Arose at half past five. Morning cool and pleasant. The teams have
filled themselves with rushes. Started at 7:40 and soon after the camp
started, I started ahead on foot and have traveled about five miles.
The prairie level and green with grass. We travel on the first bench
about three quarters of a mile north of the timber on Grand Island.
There are many wild geese on the prairie, also buffalo dung, but
none very recent. There are immense patches of blue grass which from
appearances, the buffalo are fond of. There are also numerous patches
of buffalo grass which is very short, thick on the ground, and curly
like the hair on a buffalo's hide, and much resembling it, except in
color. About a mile from where we camped last night, we passed a place
where the Indians have camped no doubt during their hunt. They must
have been very numerous for their camp has covered a number of acres of
ground. President Young, Kimball and Lyman are gone ahead on horseback
to look out the road. We have thus far followed the Indian trail, but
it is now so grown over and so old it is scarce discernible. The wind
blows strong from the north and the dust is very bad. The atmosphere is
dull and cloudy. Our course today has been about west. At a quarter to
twelve we stopped to feed beside a small creek of clear, good, water,
having traveled about eight miles. The grass along this creek is long
and plentiful. We are about a half a mile from Grand Island.
Having the privilege of copying from Brother Bullock's journal, I will
now record the names of the standing guard as organized April 16th,
also the men selected by Brother Tanner to form the gun division as
ordered Saturday, April 17th.
Tarlton Lewis, Stephen H. Goddard, Seeley Owens, Thomas Woolsey, John
G. Luce, Horace Thorton, Charles D. Barnam, Sylvester H. Earl, George
Scholes, Rufus Allen, William Empey, John Holman, George R. Grant,
William P. Vance, James Craig, Datus Ensign, William Dykes, John Dixon,
Samuel H. Marble, Artemus Johnson, Norton Jacobs, Addison Everett,
William Wordsworth, John W. Norton, Francis M. Pomroy, Lyman Curtis,
Horace M. Frink, Erastus Snow, Hans C. Hanson, William C. A.
Smoot, Barnabas L. Adams, Rodney Badger, Charles Burk, Alexander
P. Chesley, Appleton M. Harmon, David Powell, Joseph Mathews, John
Wheeler, Gillrid Summe, Mathew Ivory, Edson Whipple, Conrad Klineman,
Joseph Rooker, Nathaniel Fairbanks, Ozro Eastman, Andrew S. Gibbons,
William A. King, Thomas Tanner, Hosea Cushing, and John H. Tippets.
The names of the gun detachment are as follows:
Thomas Tanner, Captain; Stephen H. Goddard, Seeley Owens, Thomas
Woolsey, John G. Luce, Horace Thornton, Charles D. Barnam, Sylvester H.
Earl, George Scholes and Rufus Allen.
At twenty minutes after ten o'clock started again, the wind blowing
from the north tremendously strong, and clouds of dust arose from under
the wagon wheels. It has turned very cold and gloomy. We traveled
again over a level prairie some distance from the river and turned off
to camp under the bench soon after 5:00 p.m. having traveled about
eight miles, our course a little southwest. The wagons were formed in
an imperfect circle in such a manner as to have all the wagon mouths
from the wind, which took near an hour to form the encampment. We are
about a mile from water and a mile and a half from timber, with very
little grass for our teams. It is now so cold that every man wants his
overcoat on and a buffalo robe over it. We have had no accident and the
brethren feel well, some are wrestling to keep themselves warm. Some
have had the good luck to bring a little wood with them but it seems
as if many will have a cold supper. And some perhaps little or nothing
as they have no bread cooked. Eight p.m., the camp have found a good
substitute for wood in the dried buffalo dung which lies on the ground
here in great plenty, and makes a good fire when properly managed.
Brother Kimball invented a new way of building a fire to cook on and
which is well adapted to the use of this kind of fuel. He dug a hole
in the ground about 8 inches deep, 15 inches long and 8 inches wide.
Then at each end of this hole he dug another about the same dimensions
as the first leaving about 3 inches of earth standing between the
middle and two end holes. At the end of these partitions he made a
hole through about 3 inches in diameter to serve as a draught. In the
bottom of the middle hole the fire and fuel was placed, and across the
top two wagon hammers to set the pots and pans on, so that the fire
could have free circulation underneath. By this method much cooking
was done with very little fuel. To save the trouble of carrying water
so far a well was dug in a short time about 4 feet deep and good water
obtained. After supper I went and gathered some dried buffalo dung
(politely called buffalo chips) to cook with in the morning. Brother
Hanson played some on his violin and some of the brethren danced to
warm themselves. I went to bed early to get warm but having only one
quilt for covering, I suffered much with cold. Brother Kimball rode
ahead again on horseback and suffered some from cold.