Page:California Historical Society Quarterly vol 22.djvu/147



Monday July 25 This morning our road for the first three miles was directly through the mountains crossing the river three times in a mile or two at half past ten we traveled up a rise and the first sight that attracted our notice was the Mountains ahead covered with snow they were supposed to be the "Wind river" Mts north of the South Pass We made our noon halt at a crossing in the river and learned we had to travel 16 miles before comeing to the river again no grass between the two points we pushed for it came to the river at 10 oclock P. M. Mules and men hartily tired haveing traveled 28 miles on short feed the air this evening is quite cold being like our evenings the last of September here at the crossing we found several trains of ox teems and learned the great Pass was within two days drive some parties here had lost their whole teems by a stampede

Tuesday July 24th 184P This morning we moved on up the river passed over a verry high rise as much of a mountain as we have passed over Struck the river some six miles above our last camp here we found a party leaveing a waggon we obtained it for wood and camped for the day to rest our teems etc

Wednesday July 2f This morning the water in our pails near the campfire were frozen over an indication that we were on a good deal of an eleva- tion we passed up the banks of the sweet water some five miles our road then struck over the hills and verry high and hard compared to any we have passed we halted at noon on Strawberry creek while here Capt Duncan^^ of the Mounted rifle men came in to camp We invited him to diner We learned he was in persuit of four deserters from his Company who had run from Fort Larime besides taking horses and arms belonging to the Company they robed an emigrant of two hundred dollars and ravaged his wife he kept company with us this afternoon his horse nearly given out he offered $ 100 to our party to send on a man or men to catch them we had no horses that it would do to send we passed this after- noon two fine creeks both tributaries to the sweetwater we camped to- night near the last crossing of the river distance traveled 24 miles.

Thursday July 26th We had Capt Duncan stay with us last night this morning he got several of our men to acompany him a few miles hopeing to come up with the men he was in persuit of we started late intending to travel only 14 miles to pacific spring 9 miles from camp we passed the turning point in the Mountains the road has been good today and the rise verry little we began to decend and three miles further brought us to pacific springs good grass and fine water we arrived at one oclock camped for the day distance 1 2 miles

Friday July 2jth This morning we made an early start having learned bv our guide that it was 24 miles to the next water and grass^^ our road has been some decending generally level more so than I anticipated no herabage except wild sage and occasionally a bunch of greese wood we halted at