[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] 28th We Parted with Major Harris After doing some traiding with him. He promised to meet us Again on bear River. We travled to little Sanday & nooned. The stream was high. In the Afternoon we travled 2 miles & met Mr Bridger of the fort on the way with two other men going to fort Laramie. He was expecting us & was to have an interview with President Young & the Twelve And also we wished to have an interview with Him. So we immediately turn onto the creek we nooned on & camped for the right & Mr Bridger & his men Camped with us.
We met in Council & spent some hours in conversations. We found him to have been a great traveller And A great knowledge of nearly all Oregon & Calafornia the Mountains, lakes, Rivers, Brooks, springs, valleys mines, Creeks, &c if what He told us was true, He knew of gold, silver, copper, lead Coal Iron, Sulpher & Saltpeter mines.
He spoke more Highly of the great Salt Lake for a settlement than Major Harris did. That it was his [-] & if this people settled in it He wanted to settle with them. There was but one thing that Could operate against it becoming A great grain country & that would be frost. He did not know but the frost would effect the corn. He Said there was A spring at the end of the Salt Lake that produced both Hot & cold fresh water, & Hot & Cold Salt water out of the same Hole or spring, & formed A large body of verdegreece below which the Indians get to paint skins, Arrors &c. He informed us whare to find A mine of silver & lead ore on big timber Creek.
We conversed about A great variety of things. He said he was Ashamed of the Maps of Freemont for He knew nothing about the Country, ownly the plain travled road, that He Could Correct all the maps that had been put out about the western world. He Said if we wanted any of his services to let him know. The American fir Company had paid him $2,000 dollars per year while in their employ.
He spent the time Conversing untill 10 oclok. We then retired to bed. Several of the brethren bought dressed deer skin shirts & pants of [him]. Then they would swap An outside dress for one Hickory or Checked shirt.
We had good grass & water & plenty of musketoes to night. Dis 15.
[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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