[Hosea Stout Diary] Thursday March the 5th 1846. This morning at 9 oclock another meeting was called by the President and orders given for the first company to proceeded on their journey as previously arrainged and I made ready to act accordingly. They commenced to move off and I waited for them all to start befor I commenced marching the guard[.] I was ready with the first and fourth fifties leaving the second and third as ordered last night[.] At ten oclock supposing that the camp was all off I gave orders for the guard to marchthey did so but they were before some of the camp and Artillery.We had not proceded more than one mile before one of Bishop Whitneys Alxe trees broke and left his waggon in the road.It was at this mill at the mouth of the Creek on which we were encamped[.] We had the worst kind of a road narrow full of short deep hollows muddy and verry killing to the teams
At 12 oclock we came to the little town of Bonaparte situated on the low lands on the bank of the Des-Moinesit hat not many charmes for me in its general appearance[.] I could not see as it differed much from Farmington. There was a splendid Mill on the Des Moines in this town.The mill dam was built entirely across the river with lock to pass boats up or down
The River was beautiful and had a good ford with a rock bottom and was for a river of its size very convenient for travellors to ford at this timeafter I crossed over I proceeded along the level muddy bottom road up the river which was full of waggons and teams standing still which was a sure indication of some difficulty ahead[.] Not far up the river I came to a distillery owned by a Mr Bateman[.] The road here took up a large ravine or branch and then in a short distance went up the river hill[.] Here I discovered the reason why the teams on the bottom were waiting for the hill was litterally fill up with waggons some stalled others the teams could scarce draw[.] It was deep white oak clay land & the waggons cut dow[n] the road might almost be called impassable[.] I went on and when I came to the top of the hill I found it no better.
There was a thick under wood in the timber which prevented waggons from going out of the road[.] It was thus for about two miles & the worst road by far that we had yet passed. At the edge of the prairie lives a man by the name of Neil he is an uncle to Genl C. C. Rich[.] I stopped at his house for I had been introduced to him by Br Rich at the last camp and was there making the necessary inquiries about the road and entirely in advance of the whole company (being horse back) when President Young drove up in his buggy and requested me to enquire for corn[.] I then did so Mr Neil asked 15 cents per bushel[.] I then reported it to the President and went on to the next house & there enquired again but finding Mr. Neils corn cheapest the President bought some there and fed his teams on the prairie about one mile from Mr. Neils.While feeding a load of corn came up which had been previously arrainged the day before and there left for the camp to feed their teams as they passed[.] At 6 oclock the President proceeded on to the next encampment which was yet seven miles[.] As soon as my forward teams had eaten I started also to camp & and passed many teams on the road which were give out in passing the bad roads thus far. The road on a head was on a high prairie and was dry & good The teams traveled over without much difficulty.The Artillery and Elder Heber C. Kimball and many others encamped on the road their teams being unable to proceed further that night.I came to camp about dark and found Col Rockwood laying out the camping ground on a flat level prairie and so I proposed to him for me t locate on the other side of the Creek (Indian Creek) to which he consented.I done so which saved me the trouble of crossing it in the dark on a rough pole bridge
When the President came up he did not like Rockwoods location & he removed his tent to an adjacent woods hard by and piched his tent on a dry rolling piece of land on the bank of the creek. After my teams came up I went with Hunter to Brighams tent to learn the orders of the night and then regulated the guard for the night and went to rest at twelve.Many of the guard did not come here to night.
[source: Diaries of Hosea Stout]
No comments:
Post a Comment