Show II OUR PIONEERS i AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF GEORGE A A Continued from last week The next day we crossed the Blue Bench Although the country dayto comparatively level It took all day to go o about ten miles We arrived at the Point of Rocks on the brink of the Duchesne river V e knew that if 1 we went down that treacherous hill with Its rocks and ledges and then found the Straw Straw- Strawberry Strawberry berry country impassable we e could never get Bet back up the hill hUl Hoping that someone going our way might happen along alone we camped for the i inIght nIght Morning came and we were still alone and more undecided d than ever The thought of turning back and spending the winter In a strange pioneer country with no supplies whatsoever was certainly not a pleasant one I was home home- homesick homesick homesick sick We hitched up our team and although no one said anything I believe belleve we intended to push on ahead And then a government man came driving up the river You 11 never make male it he told us It s next to Impossible impassible to cross Rock creek and if you did you d never get let through Strawberry Blue and disheartened we turn turn- turned turned turn turned ed b back k After tso t t o days of or slow travel through the snow we were nearing ne-aring the Uintah river er when suddenly mother said Look Someone Is coming Is 10 It possIble that someone else is as foolish as we were 7 To our surprise it was S three homesick neighbors of ours from Pleasant Grove They were Chris Iverson William Wllliam Walker and Hen Hen- Hensen Hen sen sea sen Eaton all young men who had been to Ashley Valley in search of future homes but with no In Intention In- In of oC staying through the win winter win win- winter winter ter They were headed beaded for home they said and nothing could daunt them Oh Oh but you OU cant can't do that Isaid I Isaid Isaid said and nd proceeded to tell teU them why We tried every e ery way to dis dissuade dis- dis dissuade suade suede them from attempting to coon go goon goon on They wouldn t listen and the first thine thing I knew kne they had Der- Der per per- Mother to turn turn back once nce more and accompany them themI I m sure store they'll see us through she she said as our wagon wacon fell in be behind be- be behind behind hind theirs And the snow was still falling and drifting badly I Since Sin I have had a wife II and I children of m mS own I have come comeI 1 I to appreciate my mother mothers s anxiety lin I In wanting to get back to her hus- hus I hus-I 1 bind band and five children the young sound soundest youngest oung- oung est one three bears vears ears old and a crip crip- cripple cripple pIe from birth I All Mt went fairly fairl well sell until e ae I reached reache-d Deep Creek Creck where here reel began Weere We were ere facing facing- one of the worst blinding sno snow storms of all my m experience e experience i terrible blizzard Doggedly we e fought foucht ouray our nay ay against the blinding blizzard in snow sno drifts almost to the top of the wheels hoping hoping- to find a little littlewood o wood d with ith which Inch to build a camp camp- campfire campfire fire camp I fire But thereas there was as only snow The road was obliterated When e aee II could go no further a we e abandoned Ione one wagon and hitched all of the horses to the other All the spare Imen men went ahead for the road and ind tramping tramping- a way wa through I Ithe the drifts Until far In tn the nIght we struggled along alone but we went II only a R very ery short distance We got all all the horses down in a deep drift gotI I we had told not the slightest Idea where I I I I I I the ro road d was The horses we un unhitched un-I un un- un unhitched hitched and dug due out of the snow And there we were cold and hun hUn hUn- hUngry hungry gry discouraged discounted and weary eary no good i for tor a fire no grass for or horses and nd our wagon almost bur burled bur bur- buried buried led Yet there was Just one thing left leCt to do camp do-camp for the nIght After shoveling clearing behind the wagons we put blankets on the horse homes and tied them there witha with a goodly supply of oats poured down on the ground for themAs themAs them themAs As for ourselves we had plenty plent of food lood but nothing cooked except bread hlen en Ei en If we could have ha found wood a fire would could have been an impossibility in such a storm our friends were at their s w s grid Cold hungry and so tired they did not care the three of them crowded Into bed without any supper I To be continued |