Heritage Gateways

Pioneer Date Summary

Previous | Next

06/07/1847 - Crockett

Date: June 7, 1847

On the Oregon Trail, Wyoming:
The two Missouri emigration companies started out before the pioneer camp of Saints. Brigham Young bought a cow from the emigrants for a very good price. Willard Richards left behind another letter to Charles C. Rich and the next company in a letter box.

In the morning, the pioneers traveled almost eight miles and spent the noon rest on a small spring with very little water and grass. The roads had been rough and they had been going uphill. While there, a third company from Missouri passed by with 13 wagons, 14 horses, 64 cows, and 43 yoke of oxen. They were from Andrew County, Missouri.

Thomas Bullock recorded: "We then ascended some hills skirted & dotted with Pine Timber; when at the top we had view of a most beautiful country, being in two directions like an immense Park, without any fence, & dotted with Pines. On the other side had a full view of Laramie Peak, covered with Timber & tipt with Snow." [Laramie Peak is 10,272 feet high.] William Clayton described: "From a fair view of the peak I am satisfied that the Black Hills, of which this is a prominent part, are so named from the vast forests of pine trees covering their surface and being of a dark green color within a few miles of them. The pine grows in the most rocky places and abounds on the highest hills, while on the lower bluffs it is sparsely scattered and in the bottom land, which looks rich and good, there are none."

William Clayton continued: "We began to descend and had to lock the wagons in several places. The descent was rendered unpleasant by the many large cobble stones scattered in the road. Many of the brethren threw them out of the road as we went along and the road is much improved. They have also dug down some places and leveled others, which will make the road much better for other companies."

After descending into a valley, they camped for the night at Horseshoe Creek with wonderful feed for the cattle. Wilford Woodruff wrote: "Horseshoe Creek is heavily timbered with cottonwood, ash & willow. It is quite a large stream. I went fishing with a hook & line to see if I could not get some trout but I caught nothing. The Black Hills are a good deal timbered with pine." The three Missouri companies went on ahead. Another heavy thunderstorm poured rain upon the pioneer camp.

John Brown killed a long-tailed deer and another hunter killed an antelope. Robert Crow's hunter, Lewis B. Myers also killed a deer but was not willing to conform to the camp rules of dividing it among them camp, and instead kept it all for the Mississippi Saints. Brother Crow promised that it they obtained more meat than they could use, they would share it with the rest of the camp. The fact that the Mississippi Saints continued to live by their own company rules was certainly a frustration to the leaders of the pioneer camp. The pioneers were curious to watch Lewis Myers, roast the young antlers of the deer and eat them. Some of the Missouri companies killed an antelope, took off the quarters and left the rest on the ground. John Pack picked it up and brought it along.

Winter Quarters, Nebraska:
It rained in the morning and was very muddy in the city. Hosea Stout went around town to collect the police tax from some of those who were preparing to leave with the next company of pioneers. He also asked about the possibility of himself going as captain of the guard.

Mormon Battalion, at Los Angeles, California:
Henry Standage took his turn at guard duty and was posted at the jail. One of the prisoners, an American, put on a squaw's clothes who had brought him his meal, and went out the door. Private Standage suspected something and discovered the trick. He immediately ordered him back to the jail at the point of a bayonet and requested that the jailer lock him in a more secure room. The jailed man issued many threats and curses against "the Mormon."

Sources:

• Wilford Woodruff's Journal, 3:197-98
• Luke S. Johnson's Journal, typescript, BYU, 11
• Diary of Howard Egan, Pioneering the West, 67-8
• Bagley, ed., The Pioneer Camp of the Saints, 184
• William Clayton's Journal, 220-23
• Brooks, On the Mormon Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout, 1:260
• Journal of Henry Standage in Frank Alfred Golder, The March of the Mormon Battalion, 224

Source: 150 Years Ago Today ©These materials have been created by David R. Crockett. Copies of these materials may be reproduced for teacher and classroom use. When distributing these materials, credit must be given to David R. Crockett. These materials may not be published, in whole or part, or in any other format, without the written permission of Mr. Crockett, TucsonAz, crockett@goodnet.com.