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Show Sugar House Sermonettcs by E. Cecil McGavin This is the twentieth in a se l ies of articles on the early day history of Sugar House. The series is presented under the sponsorship of" Sugar House Camp, Sons of Utah Pioneers. In the days that followed as the weary travelers pushed westward the early snows of an unwelcome winter began to fall. They were unable to kindle a fire so fierce was the storm, at times. Their cattle wandered away in the heavy snow fall and many were lost. The first day they set out to overtake the starving oxen they found ten of them dead not far from camp. Many of the others were never recovered. recov-ered. After this tragedy they fc'lt obliged to leave the heaviest wagons beside the trail and trudge on toward their destination, desti-nation, using the smaller wagons wag-ons that carried largely the weary voyagers and their household effects. Men were left to search for the lost cat- modity that they had not been able to enjoy in the past. , John Taylor, aware of the trouble they must be having along the way, sent out a consignment con-signment of food with Joseph Home, who met them in Wyoming, Wyo-ming, providing them with the necessities they sorely ' needed. On the Green River additional cattle were purchased pur-chased from trappers to replace re-place the ones slaughtered and lost. When they arrived at Fort Bridger they were welcomed wel-comed by Abraham O. Smoot with another wagon load of provisions for their relief. The supply of flour was a most welcome gift. It was selling sell-ing for $50 per hundred pounds at the time. At other steep points along the rugged trail other heavy tie as the main body of the emigrants hastened on before they were trapped in the cold embrace of winter. In addition to the great losses of oxen by straying and starving, they were obliged to kill several of the best cattle for food. This was the price these valiant val-iant souls were willing to pay for their transportation to Zion. This was the sacrifice they were willing to offer in order that a new industry might be planted in the far-west far-west and that the pioneers be supplied with a staple com- pieces of the machinery or complete wagon loads were left along the trail so not to impede the speed of the families fami-lies so anxious to get into the valley before the portals of the mountains were closed by the snow. Not until November did the party reach Salt Lake, much of their equipment being be-ing left long the way. It was a time of rejoicing when the weary voyagers from abroad were made welcome in the City of the Saints and settled down for their first winter in the westland. |