[Minutes, Quorum of Twelve] June 28. 1847 Little Sandy River-
B[righam]. Young, H[eber]. C. Kimball, O[rson]. Pratt, W[ilford]. Woodruff-G[eorge]. A. Smith, W[illard]. Richards-E[zra]. T. Benson, Mr. [James] Bridger.
Mr. Bridger has been sent for to Fort John. [He said,] they want to take advantage of me-
[W]e make contracts for our Peltries & are furnished by the Upper Gentry-[W]e may have some peltry to go to the States in the Fall. [I]t costs 4 or 5000 /$[s]/ a year to keep up this place. [T]hey X the Black Fork-then a little South of West-under the mountain where the Green River runs thro it about 400 miles in some places [where the] /rocks/ [are] 5000 feet high-[N]othing can go down safe-[P]ersons have been [on] both sides of the River over the Mountains, but cannot [go] by the water. [I]t is a level, high country above-full of crevices-a black rock [is there that is] glazed & [with] rings like Potmetal-[It] would destroy horses feet-[At] about the middle of the Rocks, comes in the Rio Colarado-[I]t winds & twists [a]round-[It] look[s] like old Castles burnt, [and] nothing but brush grows[:] the Soap Weed & Prickly Pear-[W]e call them Lancers-it is covered with musqeet, [and] some Willows-[U]ntil about 200 miles of Tide Water then [there is] cotton weed, Musqeet Tallow Weed-[T]he Muscal grows there-[T]o go by the way of Hastings [is] about 100 miles-I ve been thro 50 times-[I]t leaves at my Station-goes to Weavers River-
Crosses Red Fork & Bear River-then [goes] to [the] Lake. [H]eavy timber [is there]-like Poplar-
Oak, Sugar Tree, Cotton Wood, Pine-[There is] Sugar maple in [the] hollows-[and] plenty of the finest Pine-[There is] no timber on the Edge of the Lake-[L]ittle Streams are well timbered-
[There is an] outlet of Utah 30 miles from Lake to Lake-[with] no timber on it. [T]hree Creeks put into the run, [each are] well timbered-[The] best soil [is there, along with]-blue grass, White & Red Clover-[T]his [is] on the S[outh]. E[ast]. of the Salt Lake-[There is] a good, smart current-
[and] low banks-[The] Salt Lake does not rise much by freshets-the boys said it was 550 miles in going round, they were 3 months-Utah Lake about 15 miles long. Ute Indians & Root Diggers- where they can get something to eat-they live-Weaver River is larger than Bear River-[T]he Indians [a]round Utah will strip a man, if they dont kill him-[T]he Root Diggers use Bow[s] & Arrows-[they] are very wild-you can see their Smoke & tracks & that is all-Mr. Miles & Mr.
Wells, an Englishman is there alone, in charge of the whole [group]-[T]he Snow lies close-the only danger is of its being killed by Frost [illegible] of several places-[T]he South end of the Basin is a good country-they empty into the Lakes on the East side-close to the Calafornia Mountain.
[Y]ou can cross into the Sacramento in 5 or 6 places-[T]his is on the S[outh]. E[ast]. of the Basin as shewn by Fremont-[H]e can only give a description of 10 or 12 miles [on] each side-Coal is very Common-the Streams are well timbered-I[ ]ve seen plenty of Oak, Walnuts, Hackberry &c. I could go 300 miles S[outh]. of the Lake without stopping. S[outh]. of the Utah Lake is a barren Sandy Desert-[and] a valley of 40 or 50 miles extends clean to the Gulf-[Y]ou will find Sheep & vegetation-[T]here is a tribe of Indians that farms, that nobody knows any thing about. it [I]t is in the same vicinity-S[outh]. E[ast]. of the Colorado-[I]f there is a promised land-thats it-[T]he Muscaloras Indians are very wild [and] the Monkey Indians live on a mountain-[T]here is a tree, like a cedar, [that] produces /like/ a juniper berry-[It is] yellow-a small seed the Indians grind-[It has] a spicy taste-[Y]ou may gather a 100 Bushels off one tree-[and] you can eat twice the full of your hat-[T]here are the finest streams & well watered-[A] man may go with Pack animals in about 20 days-[It is] a very hilly country-but a great part of the Country [there is] nothing for animals to live on-[A] little branch of the Ely River is a Copper mine-a whole mountain of it-a good Quicksilver mine [is] there-[with] coal & Iron Ore-& Timber enough-[There is] good Farming ground-the Wild Squash grows there-& wild Grapes-[There are] no grapes about the Utah Lake but plenty of choke cherries-[B]ut [you] could gather immense quantities-also acorns for Hogs-[T]he Utah Lake & South of it is the best land-that good land runs to where the Snow will not lie-[Y]ou can go 200 miles South of the lake [where it is] well timbered-[There are] all kinds of Fish-the Timber runs close to the mountains-Timber [is] all [a]round the Utah Lake-
[There is] not so much Sage-it grows in patches, then meadows-Flax grows in the Valleys-[In]
July 1845-[there was a s]howering 2 or 3 times a day, [and] sure of 1 or 2 Showers [and] very heavy thunders-[There is] not much Wind-[I]f you go S[outh]. of Utah Lake /50 miles/ you strike Surveyor Lake-[I]n one day I could make a map to all. You go down Green River about 5 miles-
[it] goes up the hill to the old houses-[T]hen [there is] 18 miles without water-[T]hen [you go] up Creeks 4 or 5 miles then X [cross] Ham s Fork, a pretty valley-[It]t is more than half way to the Fork-it is [Y]ou go down Green River 5 miles then + 18 miles to the River-Big Sandy is Flat & Shallow. Mr Hastings trail goes S[outh] E[ast] of the Salt Lake. [T]hey have to go down Weaver River about a mile-but you can avoid that-it is about 2 miles from Mr. Miles [Goodyear s] home.
[T]he only difficulty is [the] thick Oak Saplings-[I]n the Utes Land you must not stick a stake-
[A]ll they are fit for is Slaves-[T]here are 10 Indians on the West side of the Mountains, to 1 on the East side. [O]nly 200 miles S[outh] of the Utah they raise corn, Wheat, Peas &c.-I have bought & eat[en] it myself. [T]here [they] are wild as Beasts-[T]hey are outrageous against White People, because the Spainards killed many, & stole their children. [T]hey cultivate it with the wooden hoe- corn grows pretty, as in Old Kentucky; & the best wheat I ever saw-[W]hen you get to the Utah, you can go strait to it-[T]he Cattle Winter themselves-the grass curses itself-it is a different kind of grass-a second growth-[I]t rains at the Salt Lake all times of the year, but not so much as in the old country-[O]n Green River, 50 miles below the trail-[you] can get plenty of Coal-but like a candle & ashes [it is] white. The whole country is Iron Ore, I believe-I know a lead mine in the Black Hills-it runs in the cracks of the mountains-I see it every time I go to Laramie-it is called the Big Timber Creek-a little branch that runs into it-
[source: Minutes, Quorum of Twelve]
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