Heritage Gateways

William Clayton Journals

June 1, 1847

Location: Fort John/Laramie - 508 m. left, Wyoming - Location: 42:12:46N 104:31:00W Elevation: 4250 feet (Fort lays about 1-1/2 miles west from the river. Ford is good in low water. River 108 yards wide. Wall and houses are adobe, or Spanish brick. Altitude, 4,090 feet) -522 miles from Winter Quarters

Summary: Meeting with the Colorado folks. Heard about battalion deaths.

Journal entry: TUESDAY: The morning very fine, warm and pleasant. All is still and quiet as a summer's morning, the camp well and in good spirits and a feeling of peace, union and brotherly love seems to dwell in every breast. My mind revolves back upon by-gone days and then to the present, and I truly feel thankful to my god for His mercies to me and for the privilege I now daily enjoy. the idea of dwelling with my family in a land of peace, in the midst of the Saints of God is better felt than described, but the mild, still, scenery of this morning puts me in mind of it.

At nine o'clock we pursued our journey, the stream we passed over is called by Grosclaude: "The Raw Hide." Elder Cambial let me have his horse to ride. I went in company with George A. Smith who was on foot carrying his gun in fulfillment of President Young's prophecy at the Pawnee Mission station.

The wagons went on till half past eleven and then halted for noon. We were about a mile ahead of them. The distance they traveled was four and a half miles.

At half past one, started out again and traveled till a little after four o'clock and saw Fort Laramie about four miles to the southwest. Elder Cambial and President Young then came up to where Brother Woodruff and I were looking out for feed and we started on, President Young having stopped the wagons, and went to the ford opposite to the fort. It was finally concluded to form our encampment here on the banks of the river.

Several men soon came down from the fort which is about two miles from here and made themselves known as a part of the Mississippi company from Pueblo. They have been here two weeks. It caused us much joy to meet with brethren in this wild region of country and also because we should have some news from the brethren in the army.

Luke Johnson being up here with the boat and several others coming up, they got the boat into the river to go over and see the brethren. And Luke Johnson, John Brown, Joseph Matthews and Porter Rockwell started over and about the same time, Presidents Young and Cambial started back to bring the camp up. When the brethren got over the river Brother Brown met several whom he knew and soon returned bringing Brother Crow and his son-in-law over to this side. The brethren seemed pleased to meet us.

Brother Crow reports deaths in the Pueblo detachment since Brothers Tippets and at Woolsey left, viz. Melcher Oyler, Arnold Stevens. They also state that Solomon Tindall was on the point of death. The other portion of the battalion they had not heard from. The Pueblo brethren are expected to receive their pay and start for this point, at latest by this date, and will probably be here in about two weeks.

They also recorded that three traders from the mountains arrived here six days ago, having come from Sweet Water in six days and nights. They traveled day and night with horses and mules to prevent their starving to death as there is no feed up there. Two of their oxen had died already, etc. The snow was two feet deep at Sweet Water when they left, so that we are evidently plenty soon enough for feed.

At 5:45 the wagons arrived and formed encampment on the banks of the river in the form of a V, having traveled this afternoon, seven and a half miles and during the day, twelve, making a total from Winter Quarters to Fort Laramie 543 1/4 miles and we have traveled it in seven weeks lacking a half a day, but we have traveled but a few miles on Sundays. We [Page missing]

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.