From Nauvoo to Salt Lake in the Van of the Pioneers. VII

Prom Nauvoo to Salt Lake in the Van of the Pioneers. The Original Diary of Erastus Snow. EDITED BY HIS SON, MORONI SNOW. VII. Our last chapter closed with the pioneers encamped on a small creek flowing into the Platte, on the north side. Erastus Snow continues his journal as follows: Wednesday, April 5, 1847. We traveled today about fifteen miles, chiefly over soft prairie where it has been hard wheeling, and our teams fared hard for grazing. Our hunters have killed one buffalo cow and a number of calves today. April 6. A light shower nearly extinguished the fires last night, so that today we passed over to the unburned grass again, but where we have traveled today we are but little better off for feed, for it is nearly all eaten up by the buffaloes which have been driven here either by fires, or by something else, northward. I pre- sume in traveling sixteen miles t^day we have passed from five to ten thousand buffaloes. Some of our teams are beginning to fail for want of feed. 7th. One circumstance I must not fail to mention, that is the fact that Brigham Young, in riding fast with others to head our drove of cows to prevent their mixing with a herd of buffaloes that were making toward them, lost a valuable spy glass out of .his pocket last evening. * * * We had an axle tree to put into a wagon this morning, and we wished to give our teams more time to eat, as the feed was very poor and the grain we had

FROM NAUVOO TO^SALT LAKE. 1021 brought with us was nearly^exhausted. We therefore did not start until about noon, and only traveled six miles and camped near an island where we found better feeding. Saturday, 8th. We traveled about eleven miles over an old sheep pasture, perfectly used up. At least it had such an appear- ance, from the fact that the ground was nearly covered with the buffalo dung, and the whole country seemed alive with these wild cattle. We were obliged to camp upon a perfectly barren spot on the river bank. Next morning we moved up the river four miles, opposite a small island of cottonwoods, on which we fed our teams and on which we tarried over Sunday, 9th, and had a meet- ing in the afternoon. Here also a small box was made and nailed to a tall post in which was placed a written history of our organ- ization and journeying up to this time, for the benefit of our breth- ren who should follow us. 10th. We crossed a small, clear stream this morning and came into a little better feed, and the feed has been improving a little through the day, and the buffaloes are not so plentiful. We are not a little glad on account of it; for we would rather have less game and more feed, though we have not been allowed to kill game any faster than we wanted it to eat. Today we had a feast upon a fat cow and a fine deer. We are camped tonight opposite a fine island of cottonwoods which affords feed and fuel. We have traveled about ten miles today. Tuesday, 11th. Today we have traveled about eight miles and camped a little above a char and beautiful prairie creek. The feed is so short and teams so weak we are unable to travel but a short portion of the day. We have seen but few buffalo today, but it is evident that they have left this range very recently. 12th. We have traveled about twelve miles today. We have bad a warm south wind and good roads, and crossed this afternoon a small, clear stream, and we are now encamped upon another good-sized creek and in- sight of the bluff that separates the north and south forks of the Platte, the most southern point of which is still a few miles above us. The south fork appears to come in from the southwest nearly opposite our camp, and then runs along near its own bluff about twenty miles to its confluence with the north fork, a peninsula of from one to nine miles wide

1022 IMPROVEMENT ERA. separating them. Here we find fresh signs of Indians, and one of their late encampments. We passed today the corpses of about one hundred buffaloes, lately slaughtered by them. They have taken only the hides, tongues, marrow-bones, and here and there a choice piece of meat, leaving the buffalo for the wolves, which are by no means scarce or backward in waiting upon themselves. Most of the buffaloes that \ve have seen on this route seem to be poor, and we find many carcasses of those that have died this spring; and in several instances we have found them so feeble that our boys, who love the sport, have caught them by the tail and horns and handled them as they would any domestic animal. 13th. We have traveled today about ten and three-fourths miles, have crossed the largest tributary of the Platte we have seen since we left the Loup Fork, and are now encamped at its mouth. It has a quicksand bottom fully as bad as the Loup Fork, and is about ten rods wide. The bluffs between the rivers are about opposite. The president named it Junction Bluff river. We have had a sudden change in the weather, and we are now scarcely comfortable around the fires with top coats. The feed is the best here that we have found since we came into the buffalo range. A mile and a half west of us the bluffs extend abruptly into the Platte. They are sand ridges and broken knobs. Our horsemen are searching for a road through. 14th. I was on guard last night, and it was far from being a warm berth, but the weather began to moderate about ten o'clock, and today it has been warm enough to rain. We have had several slight showers, during the day, which seemed truly reviving to this thirsty land. We found a very good but circuit- ous road through the sand hills and made our way to the bottom again. Have traveled eight miles, and have now before us another range of sand hills to try in the morning. They appear worse than those we have passed today. We found good feed here and thought it best to let our teams enjoy the benefit of it before venturing among the sand hills, else we should have trav- eled farther. 15th. We found it about two and a half miles through the sand hills. The sand being deep, made it very heavy wheeling. We have traveled seven miles and camped for Sunday. Have

FROM NAUVOO TO SALT LAKE. 1023 another range of sand hills about three miles before us. The buffaloes have eaten the feed between us and the hills,which is the cause of our stopping in the middle of the bottom. We o.amp where we can feed, irrespective of water or fuel, for buffalo chips have been our only fuel this week, except a little driftwood, and we can find water almost anywhere on the Platte bottom by dig- ging from four to six feet, and we most always do it in prefer- ence to going half a mile to the river. It has been showery today and nearly cold enough to snow. Sunday 16th. The sky was overcast with clouds and the wind blew cold from the north, but in the middle of the day it cleared up warm and pleasant. We had a meeting in the afternoon. All appeared in fine spirits. Two buffaloes and one antelope killed near camp. 17th. Started half-past eight o'clock this morning and found it about two and a half miies through the sand hills before we struck the bottom again, about midway of which we crossed a small stream running into the river. During the afternoon we passed several spring fountains coming out of the foot of the bluffs and spreading out over the bottom which was rather low and made it soft wheeling among the sloughs, as the marshy places on the prairie are called; but bearing nearer to the river bank, we soon struck hard ground again and camped for the night after having traveled twelve and three-fourths miles. The hunters killed some buffaloes and some small game, which detained the camp some to secure the meat. 18th. This morning President Young gave some good instructions to the camp, and sharp admonitions to some for being wasteful of flesh; to the hunters for killing more than they really needed; to the horsemen in taking so little interest in looking out our roads; and to the officers for neglecting to enforce the rules of the camp upon their men. We have had good roads and fine weather, and have traveled fifteen and three-fourths miles today, and camped at the mouth of a small creek. Today we begin to find for the first time ledges of rock in the bluff on both sides of the river. (to be continued.)