[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] 21st June 1847 {INDEPENDANCE ROCK) I arose early this morning took breakfast And in company with Br Brown we rode clear around Independance Rock. I should judge the distance to be about 3/4 of A mile. We exhamined the many names & lists of names of the trappers, traders, travellers, & eme-grants which are painted upon these rocks. Nearly all the names were put on with read, Black & yellow paint. Some had washed out & defaced. The greatest number was put on within A few Years. Some of them were quite plain of about 30 years standing. Nearly all the Companies pass by put some of their names on the rock.
After going around and exhamining it we staked our horses And mounted the rock. I went forward & gained the highest point of the South end of the Rock which contains the names. After exhamining it I then went to the North end which is the highest part of the rock. Here is An opening or cavern that would contain 30 or 40 persons And A rock stands on the highest peak of about 3 tons wait. We got upon this rock & offered up our prayers according to the order of the priesthood. We prayed earnestly for the blessings of God to r[est?] upon President Young & his brethren the Twelve & all of the Pioneer Camp & the whole Camp of Israel & House of Israel, our wives & children, & relatives the Mormon Battalion, all the Churches Abroad And that the Lord would hasten the time of the fulfillment of his promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Lehi, Nephi, Alma, & Moroni And all the sayings of the Lord concerning the building up of Zions in the last days And Avenging the blood of the Prophets. And while offering up our prayers the spirit of the Lord desended upon us and we truly felt to rejoice.
And while we were attending to our prayers the Missourians was burying A woman A little distance from the rock by the name of Rachel Morgan 25 years of Age being the third one of the family buried on the road. They were supposed to be poisoned by cooking in new Copper vessels.
After surveying the rock what we wished we again desended to the ground. I was the first Latter Day Saint that ever went onto that Rock or offered up prayers according to the order of the Priesthood.
We had A view of our Camp from this rock And expected they would noon there. So we mounted our horses & concluded to examine the country in the regions round about. We rode to the North East about 5 miles. Went to the top of a high bluff And saw the camp in motion. We then rode to the foot of the Mountain to the N.W. & followed under the foot of the mountain All of the way to the Devils gate through which the sweet water runs.
While taking this circuitous rout we passed A salt lake Covering about 50 acres of Ground. We spent but few minutes at the Devils gate at this time & Hurried on back to the Rock as our camp had come up.
But before we could get to them they had camped half a mile east of the Rock. I met Br Young going up to the Rock. I related to him my travels since I left the camp. He asked me to go back with him to the rock, So I turned out my horse having rode all of 20 miles during the forenoon exhamining bare rugged rocks & barren grounds, & Salt ponds &c And I returned with President Young W Richards G. A Smith & others & we again ascended the rock together & spent about half an hour upon it & returned to Camp mounted our horses & rode to the Devils gate which is the name of the channel through the Mountain through which the sweet waters run.
It is [4/5?] miles from Indipendance Rock & while Approaching this place from the rock As is the case while approaching the foot of any mountain through this country A person is greatly decieved in the distance for while An object appears but a mile Ahead of you you will have to ride 5 or 6 before you can reach it.
We rode as far as we could into the gate hitched our horses & walked into about the centre of the cavern. This opening or Devils gate is 100 feet high. Perpendicular Rocks 120 feet wide & 50 rods long & the water rushes through it with A roar. The rocks are composed [of] coarse grey granite with A vein of Black trap rock runing through it. We spent about half an hour visiting this place then had to back out & ride around it on the south side. Some of the footman walked over the top of it.
We camped for the night on the bank of the sweet water About one mile west of the Devils gate the camp having travled during the day 15 1/4 miles And I 30 miles. Distance to guide board was put up at the gate saying it was 175 1/4 miles from the Fort Laramie, & 50 1/4 from the ford or ferry of the Platt River. /15 1/4 30 miles./
[Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]
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