Heritage Gateways

William Clayton Journals

July 9, 1847

Location: Fort Bridger - 96 miles left, Wyoming - (You cross four gushing creeks, within half a mile, before you reach the Fort, and by traveling half a mile beyond the Fort, you will cross three others, and then find a good place to camp.) - 917 miles from Winter Quarters.

Summary: After leaving Fort Bridger, the Brethren travel down extremely steep bluffs.

Journal entry: FRIDAY, 9TH We started at eight o'clock, the brethren who go back bidding good life to the camp and proceeding on their back journey while we moved westward over pretty rough roads. After traveling six and a quarter miles, we arrived at the springs and halted a while to rest our teams. We then proceeded on three - quarters of a mile and began to ascend a long steep hill, near the top of which was eight miles from Fort Bridger,. Elder Pratt took an observation and found the latitude 410 16 11'. Arriving on the top we found the table tolerably level for several miles then began to descend to the bottom again. The descent from this hill is the steepest and most difficult we have ever met with, being long and almost perpendicular.

At three o'clock we crossed the Muddy Fork, a stream about twelve feet wide, and formed our encampment on the west bank, having traveled since the halt six and three - quarters miles and during the day thirteen. Here is plenty of tall bunch grass and a pretty good chance for our teams. The day has been windy, warm and dusty.

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.