Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1847-08-24
Route ,teIOrcg0n and california.

pendence. t ~ sii
On die 10th Of May, we commenced
to move. eThe first Snmiles the country
wasluneven and roeky The next 2eimiles.
was priarie,, and the road good; and. for
the next 20 miles we found the roads un.
even. The timber ON this distance is
scarce, and the water poor. Grass on
the low ground isIabout one foot in height.
May the 18th, plenty of ripe siaw6er,
Ties. 1 will add one more about prepars
ing for the journey. The whoops of a
wagon for the trips should not be over five
feet from the bottom ofiithe box. The
covers should be double,. the outside Of
heavy drilling, If any ,emigrant should
wish to purchase his cattle in the upper
par. ofMissouri, he should provide him.
self with Jokes with good bows and irons,
as theyieannotget them thereto On the
18TH we travelled only miles. We Lave
a great variety in our company, and a.
mong the rest there are Z priests and one
bishop for Oregon. The health of the
companyis good, and my family's health
is better than il has been for a year past.
We crossed the Kanzas river, on the
18th, about l02 miles from independence.
The wagons had to be ferriedz over, at a
cost OF one dollar each. For Che last 20
miles, our road has been over high rol.
ling prairie, almost destitute oftimberand
water. On the 9th. our company was
found TO to consist of 70 wagons for Ore.
gon and California, We attempted te
organize with this number for the trip, bnt
could not. Several meetings were held,
which resulted ina Division One part
were formednto company for Oregon,.
and the other for California. Our com.
pany now consists of 80 wagons, and IS
able bodied men, with a guide that has
travelled the route eighttimes. This af:.
ternoon we travelled 10. miles and eros.
sed aldeep ravine,s so deep that we were
obliged to use cabel to let the wagons
down. Every wagons should have one
that is made out of inch rope; at Least
hundred feet in length. .2;d7
May 10th. This morning heavy
thunder storm madelthe road slippery. The
roads over which we have passed, are
the best, without improvement, Il ever
saw. The only thing that binders the
progress of the traveller, is crossing the
streams, the banks of which are very
high. j al ,97Eg 2siiaueo es g-af'f
May the GATH We are.now about $50,
miles from Independence, and the CON-
pany of priests have left u.s. "A heavy
rain fell this morning This is the place
for everything, laughing, scoldlng, wIlin.i
ing, whistling and singing. Some find
everything better than they expected;
otherslworse. One. 'canahardly imagine
the grand scene of a company Of .emir
grants ImoyingJ over the -prairies--the
roads lined for miles with wagons, and
men driving loose cattle. All are re-
quired to carry their guns but teamsiers,
and they have them near at hand in their,
june the Sd. To day , We arrived at
the Platte riverin good health. For the
last i 40 miles, the roads are excellent
1t is over d dry sandy prairie; wood and
water is scarce; but there is however
enough to answer the purposes of emf,
grants. For the last few days we have
seen few antelope and wild t1rkfes, of
which few have been killed! We4trav
ell Slow owing to the Missouri cattle, which
cannot travel over tWo.thirds as fast as
those from nothern illinois. y We are now
on the Platte, at the-upperpart ofGrandIs
1and, the waterofthe river, Is muddy like
that of the Missouri. "a .Eailoqa9 EeeI
June the 9th. We are now about 80
miles from the .placeIwhere we struck the,
Platte river, which is q here divided by
Grand Island. The island is two miles
wide, and the river on the south side of it
is from a halftothree miles in width
tits about yif y miles in length. So far
the Platte Bottoms are ten miles wide,
and the soil is composed Of sand aud
loan, clothed with heavy grass. The
bluffs are. very high and sandy. 4 heavy
rain keeps Us in camp TO day, We. are
now on the Pawnee ground; although we
have not seen one Indian for ten days
Severalcompanies are aheadofus.i Some
horses ARE missing, which may have been
taken by the Indians. !: Yours,
CHESTER 1NGERSOLL.
Platte River, June g, 1877. la' tld2'a
saaas ffatssf ---- 4 t,s.s 81,
lo The water in the upper lakes is a foot
lower than il. was last year, and yearly
three. feet lower than it was five years ago
This with the accumulation ofsand at the
mouth of our harbors, render them much
lesseasy of access than they have been
for several years. On the other hand the
water Of Lake Ontario is continually
growing higher. This fluctuation is con.
stantly going on the highest variation
being about ten feet. The wafer has
been known to rise eighteen inches in
one year at the mouth of the gGenesse,
but this was unprecedented This rise
and fall OF water has been as much spec-