Heritage Gateways
Official Sesquicentennial K-12 Education Project
sponsored by the Utah State Board of Education, the BYU-Public School Partnership and the Utah Education Network
BackWilliam Clayton Journals
August 7, 1847
Location: Salt Lake Valley (the right place), Utah - The end destination for the trek across the plains.
Summary:
Journal entry: SATURDAY, 7TH. Today William A. King has finished the roadometer which will now tell the distance for one thousand miles without keeping any account.
About noon a very large whirlwind struck the south side of the camp forming a cloud of dust about twenty feet in diameter and making a loud roar. It carried a chicken up some distance, tore tip the bowers, and shook the wagons violently in its course. It passed off to the northeast and seemed to break at the mountains.
SATURDAY, 7TH. Today William A. King has finished the roadometer which will now tell the distance for one thousand miles without keeping any account.
About noon a very large whirlwind struck the south side of the camp forming a cloud of dust about twenty feet in diameter and making a loud roar. It carried a chicken up some distance, tore tip the bowers, and shook the wagons violently in its course. It passed off to the northeast and seemed to break at the mountains.
This morning fifteen of the brethren commenced building a dam a little above the camp so as to bring the water around and inside the camp. They finished early in that afternoon and we have now a pleasant little stream of cold water running on each side the wagons all around the camp. Where the water runs off or overflows the gutters, it soon becomes miry and cattle will sink a half a yard in mud. This is owing to the lightness of the soil, it being very light and rich.
In the evening, many of the brethren went and were baptized in the dam by Elder Kimball for the remission of sins, Elders Pratt, Woodruff, and Smith attending to confirmation. I went and was baptized amongst the rest. It has been recommended for all the camp to be baptized and this evening they have commenced it.
Source: William Clayton's Journal
Published by the Clayton Family Association, and edited by Lawrence Clayton. To the best of our research, this contents of this book are no longer under copyright.
