Show THIRTY SIX YEARS AGO at the Cre general annual conference held in april 1857 the following named elders were called to fill what was known as the hand cart mission Mis siow FROM SALT LAKE CITY george goddard joseph W young stephen H goddard amos taylor john nelson wakeley jabez abaz taylor ay or isaac isaac N hill george eorge rowley william carter robert logan william H smith james galley henry L southworth Pre frederick derick gardner thomas chamberlin william jenkins thomas hall george john Y green william J harris seymour B young miner G atwood henry herriman william H branch enoch reese samuel H W riter david wilkin george B smith philip margetts daniel mackintosh brigham H young martin littlewood FROM PROVO david clough benr john W turner FROM FILLMORE gabriel huntsman ephraim reuben mcbride william felshaw james brooks FROM SALT CREEK william B twitchell FROM STO KERVILLE henry lee FROM CEDAR VALLEY joel terry FROM SOUTH MILL CREEK robert gardner FROM BIG cottonwood charles shumway james andrus andnis david brinton FROM OGDEN CITY albam allen alien william F bull thomas browning john D maylott richard hill ebenezer richardson FROM NORTH WILLOW CREEK john M mccrary FROM WILLOW CREEK samuel longbottom FROM SOUTH cottonwood samuel R aiken FROM SPANISH FORK john W berry FROM springville SPRING VILLE andrew J wheelock william bramall william J stewart FROM WEST JORDAN jabez woodard FROM BOX ELDEB martin L ensign R G evans EU eli H pierce william P thomas frederick rowlett FROM LEHI william dallan FROM FORT john G pinder finder FROM SESSIONS settlement john B maxwell FROM AMERICAN FORK iver M iverson FROM farmington john S gleason of the above seventy elders three went to south africa eight to the united states twenty three to canada and thirty six to europe on thursday april 23 at 8 a m the seventy elders assembled on the temple block with their twenty six hand carts loaded with bedding provisions ns cooking utensils etc an and themselves ves fully equipped for a spring walk across the plains of 1032 miles each cart required two or three to haul it after receiving our licenses from orson hyde and listening to short addresses from orson hyde lorenzo snow wilford woodruff and jeter clinton the presidency arrived and at the suggestion of president brigham young the company started it being now io 10 bidding adieu adieu to our friends who had haa gathered in considerable numbers to see us off and headed by the nauvoo band who with some citizens accompanied us about a mile and half we then halted and after returning thanks and a rou rousing eZon three cheers to the band we proceeded on our journe journey y as far as the cold spring in in emigration canyon and there camped for the night the chief incidents of our first days travel were the breaking of three axle trees and three carts turning a summer sault having in in our company some good mechanics all needed repairs were soon attended attended to at day break the following day the company was aroused and after breakfast a permanent traveling organization was effected as follows heny henry herriman Herr imam president stephen H god goddard ard and joseph W young his counselors wm m galley chaplain william branch captain of fifty john Y green captain of the guards daniel mackintosh clerk george goddard chorister and journal keeper the following rules were adopted for our observance while crossing the plains camp aroused at 4 a m w singing and prayer night and morning ang and after each hours hour s walk a rest of ten minutes after the general or organization g animation aniza tion the company divided up in into to tens and selected a captain to every five carts to the first five miner 0 atwood second eli harvey pierce third joel terry fourth david brinton fifth thomas hall saturday april 25 we arrived on the top of the big mountain at 7 a in gave three cheers as a final adieu to the valley of great salt lake and wended bended our way down on the eastern slope through snow mud and water for miles the snow was very deep especially on the sides of the mountain and the way we had to 6 travel was so rough and sideling that it required the utmost care to prevent the carts from overturn ing this was an eventful days travel for in addition to the above we had to cross east canyon creek four times from two to two and a half feet deep and by the way the only means of crossing these and other streams of water was by plunging in with bare limbs and pulling our carts after us to avoid the crossing of two other streams we ascended a bluff of great elevation and let down each cart on the other side with ropes which was nearly perpendicular cular notwithstanding all the above difficulties only two axletrees axle trees were broken which were repaired before the camp retired to rest sunday april 26 ice half an inch thick waded through five more crossings of east canyon creek soon crossed the divide between east canyon and weber and by 3 p in reached the weber river which we forded corded although the stream was very swift very cold and two and a half feet deep and reaching