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138 S. H. TAYLOR

in sight on the opposite side of the river. A great many cattle and sheep are crossing the plains this season. Our company have lost one horse by accident, and one wagon sold two head of cattle on account of lameness ; the rest are in pretty good heart to continue our journey.

Hellen has dried a great many flowers, expecting to send them to her mates in W. and is very much disappointed that a letter will not hold them. I have scribbled thus far seated on the ground in my tent with a rather troublesome babe hanging to my lap Please excuse, and remember me to all inquirers.

Yours very sincerely,

CLARISSA E. TAYLOR.

[Watertown Chronicle, November 2, 1853]

July 17, 1853.

Friend Hadley We are now 150 miles, only, above Ft. Laramie, after about two weeks of hobbling along with lame cattle and rickety wagons. We all wonder very much that our friends who have been through, have not warned us of these two difficulties especially of the first. For near four week we have been compelled to make short drives of five to fifteen miles a day sometimes stopping entirely. We might have saved much had we known in the beginning what we know now though we have brought all our cattle through to this point, except two we sold to the traders. Some have lost much more than we have. Within 20 miles of Laramie are probably 25 establishments for trade with emigrants, and their principal traffic is in lame cattle. These traders have now probably in their hands over 1000 head, besides many that have recovered and been sold back to emigrants at from three to five hundred per cent, profit. The evil begins to show itself about 300 miles below Ft. Laramie ; at that point it is at the worst, and above there it stops entirely. From there up, our trouble is entirely with old cases.