Heritage Gateways

Brigham Young Journals

April 23, 1847

Summary: Corn field, quicksand and a burned out Pawnee town.

Journal entry: Friday. The Pioneer company started about noon, crossed Plum Creek and passed a large corn field, the corn stalks still standing, left Pawnee town, soon crossed Ashcreek twelve feet wide, one foot deep, and proceeded two miles to the place designated for crossing the Loup Fork river. A few attempted to cross withtheir wagons but owing to the quicksand bed of the river experienced difficulty.

Dr. Richards reported that he had rode through the Pawnee town about helf a mile west of us and had seen the ruins of about 175 houses or lodges averaging from twenty to sixty feet in diameter, all of which had been burnt to the ground by the Sioux Indians at a time when the Pawnees were absent on their hunting expedition.

The town had been partially fortified by an embankment of earth and sods about four feet high, having a ditch on the outside; this place has conatined about six thousand souls who have been the terror of the Western tribes.

The Pioneer company met and after deliberation concluded to build two rafts about sixteen feet long each to carry over our goods on the morrow.