j to build it ah around By and bj men of means will be coming on and they will want rooms and the men who build them will then be entitled to their pay Make your walls four and half feet high so tuat they can keep the cattle out build your houses so that you will have I plenty of of fresh air in them or some of yen will get SICK alter being used to sleeping in your wagons so long We propose to fence in a tract or land thirty rods square so that in case of necessity the cattle can be brought inside and the hay also be stacked there In the spring this fence can be removed and a trench be plowed about twenty feetfrom the houses to enable the women to raise garden vegetables Raise all the grain you can and with this you can purchase sheep cows teams etc of those who come I here lateron We desire you to live in that stockade until we come back again and raise grain next year Heber C Kimball remarked There are some ciet kt that have no names J President Young said I move that this creek that we arc encamped on be called City creek Seconded and carried 1 move that the large creek running u few miles south of here be called Mill creek that the little creek a little south of the camp be called Red Butte creek that the next creek south be called Canyon crook afterwards named Emigration creek and the next Big Canyon creek now Can jon creek or Parleys creek All these motions were seconded and carried unanimously unani-mously Thursday Aug 26 The Twelve and others started on their return to Winter Quarters where they arrived on the 31st of October following When the company had arrived at a point about a mile from Winter Quarters the pioneers were called together and addressed by I j President Young who remarked I will say to the pioneers I wish you I j would receive my thanks for jour kindness j kind-ness and willingness to obey orders I am satisfied with you you have done well We have accomplished more than we expected ex-pected The 143 men who started some of them sick are all well Not a man has died and we have not lost a horse mule or ox except through carelessness The blessings of the Lord have been with us If the brethren are satisfied with me and the twelve please signify it with uplifted hands tAll hands were raised I feel to bless you in the name of the Lord God of Israel You are dismissed to go to jour homes The company then drove into the town of Winter Quarters in order arriving there about an hour before sunset The streets were crowded with people who had come out to shake hands with the Pioneers as they passed through the lines and the weary travelers truly rejoiced to once more behold their wives children and friends after an absence of over six months in which time they had traveled over 2000 miles sought out a location where the Saints could dwell in peace and accomplished one of the most interesting inter-esting and important marches of the Nineteenth century I The foregoing details of the journey of I the pioneers is only a small portion of what might be written concerning them I They were the lorerunners of tens of thousands who since that time have flocked into the valleys of Utah and who have made our territory the most famous I and prosperous of all the territories of the United States In 1847 alone following fol-lowing the wake of the pioneers under I President Young about two thousand of their corehgiouibts pioneers of Utah arrived in the valley from Winter Quarters I Quar-ters after crossing the plains and mountains with 56G wagons fully organized or-ganized into companies of tens fifties j and hundreds All of these companies I have a separate and interesting history i and the experiences suffering and privations 1 priva-tions which they passed through during I their first winter in thovaUeythe winter lof 15i74S should it be written would alone fill a volume j I Out of the 143 men 3 women and 2 I i children who composed the pioneer camp I only about thirty are now < alive I none of whom have seen riper jcars I I nor perhaps been more active in I building up the commonwealth of which he was one of the founders than I the honored President Wiltoid Woodruff who is spared to see the little colonv I i I olanted here in 1847 grown to its present dimensions He is i the only one of I I the original leadersthe twelve of 1S47 who is now alive Of the I other apostles who were numbered among the pioneers Willard Richards died in 1851 Hebei C Kmball in 1868 Ezra T I Benson in 1869 George A Smith in 1875 Brigham Young and Amasa M Lyman in 1877 Orson Pratt in 1881 and Erastus Snow in 1SSS Let us cherish the memory of those pioneers who have gone to the great beyond yond and honor the few who still remain I with us in the land of the living Never perhaps was a commonwealth founded under more distressing and peculiar circumstances than those which cluster around the early history of Utah and seldom if ever were a band of pioneers more successful in colonizing I and building up a country than were the pioneers of Salt Lake city While differences I differ-ences in opinion may exist from a iclig ious political or social standpoint the I facts remain that our lovely city near the Dead sea of the West the halfway house of the nationwas founded by an industrious I indus-trious honest and Godfearing people men and women who true to the American Amer-ican genius loved civil liberty religious freedom and equal rights with the full fervor of freemen and placed upon the altar their all to obtain tins sacred boon I ANDREW JENSEN |