Morning fine but cool. Many of the brethren are trading with Mr. Harris
for pants, jackets, shirts, etc., made of buckskins and also the skins
themselves. He sells them high. The skins at $1.50 and $2.00; a pair
of pants $3.00, etc. He will take rifles, powder, lead, caps or calico
and domestic shirts in exchange but puts his own price on both sides
and it is difficult to obtain even a fair trade. At half past seven we
proceeded on our journey, Mr. Harris waiting for the other companies.
After traveling six miles the road forks, one continuing a west course,
the other taking a southwest course. We took the left hand road which
leads to California. This junction of the road is 297½ miles from Fort
John. We then continued to travel over a desert land yielding nothing
but wild sage and occasionally a grass root and weeds until 1:30 when
we arrived and halted for noon on the banks of the Little Sandy,
having traveled thirteen and a half miles without signs of wood, water
or feed for our teams. This stream is about twenty feet wide on an
average but at the fording place over three rods, two and a half feet
deep, muddy water and swift current. There is not much grass and no
timber except willow bushes. There is a variety of roots bearing very
handsome colored flowers. One of the brethren has picked up a large
piece of petrified wood. It resembles the outside layer of a cottonwood
tree next to the bark, and appears to have rotted and broken off short
then petrified and turned to a solid, heavy, hard, flint stone, but
retaining its original shape and appearance. At 4:15 we commenced
fording the river and found it in no way difficult until a number of
the wagons had gotten over and the banks began to be soft and muddy.
Several of the latter teams required help. At 4:45 all were safely
over with no loss except two tar buckets considered to be of no worth.
We then proceeded on, expecting to go about eight miles farther, but
after traveling a little over a mile we were met by Elder G. A.
Smith who introduced us to Mr. Bridger of Bridger's Fort on his way to
Fort John in company with two of his men. Mr. Bridger being informed
that we had designed to call at his place to make some inquiries
about the country, etc., he said if we would turn off the road here
and camp, he would stay with us till morning. A camping place being
selected we turned off from the road about a quarter of a mile and
formed our encampment near the Sandy at six o'clock, having traveled
this afternoon one and three-quarters miles, exclusive of allowance
for leaving the road, and during the day fifteen and a quarter miles.
We have pretty good feed here, enough to fill the teams well. A while
after we camped, the twelve and several others went to Mr. Bridger to
make some inquiries concerning our future route, the country, etc. It
was impossible to form a correct idea of either from the very imperfect
and irregular way he gave his descriptions, but the general items are
in substance as follows:
We will find better grass as we proceed farther on. His business is to
Fort Laramie. His traders have gone there with robes, skins, etc., to
fill a contract, but having started later than they intended the men at
Laramie have taken advantage of the delay and he is going to see to the
business himself. There is no blacksmith shop at his fort at present.
There was one but it was destroyed. There have been nearly a hundred
wagons gone on the Hastings route through Weber's Fork. They cross the
Blacks Fork and go a little south of west from his place and pass below
the mountains which cross Green river. The Green river runs over an
extent of country of 400 miles. It is impossible for wagons to follow
down Green river, neither can it be followed with boats. Some have gone
down with canoes, but had great difficulty getting back on account of
the rapid current and rough channel. Cannot pass the mountains close
to the river even with horses. For some distance beyond this chain of
mountains, the country is level and beyond that it is hard black rock
which looks as if it were glazed when the sun shines on it, and so
hard and sharp it will cut a horse's feet to pieces. When we get below
the mountains, the Green River falls into a level country for some
distance after which it winds through a mountainous country perfectly
barren to the Gulf of California. From Bridger's fort to the salt lake,
Hastings said was about one hundred miles. He has been through fifty
times but can form no correct idea of the distance. Mr. Hastings' route
leaves the Oregon route at his place. We can pass the mountains farther
south, but in some places we would meet with heavy bodies of timber
and would have to cut our way through. In the Bear River valley there
is oak timber, sugar trees, cottonwood, pine and maple. There is not
an abundance of sugar maple but plenty of as splendid pine as he ever
saw. There is no timber on the Utah Lake only on the streams which
empty into it. In the outlet of the Utah Lake which runs into the salt
lake there is an abundance of blue grass and red and white clover. The
outlet of the Utah Lake does not form a large river, neither a rapid
current but the water is muddy and low banks. Some of his men have been
around the salt lake in canoes. They went out hunting and had their
horses stolen by the Indians. They then went around the lake in canoes
hunting beaver and were three months going around it. They said it
was 550 miles around it. The Utah tribe of Indians inhabit the region
around the Utah Lake and are a bad people. If they catch a man alone
they are sure to rob and abuse him if they don't kill him, but parties
of men are in no danger. They are mostly armed with guns. There was
a man opened a farm in the Bear River valley. The soil is good and
likely to produce corn were it not for the excessive cold nights which
he thinks would prevent the growth of corn. There is a good country
south of the Utah Lake or southeast of the great basin. There are three
large rivers which enter into the Sevier Lake unknown to travelers.