the east bank by p in we camped for the night this was a hard days davs travel and the distance only twelve miles yet we all deemed it a good sabbath days journey we were now forty miles from S salt it lake city the compa company nyall all felt well though tired but very cheerful and after attending to our sabbath evenings religious duties acknowledging the kind providential watchcase watch care of our heavenly father and grate grateful tul for the goodly portion of his holy spirit that cheered us along on our rugged path we retired to rest monday 27 up at 4 a in m started at twenty minutes to five and soon reached echo canyon traveling through water mud and dust for about nineteen miles in order to resume our usual appear ance of white folks a good wash was necessary a after which the whole company were in good health and cheerful spirits tuesday 28 left camp at halt half past four traveled twenty two miles crossed several patches of snow from two to five feet deep up hill work all morning crossed the divide and camped on the east side of bear river wednesday 29 found snow on the ground from one to two inches deep alter after a travel of two and a half miles we began the ascent of a mountain several miles long and in some places quite quit steep esteep the snow during the night now turned into mud adhering to our feet and the wheels of our carts and withal very slip slippery y these not only increased our I 1 labor ge 0 but slackened our speed at length we reached rocky ridge feet above sea level la in ascending this hill frederick gardner became so exhausted that we had him conveyed in a wagon that was passing at the time thursday 30 another snow storm visited us in the night from three to six inches deep by 8 we reached big muddy creek which we forded corded and the water being so intensely cold had it not been for a few fires to run to where some campers had been the night before we should have suffered extremely another hard days work lay before us slippery roads up a steep hill fording blacks fork twice we soon reached fort bridger where we found our mutual friend lewis robison about 2 p in here we made a stay for repairs repair and overhauling our carts for twenty four hours may 4 henry L southworth was attacked with rheumatism in m his leg and after being anointed and administered to by president herriman and others he was immediately restored the same day william harris left the company to hunt game and wending his way a little too far off lost sight of the camp night came on and the company began to be alarmed for his safety guns and pistols were fired and a large bonfire was made but no response from the lost one david wilkin started on foot in search of him occasionally hooting at the top of his voice aher after several miles run his voice was heard and re replied blied to by the wanderer to the j joy 0 of the whole company they both arrived about io 10 on the ath of may we reached the summit of the south pass feet above sea level crossing over snow several feet deep at this time the entire company had run out of bread stuffs with the exception of one or two meals and having deposited in stewarts stewart teams a little ahead of us some of our flour and crackers to lighten our loads it was deemed wisdom to send three brethren who had volunteered to overtake the teams and recruit our necessities stephen H goddard james brooks and henry lee left camp at 9 p m and after walking all night overtook the wagons at sunrise where they had camped at the first crossing of sweetwater may 18 during the past twelve days our experience varied but little from that which preceded it excepting several miles of heavy sand which proved a severe tax upon our physical powers this day found us at the station of porter rockwell and company who kindly presented us with an antelope here we stayed through the day and camped for the night being much refreshed in our spirits by the hearty welcome of our brethren after supper all the camp were called together and we were addressed by david wilkin followed by the singing of several songs and prayer may 19 learning that the mail from salt lake city was expected we await ed its arrival about 9 a in and with it came george A smith dr bernhisel truman 0 angell william benneter Hen neter doc woodward charley woodward etc after refreshments george A smith addressed the missionaries in his usual happy style meeting so many of our friends in this lonely place miles from home was very ehi exhilarating la rating to our spirits and inspired us with renewed courage in in ascending the black hills which lay immediately before us on the summit of which there were rings and lightning all around us but providentially we were preserved unhurt another davs travel brought us to laramie a strong military fort and where captain branch obtained a supply of provisions for the camp on very r y reasonable terms two days later killeran leFan john n wakely and david wilkin kil killed an nake antelope t e 10 yay e for the benefit of the company the day following gabriel huntsman was the lucky marksman