Page:California Historical Society Quarterly vol 22.djvu/142

 afternoon we left the river near Scott Bluffs here we filled our water tanks We camped near the Bluffs some four miles from the river dis- tance traveled 25 miles

July 4th 1849 This is the nation's birthday and as americans our liveliest thoughts are called out in gratitude for the day that declared us an inde- pendant people We could not celebrate it much in the usual way but our thoughts were at home and we made the hills ring with our cheers for the day and fond ones at home small arms were used to make a noise We halted at noon near a verry cold spring just before crossing the Bluffs here we found there was a log house up [of] a Black smith who kept a store he bought his goods of Emigrants who find they have to much and most of them do. We sold him a bag of coffee pork he would not take as a gift has made a good deal of money by mending wagons &c. he has a squaw of the Sioux tribe for a wife here we passed two large companys who were repairing just after leaveing this tradeing post we came up on a Bluff and we beheld for the first time the rocky Mountains one prominent peak arose far above the surrounding hills and was a majestick sight we had longed to see it some weeks we camped tonight near a creek of fine water and good grass distance 20 m

Thursday July ^th We were off in season this morning this country grows more sterile and on the left bank of the river nothing but sand hills were seen we were most fortunate in coming up to a capital spring in time for dinner it is the largest we had seen furnishing quite a stream and a tributary to the river good grass on the banks of the creek after dinner our boys took the sein and caught seventy fine fish out of the clear spring water they were nice and hard I am surprised that Bryant did not discover it we have made a long drive today camped at half past Eight poor grass the grass seems much more parched up here than it has been back distance traveled today 30 miles good

Friday July 6th We acerttained by a party returning that we were near the fort We started early came up to the crossing at 10 oclock there were several parties crossing after waiting an hour we had our turn this crossing was on Larime near the junction of the platte the water ran verry rapid and was near three feet deep we got all safely over without wetting our load much we crossed opposite Ft John^ one mile below Ft Larima^^ these places are nothing but a mud wall with quarters for a com- pany of a hundred men the government have lately bought it of the A. Fur Com and are getting ready to create a new one near by here we saw some hundred or two waggons deserted to pack and pork was piled up all about. We found that we had Eight hundred [ lbs. ] more of the swine than we should actually need we sold it for ^ cents pr pound we moved three miles from the crossing up the river and camped near a spring calculating to stop tomorrow to rest our mules and repair our waggons there has not