Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1893-07-21
THE PLAINS ACROSS.
"REMINISCENCES OF A JOURNEY
IN 1852.

Emigrant Two Score Years Ago.
Having seen an offer made in some
OF the papers to publish sketches OF
of the trip made by the early pioneers
across the plains, and knowing that
that journey, with an OK team, is a
matter of some interest, since it has
become thing of the past, would
cheerfully furnish you my experience,
II II would be sufficient to say that l
left home (Nottawa Prairie, Michigan)
on the 18th day OF April, 1852, and ar
rived at Vancouver the l1th day Of
December, same year, with whole
scalp, and that retain it yet, except
the hair that i have lost, most likely
from the effects OF the scare the red
skins gave me on the plains.
If this would be sufficient it would
be most agreeable to me, for love
brevity, especially in others, though l
never was hung for the practice of it
myself. But the task should be accom-
plished, though it is an irksome one.
So for the narrative.
1 started from Nottawa Prairie, st.
Joseph county, Michigan, on the af-
ternoon of the fifteenth OF April, A. d.
1852, fourteen days behind the conf
pany that we wanted TO start with.
Nothing Of interest occurred until af-
ter we had crossed the Missouri river,
except that our team took stampede
in the western part of Iowa and broke
the wagon tongue. This was the
cause of some little excitement and
delay. We did not catch up with our
company. so we had to travel with
such company as we CHANGED to pick
up. Our plan was to travel from lS to
% miles day. We crossed the Mis-.
souri, river on the oath of June, in
company with the fourteenth fifty of
Mormons. There we're twenty-four
fifties and four tens behind us, and, as
we were more afraid of the Mormons
than the Indians. our rule for travelling
was laid aside and every exertiOn made
to have the Mormon crowd behind at
the time We arrived where the Salt
Lake branched off from ours. Two
days we drove so miles and one day
40, roadometer measure.
At Wood river there we're six hun
dred wagons, or twelve fifties. Of Nor
mons camped, just ahead OF us. To
set ahead of this crowd required lit
tie strategy. A good deal of the time
Sunday was spent by Bratton, Hugo
and Sprouts OF our company, and Capt.
Dunn OF the Norman ten that was
with us, in laying the plan. As Dunn
was running away from his fifty, he
was as anxious to get out of the Nor
mon crowd as We were. My team was
said, by tho Mormons, to be the best
ox-team that ever crossed the plains.
Be that as it may, the leaders, though
perfectly bidable, we're as ready for a
stampede at any time, as they would
be to walk into patch OF clover when
hungry. The plan was to put my
team on the lead and start them on
the trot as if they were running away.
This could be done by an unusual mo-
ton without any whipping or noise,
that would lead any one to suspect
that it was not q real unintentiOnal
stampede. The plan was agreed upon,
and was notified, Sunday evening.
Accordingly Monday morning, as soon
as We could see, we put it in execu.
ton. 1t worked like charm. The
cry OF stampede ran along the long
line of wagons. The track was cleared
in hot haste and we passed through,
the Mormons no doubt thanking their
stars that the stampede had passed
without any more serious damage
than causing one stubborn Norman,
who had blocked the road, by placing
his team across it, to move himself
and team with greater velocity than
was agreeable to his mulish nature.
Around our campfire that night there
was good deal of chuckling, both by
the Latter Day Saints and the perverse
Gentiles, over the success OF the sham
stampede. In fact the good saints
seemed to relish it more than the
Gentiles.
That day. (Monday), we drove forty
nine miles, which gave US sufficient
start of the crowd to have enabled us
to have kept clear OF it the rest of the
wsy if We had have used proper dill
gence, but we lost q day and half on
Buffalo creek, hunting buffalo and
only got part of one. At another
place we stopped day and half and
got two buffalos to divide among eigh.
teen wagons. Altogether we lost five
days before we got to Elder Clump.
There the Mormons, who had been
making tar for their own use, gave US
their tar.pit and We stopped three days
70 make tar for our wagons. The Sec
ond day, Saturday, the Mormons be-
gan to come up. and by 9 o'clock A. No.
Sunday, six hundred wagons had come
into the valley. Bishop Kimble came
with them. There were also four tens
lust ahead, in the first valley. 1t was
announced as soon as the Bishop ar.
rived, that they would hold camp
meeting there that day, and that none
were allowed to leave till it was over
The speakers stand was erected about
sixty feet south of our wagon.
Now allow me To go hack to the
crossing OF the Missouri river, and
make q statement or two which
purposely omitted before. in order to
state them in connection with the
present occurrence. Sometime before