with like success all of which was highly relished in connection with dry bread and crackers on the aith we came to a large band of sioux indians of near sixty lodges they were very friendly and after treating with them for buffalo meat and moccasins we gave them a letter of recommendation to future travelers we soon saw a man in the distance approaching us on horseback and when he beheld our singular singular looking hand cart train which in eners nis is eyes looked terrible as an army with banners he turned the head of his mule and rode quickly back to his train ordered his herdsman at once to gather up dp his cattle load every weapon of defense to meet a formidable foe that was dose at hand but when he found us to be a band ot of peaceable men the feelings of the missouri captain can be better im imagined than expressed by this time having walked near miles blistered feet and toes and sore shin bones were experienced by some though the general health of the corn com pany was good we began to meet almost daily emigrant trains bound for oC california alifornia on the of june ebenezer richardson saw seven and succeeded in killing two buffalo the only ones seen on our journey five carts were emptied and about a dozen men repaired to the dead carcasses which were soon cut up and hauled to ovy our camping places affording about thirty pounds of meat to each of the twenty six carts A few more days travel brought us to several newly formed settlements the first one on the east side of loup fork river was beaver where elder martingale presided before reaching here the company having ru run n entirely out of flour brother joseph W young oun 9 and harvey pierce went ahe ahead a d of the company to beaver settlement and every loaf of bread that could be got was gathered up and immediately dispatched by ox teams to meet our company by the time we met we were just hungry enough to relish as a sweet morsel the bread which was cut up and handed round to seventy men squatting on the ground in a circle we can recommend hunger as a fine relishing sauce to dry bread from experience reaching beaver settlement after sharing their hospitality between thirty and forty composed of english and american farlies fam lies met together held an impromptu meeting with short addresses by brothers herriman hernman wilkin galley and joseph W young and singing a few songs after bidding adieu to our warm heart ed friends we hastened on toward the completion of our hand cart journey passing by locations laid out for large settlements the first one where three or four log cabins were partly built was to be called cleveland the next one I 1 where twenty cabins were counted was columbus besides these many splendid farms and cabins in different locations indicated the existence of large and populous settlements in the near future june io 10 arose at 4 after s singing i ng i ng prayers and breake breakfast brea kast ast and leaving camp at twenty minutes to seven we had the pleasure of arriving on our camp ground in florence at ten minutes to 10 having been exactly forty eight days since we left salt lake city and having accomplished a journey of 1032 miles after the greeting ot of many friends whom we found here and their generous entertainment in the evening our organ was dissolved and it was also decided that our hand carts bedding and utensils should be disposed of by public auction which was done from the door step of alexander warehouse myself being the auctioneer after resting two or three days we began to scatter to our various fields of labor as missionaries to preach the gospel of our lord and savior jesus christ the above is written and published for the benefit of the posterity of the seventy elders whose experience is partially portrayed while crossing the plains 36 years ago it is also intended to hold up and perpetuate an important historical fact for the benefit of the thousands and tens of thousands of latter day saints who have either emigrated or been born here since that time seymour B young now president ot of the first seven presidents of seventies was th the youngest man in our company while our mode of travel for a wise ise purpose was suggested by the prophet prophet of god brigham young it might seem hard to undertake it as ministers of the gospel yet I 1 presume no missionaries ever crossed the plains with a more cheerful and uncomplaining spirit than did these 70 70 hand cart missionaries the spirit and power of god sustained us day by day and many were the striking provi dences of our Hia heavenly venly father displayed in our behalf while it presents a striking contrast to the present elsy easy and rapid mode of travel by rail foad toad it is only in strict keeping with other developments made manifest during the past thirty six years knowing that many of the company have since passed away and anxious to find out how many are still living I 1 shall be pleased to receive a postal card all such with the names also of those whom they know to be dead GEORGE GODDARD no i God dards court E second south st salt lake city |