[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] 8th + The Calculation was to spend the day at the fort. As soon as I got my breakfast I riged up my trout rod that I had brought with me from Liverpool, fixed my reel, line, & Artificial fly & went to one of the brooks close by Camp to try my luck catching trout. The man at the fort said there were but vary few trout in the streams, And a good many of the brethren were already at the creeks with their Rods & lines trying their skill baiting with fresh meat & grass hoppers, but no one seemed to ketch any. I went & flung my fly onto the [-] And it being the first time that I ever tried the Artificial fly in America, or ever saw it tried, I watched it as it floated upon the water with as much intens interest As Franklin did his kite when he tried to draw lightning from the skies. And as Franklin recieved great Joy when he saw electricity or lightning descend on his kite string in like manner was I highly gratifyed when I saw the nimble trout dart my fly hook himself & run away with the line but I soon worried him out & drew him to shore & I fished two or three hours including morning & evening & I cought twelve in all And About one half of them would weigh abought 3/4 of a pound each while All the rest of the camp did not ketch during the day 3 lbs of trout in all which was proof positive to me that the Artificial fly is far the best thing now known to fish trout with.
In the Afternoon I went to Bridgers House & traided off my flint lock rifle for four Buffalo robes. The robes were large & nice well taned or dressed. He Called the gun $20 & the robes $5 each. The Articles generally at Bridgers fort were at least one third or one half higher than at any other traiding post in America that I ever saw. His robes were $5 buck skin shirts $6 pants $6 dressed skins $3 &c while At fort hall Doe skins 50 ors Buck 75 Elk $1 shirts & Pants $1.50, Robes $2 &c.
Professor Pratt took observations At fort Brid-ger in Lat 41°19'13". Highth above the sea 6,665 feet.
[source: 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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