Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-04-09
A LEAF FROM MORMON"
HISTORY.
Some RecollectiOns of The Salmon River
Indian Mission.

=
dent Brigham Young first sent com.
pany Of about twenty missionaries 10
the Salmon River country, which lies
well TO the north Of Idaho. Their
mission was to try and civilize the
Bannock aud Shoshone Indians. A.
was, aud Is, usual with our people,
the call was obeyed In the face u
obstacles. a four hundred miles march
through sagehrush, with small pro.
visions, dismal. dcsOlatc prospects, and
with the tedious locomotlDn Of cattle
was, to say the ieIst, not very ngree.
able. Hut thus they went, with Elder
Thomas =. smith VI Farmlnglou
appointed President.
some Of the missionaries returned 10
their homes IN Utah In the autumn VI
the same year md went back g. the
mission In III. following spring, accom-.
panied by flesh recruits, numbering In
all forty men. Among those called
the second yeaf was Elder Thomas
Day, now veteran residing In cir.
cleyille, Pluto County, Titan. From
him the writer has received the follow.
ing sketch, given from memory, NJ his
memoranda and Journals wcre de-
struycd In the general cOnilagfntlon ut
the Muddy In lsGs. This man. while
expecting 10 he suut Un'a mission 90
England, his native land, was surprised
Mt tho April conference Of 1856 g. hear
lils name c,llv'i In connection with the
northern Indian mission. Going home
from conference he wa accDstci withi
DWELL, we'll, Brother Day, are you Ia
tending 10 respond ~ this CALI II IL
weresl, would refuse 10 g1.n $50?
Why, yes, " u takes my head OFT" was
the earnest reply. Coz Yes; hut how?
The same authority that babe him go,
while recognizing the good that nc
might do % those wrctchud childun
Of GOd. the poor Indians, had not for
gotten the nerd u the poor missionary.
Each man was required 10 take with
him three bushels OF wheat, three
hundred pounds VI Hour, aud ali Kinds
" seeds that could he cultivated in u
nofthcrn CLINE. This va. no small
matter. In the previous ycaf, that
terrible acOurgc, the gras-hOpprrs, hal
destroyed the crops all over the country.
People lived on roots and such few
things aa had grown late Ia the season.
Children cried for bread, gnunt men
went 10 their latOr on small ra,innr,
suffering women with the self-sacrifce
characteristic Of mothers were known
10 sucklc their hales with blood In.
stead Of milk. Brother Days family
had about ten pounds of iiOur In the
house. Where should the missionary
allotment he Obtained aud how should
the dear wife aud child exist while the
husband was absent indefinitely Ali
how often have those questions hccn
asked In anguish by tho "AiormOn"m,.
eiouary aud his lonely, irstitut. fnmil,l
But the Lord IL go0d 10 all, aud Ills
tender mefcies are over all lis works"
lie opcnc;h His hstd
aud sa,isit IN the desire u every liv-
ing thing" The Litter.day saints
have always had an Intense desire 10
serve Cod truly, practically, anu well.
They believe that this can hest be done
by discharging their duty filhhtN
and lesrics.ly. tIusti ig In iIisp ombcs
with an undOubling Aith. Mad have
they trusted In vtins Ask the humid
reds who have practically tested the
PROMISES Of the Father with honest,
faithful hearts. In this regard Brother
Days ,asc was NO exception.
Money was not then ~ scarce ~
flour. groceries and all til. neccs-arits
AMI comforts OF civilized life. Gold
hunters IN route 10 California were
glad b. pny almost any price for needed
articles. Brother Day purchased grocc-
rlcs and dry.gOOds aud hoped 10 flnd
opportunities Tor exchanging them Tor
the needed flour aud wheat. The
10Th OF April, the day Of departure,
had arrived, the sad farewell
Of wife had been taken, aud he
was starting with his com.
pnnion, Joseph llarker, illled with
yearnlug hope Tor the welfare Of the
dear ones, which absorbed all fear or
apprehension for himself. Before he
had emerged from his own Want THE
Seventeenth he wa. hailed by ffiend
who desired 10 know something u his
situation. The information was given:
Ten pounds OF ilour IN his nome and
for himsclf-hopc. with bright
snilu tue friend replica. do Ia pcacel
shall see that your family does not
want" rhu Journey was pursued
through the northern settlements,
thoroughly canyasslng every where Tor
the threc hundred pounds " -four aud
three bushels VI wheat required, which
were nj lat ob,ained atWillard. There
were fvo missionaries who started
from Salt Lake nj this time, whose
names were Thomas Day, rhoma.
Corlc--, John Priest, James Walker
and Joseph Harkef. Others from sur.
rounding settlements jolnud thom ii
Brigham City.
For sixty miles after leaving Salt
Lake city the country was settled by
white people. BryOnd that stretch a
wild, unlnliabltod country, covered
with sagebni-h. Rivers, creeks, lake,
rough mountains, dotted with cellars
aud pines, lent n fascination Ia the
Journey. On arriving nj Snake River,
II required three days for the company
10 ferry across. hut Ia time they
arrived nj their destination, Fort
Iemhi, which had been erected In the
previous year. II was small square
tort, built OF upright logs, with log
cabins inside and a well In the centre.
On the north, rising abruptly Just be-
hind tue Hills tort, was the majestic,
pine laden Bitter Root mountain, and
jusi 10 the south aud west flowed the
clear, beautiful stream called tho Sal.
mon River. To the south extended
lovely valley, Of ohlong shape, dotted
with the farms ~ the missionaries,
and the cottOuwOodz aud underground
incident 10 n weli.walcred, naturally
fertile country.
The Banuocks and Shoshones who
Inhabited this region were very friend.
ly 10 the missionaries aud quite
number were baptized. Visits were
frequently received from them "a well
NJ from tho Nel Perces, who Inhabited
the country 10 the northwest. THESE