There is also a splendid range of country on the north side of the
California mountains calculated to produce every kind of grain and
fruit and there are several places where a man might pass from it over
the mountains to the California settlements in one day. There is a vast
abundance of timber and plenty of coal. There is also plenty of coal
in this region near the mountains. North of the California mountains
there is walnut, oak, ash, hickory, and various kinds of good timber on
and in the neighborhood of the mountains and streams southeast of the
great basin. There can be a wagon road made through to it and no lack
of water. The great desert extends from the salt lake to the Gulf of
California which is perfectly barren. He supposes it to have been an
arm of the sea. The three rivers before mentioned are southwest of the
desert. There is a tribe of Indians in that country who are unknown to
either travelers or geographers. They make farms and raise abundance
of grain of various kinds. He can buy any quantity of the very best of
wheat there. This country lies southeast of the salt lake. There is one
mountain in that region and the country adjoining in which he considers
if ever there was a promised land, that must be it. There is a kind of
cedar grows on it which bears fruit something like juniper berries of
a yellow color about the size of an ordinary plum. The Indians grind
the fruit and it makes the best kind of meal. He could easily gather a
hundred bushels off one tree. He has lived on this fruit and used to
pick his hat full in a very short time. There are a great many little
streams head in this mountain and many good springs. It is about twenty
days' travel with horses from the salt lake, but the country to it is
bad to get through and over a great part of it, nothing for animals to
subsist on. He supposes there might be access to it from Texas. On one
of the rivers there is a splendid copper mine, a whole mountain of it.
It also abounds in gold, silver and has a good quick silver mine. There
is iron, coal, etc. The land is good; the soil rich. All the valleys
abound with persimmons and grapes which will make the best kind of
wines. He never saw any grapes on the Utah Lake, but there are plenty
of cherries and berries of several kinds. He thinks the Utah Lake is
the best country in the vicinity of the Salt Lake and the country is
still better the farther south we go until we meet the desert which
is upwards of 200 miles south from the Utah Lake. There is plenty of
timber on all the streams and mountains and abundance of fish in the
streams. There is timber all around the Utah Lake and plenty of good
grass; not much of the wild sage only in small patches. Wild flax
grows in most of the valleys and they are the richest lands. He passed
through that country a year ago last summer in the month of July, and
they generally had one or two showers every day, sometimes a very
heavy thunder shower but not accompanied by strong wind. By following
under the mountain south of the Utah Lake we find another river which
enters into another lake about fifty miles south of the Utah Lake. We
shall find plenty of water from here to Bridger's Fort except after
we cross Green River and travel five miles beyond it where we shall
have to travel eighteen or twenty miles without water, but there is
plenty of grass. After crossing Green River we follow down it four or
five miles to the old station then cross over to a stream which heads
in the mountains west. The station is more than half way from here to
his place. We shall have no streams to ferry between here and the fort
except Green River. The Indians south of the Utah Lake and this side
the desert raise corn, wheat and other kinds of grain and produce in
abundance. The Utah's abound more on the west of the mountains near the
salt lake than on the east side, ten to one, but we have no need to
fear them for we can drive the whole of them in twenty-four hours but
he would not kill them, he would make slaves of them. The Indians south
of the Utah Lake raise as good corn, wheat, and pumpkins as were ever
raised in old Kentucky. He knows of a lead mine between the mountains
and Laramie on a timbered creek near the Horseshoe creek. He has found
lead there and thinks there is considerable silver in it. It can be
found in a cave on the side of the mountain not far from the road.
Such was the information we obtained from Mr. Bridger, but we shall
know more about things and have a better understanding when we have
seen the country ourselves. Supper had been provided for Mr. Bridger
and his men and the latter having eaten, the council dismissed, Mr.
Bridger going with President Young to supper, the remainder retiring to
their wagons conversing over the subject touched upon. The evening was
very fine but mosquitoes numerous.