[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] 20th A Hard wind through the night. This morning fair but strong SW wind. It covers our wag-gons with sand & dust while Journeying. The soil is universally sandy on the banks of the Platt. The grass is now about 4 inch high scattering not half feed. Their are many water fowls about the Platt such as ducks geese Brant but the most numerous of all are the sand Hill Cranes which flye in large flocks on evry side of us.
25 minutes past 7 we started on our Journey. 2 1/4 miles came to another grove of small & large cottonwoods covering about 40 acres. It was about 5 miles to the table land which was now rising into a bluff. Here the road runs 20 degrees south of west bending to S by W. one mile in which distance we passed 3 Islands in the Platt coverd with timber the largest about 10 acres. Their continues a chain of Islands for miles on the river & some timber on the south side of the Platt.
We came to skull creek B miles from our encampment. 1 1/2 miles to the right of skull creek is A prairie dog village covering about 6 acres of ground. This creek is timbered ownly by a few scattering willows. The river runs about parallel with the river [sic]. Its general Barings are about east & west. After crossing the skull Creek bridge the road runs about SW by W 60 degres west of south for about 15 miles. The Platt is skirted with timber.
Professer Pratt & myself went forward of the Company to take observation. We traveld about 13 miles & stoped bated Horses took observations &c. While on the road we frequently see gopher Hills from one to 6 feet in circumference diamiter & from 3 inch to 2 feet in highth some resembling a potatoe patch which makes it rough waggoning over them. With the exception of this it is the best road on the North side of the Platt river I ever travled being a level dry hard road. Our Standard Thermometer stood to day at 1 oclok 94°.
The company approached us & we continued on 5 mile & the whole encampment came up & we encamped for the night in a circle. Cut down Cotton wood trees to feeds the Horses on the bark. They will knaw off the bark from brouse limbs & sticks 10 inches through as readily as they would eat corn. We have had to feed upon cotton wood all the way thus far. We give each Horse also about 3 quarts of corn per day.
Our fisherman drew a net this afternoon & broat into camp 213 fish Buffalo & Carp which was divided in the camp. We had A Buffalo would weigh 10 lbs & carp 2 lbs & had a good supper. The Platt was a mile wide whare we camped including an Island opposite of us with timber. The distance of the day 18 miles.
[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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