Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 16.djvu/437



CORRESPONDENCE 409

Last year an Elder Snelling from the Platte country moved to Oregon with a small organized Baptist church. 85

Yours respectfully,

EZRA FISHER.

N. B. Will you publish this entire in the Baptist Advocate. I suppose our company is the first that ever observed the Lord's day in crossing the Rocky Mountains. We feel that we need your prayers.

The Indian Agent, Major Wm. P. Richardson, has rendered us every facility and has invited us to participate in the hospi- tality of his family. His wife is an excellent Methodist lady. We have been here one week. In about 150 miles we shall probably find a hard gravel road and short buffalo grass, salt enough for our stock. You will probably hear from us when we reach Fort Laramie, 650 miles from this.

Yours truly,

EZRA FISHER.

We are all in good health and the company in fine spirits. I spent last Sabbath with the Presbyterian Mission at this place and preached once, and, on Wednesday last, attended prayer meeting at his place and we had an affecting scene. I addressed the meeting about twenty minutes. Mr. Hamilton, the superintendent, is a godly man.

Fort Laramie, 86 Indian Territory, July 10, 1845. Dear Br. :

By the grace of God we have been preserved through dangers and fatigues about 1000 miles on our journey and we are now in comfortable health, although Mrs. Fisher has had a slight attack of the fever occasioned no doubt from exposure and excessive fatigues on the Platte river. The multiplied labors of the camp and the great anxiety of the emigrants

85 See note on letter of Jan. 10, 1845. This was either incorrect informa- tion, or the church disbanded on or before reaching Oregon, as the first Baptist church in Oregon was organized in May, 1844. The next two were organized in 1846.

86 Fort Laramie was not the present city of Laramie, but was a fur traders' post on the south side of the Platte, near its junction with the Laramie fork.