Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-03-30
FREIGt1TING IN THE EARLY DAYS OF UTAH

duck or felloe and It would shrink int
place. II was seldom that a tire hat
to be set second time.
On the dry and sandy roads the oXer
often became fO0ts1re and lame and hal
to be shod. and before starting W.
would provide OK shoes to be used II
needed They were made In pairs f0i
each foot and required but little colo
hammerlng to TT the foot.
In the summer OF 1868 the Platte
river having so nearly dried up as tc
make II difficult 10 secure water for the
cattle, and having large train OF
some twenty-five teams, loaded with
valuable merchandise Of all kinds, and
being anxious about the train ! took
the stage and oyerhauled II AT Fort
kearney and went with II to Denver,
With plenty Of Indians and men scarce
and hard to secure, ! soon became an
expert at cooking, setting wagon tires,
and shoeing oxen and, when necessary,
driving a team, or doing any other
work.
We sank headess barrels in the
Platte, by digging out the qulcksand TO
secure water from an under flow and
usually drove much Of the night when
cattle will walk much faster than in
the day time. and got our train through
to Denver IN good time, There we sold
our goods at satisfactory prices.
The quick frelghtng by horses and
mules. was done the year around and
usually on goods that were In want,
such as coffee sugar. candles and
flour, and other goods where the sup
ply was short II was usually done In
four and six mule. or horse teams the
freighter carrying his own supply along
for the trip, storing corn as he went
west. at ranches or stations where he
could secure hay and stabling TO use
on his return. Some made money out
Of this, receiving to II and 10 cents
per pound as also did many farmers
and small frelghters, with a single team
loaded with butter eggs poultry,
dressed hogs, sausages, lard etc,
We used to drive six days in
week and remain in camp all day Sun
day. think that most OF the freight
ers except Alex Majors. Waddell and
Russell drove seven days, but | think
we made as good time as those who
did not lay up for Sundays
PREPARE FOR THE REDS.
The fall OF 1865 the Indians were very
bad along the west Platte valley, and
the government had stationed troops
along the valley to protect the people,
stages, mail and freighters passing,
the officers insisting that they should
keep together as much as possible. The
fa 10
Watson, In charge Of our outfit at Fort
Kearney, by Captain F.. b. Murphy,
formerly of Plattsmouth, and Of later
years one OF the active enterprising cit
liens Of Arapahoe, Furnas county, Ne
braska, who died about a year ago
Headquarters Post, Fort Kearney, n.
r oct l6 1866. Special order No.
1885, In compliance with special
order No, Al, c. s, headquarters depart
ment Of the Missouri, the trains now at
this post are ready to start west II or
ganl2ed into a company for mutual pro-
lection and the safety Of the train Mr.
w W Watson Is hereby appointed con-
ductor and will be held responsible for
the holding OF the organization and train
together. In no case will he permit the
train nor men under his charge 10 stray
gle along the road. He will camp as
near military posts as possible and will
report any lnsubordination among the
men belonging to the train to the COM
handing officer OF the post nearest the
place whore such insubordlnaton shall
have arisen. BY order
'E. h. MURPHY,
Captain Seventh Iowa Cavalry Com
mandlng Post,
II. p. LELAND,
Lieutenant and Post Adjutant."
on the morning OF November 81 1865.
the commander Of Alkali station ordered
the outfit 60 drive double file, as Indians
were bad. This made It very slow work
and we could no make the progress as
when driving gle file. on the night
of the same date, near Sand Hill station,
on the south side Of the Platte, shortly
after our teams had gone Into camp,
and the cattle had been turned out, the
Indians, and I think probably some bad
white men, attacked our men In charge
Of the cattle and ran of eighty-seven
oxen and some ponies, One OF our men,
Richard Evans, was shot The cattle
were driven across the river 10 the east
and north OF our camp, but our goods
Ntlt not ulatulutN. ne lOllONlUB lS
a memoranda OF same.
Omaha Neb., Feb, %. 1891.
United States Goyernment,--To Clark
\ Brothers, Dr. For property stolen
from said Clark G. Brothers. by the
Sioux Indians, November 3, 1865, at
Sand Hill station Nebraska Territory,
namely'
Eighty-hve oxen .....,...,...s9.S5 O. 90
one mule -. -. ......,.... 15O 90
OIle sauule 80 80 '.'..'.s''''s. EVuu
One revolver e. -, ....,.,...., $500
One spur %. e, .,...."....., 200