The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-11-30

the United brethren, for them to go
with the first handcart company that
would leave liverpool some time in
March, 1856; Sixty of US left for
Liverpool with over 500 on the ship
Enoch Train, for Boston, Mass
The first and pioneer company Of
handcarts in charge of Edmund Els
worth, was met at the foot of the Lit
tie mountain by President Brigham
Young, and the leading authorities of
the church, Henceforward President
Young and others walked at the head
OF the pioneer company until the arri-
val in Salt Lake City early in the after
noon of September 26, 1856. Thus the
dream was literally fulfilled.
My wife walked all the way and
helped to pull our handcart for nearly
1000 miles. Such is my knowledge Of
the handcart origin
The foregoing is simply preface
and IN answer to many inquiries
thnt have been put to the writer for sew
eral years past as to why President
Brigham Young ever inaugurated such
an experiment as the handcart COM
pauies with the appalling losses Of life
that resulted. It can only be truthfully
answered by the statement that we
started three or four weeks too late,
and the storms came down three or
four weeks earlier than usual. Fifty
seven years ago., when every member Of
our company that had survived the
bardships Of 975 miles in the snow
landed in Main street in Salt Lake,
from President Young's monument
to Fifth and Sixth South the snow
was two or three feet deep. Main street
today is clear Of any snow whatever,
Now for few correct dates Of our
journey:
The members Of our company and of
panies left Liverpool Sunday morning,
May 25, 1856, and on Monday, June 80,
we were towed into the dock at Boston.
July 2 we took the cars from Boston
to Albany, passing through Buffalo on
the glorious Fourth Of July.
We reached Cleveland, Ohio, on the
5th, passing Kirkland with Its temple
in the night.
Sunday evening, July s, we arrived
at Chicago, Ill, whore we stayed all
night.
Monday, July 7, We left Chicago early
in, the morning and arrived at Rock
Island In the evening.
Tuesday, July s, we crossed the Mis-
sissippi by ferryboat and then took
the cars from Davenport for Iowa
City, reaching there the same evening.
Wednesday, July 9, we were employed
in unloading and hauling our luggage to
the camping ground on "Iowa hill, -
three and one-haR miles northwest Of
Iowa City, Ia, the outftting point for
that years Mormon emigration.
At Iowa City -four was $3.50 per hun
dTed; corn meal, $1.5o to $3.50, and ba-
con 5 to 10 cents per pound:
On tho 10th or 18th of July, Captain
Willie's company left the camp ground
via Council Bluffs for Salt Lake.
On Saturday, July &c, Martin 8 com
pany left this camping ground with 400
men, women and children, and we
reached Council Bluffs on August 81 and
went up near the ferry over the Mis-
souri, and camped on Pigeon creek.
August % we were ferried across the
Missouri and made camp close to and
below the old Mormon sawnill OF win
ter quarters near Florence, Neb,, and
here some 200 members of Captain
Toone'5 company, that had preceded us
from Iowa hill about week before,
Joined and were blended with our com
pany, making the total some 622 men,
women and children,
Five days after this, Wednesday,, Au-
gust 81, Captain John A. Hunts wagon
company passed through Council