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Archiver > HANDCART > 1997-03 > 0858796545


From: Eldon Jensen <>
Subject: HANDCART -- Journey to Utah 1847 part 4
Date: Wed, 19 Mar 1997 11:35:45 -0700


B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol.3, Ch.78, p.173
THE DIFFICULTY OF FEED FOR TEAMS
B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol.3, Ch.78, p.173 -
p.174
A real difficulty confronted the Pioneers in the matter of providing feed
for their teams. In their anxiety to get to their destination in the
mountains in time to plant crops that season they had started somewhat
earlier than the western emigration usually started, indeed before the
grass had begun to grow; and this had entailed upon them the added burden
of taking along with them some grain for their teams. Moreover, as the camp
advanced into the buffalo country they found the Indians giving the plains
their "spring-burning." That is to say, it was the custom of the Indians in
the spring to set fire to the dry grass left over from the previous year,
in order to give the new growth a better and earlier start, and thus bring
the buffalo herds to these new pastures. The desire to have the grass of
the plains start to grow as early as possible in the spring had led those
interested in traveling along the route on the south side of the Platte to
fire the grass in the fall, and thus provided earlier pasturage for
immigrant and fur traders' trains. But the Indian "spring-burning" on the
north side of the Platte often left the "Mormon" Pioneers only blackened
plains in which to camp, and their teams nothing but the stinted grain
feed, supplemented by such isolated patches of dry grass as had escaped the
flames, or the browsing of cottonwood trees growing on the streams and cut
down to make such browsing possible. As a result of this scant feed supply
their teams weakened, and often the day's journey had to be shortened on
that account. It was observed in this connection that the ox teams endured
the journey better than horses.
B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol.3, Ch.78, p.174
THE BUFFALO HERDS
B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol.3, Ch.78, p.174
Later the company encountered another range difficulty, the immense herds
of buffalo that thronged their route and ate down the grass. The first
buffaloes were sighted on the first day of May, chiefly in two herds of
about two hundred each. The hunters of the camp gave chase and during the
day secured ten buffalo; which, the inexperience of the hunters with that
class of game considered, was a good "bagging." After this buffalo were
plentiful and constantly increased in numbers for some days as the camp
proceeded up the Platte; and they left the plains as clean swept of grass
as did the prairie fires.
B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol.3, Ch.78, p.175
The march of the Pioneers was so completely under organization that even
the killing of game was done by hunters who had been appointed for the
camp. An interesting item in connection with killing game en route was the
instruction of President Young not to kill more than could be used, or that
the camp needed. It appears, however, that the instructions, so
reasonable, had to be enforced by sharp admonition.
B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol.3, Ch.78, p.175
MEASURING THE DISTANCE OF TRAVEL--ODOMETER
B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol.3, Ch.78, p.175
The distance of each day's march was recorded by the camp historian. This
was ascertained at first by guessing at the distance; and later by tying a
piece of red flannel to one of the spokes near the tire of a wagon wheel
beside which a man walked--generally William Clayton--who counted the
revolutions of the wheel, which, multiplied by the circumference, gave the
distance of each day's march. About the 10th or 12th of May an "odometer"
was installed, by which the distance traveled was automatically measured.
The odometer was the joint product of William Clayton and Appleton M.
Harmon, the latter a skillful mechanic. According to Orson Pratt it was
constructed upon "the principle of the endless screw." This machine is now
in the Deseret Museum at Salt Lake City, and a cut of it accompanies this
chapter, though evidently some parts of it are missing.
Inter-Camp Communication--Traveling Post System
B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol.3, Ch.78, p.176
Whenever an opportunity presented itself to communicate with the camps of
the saints on the Missouri, the Pioneers availed themselves of it. Thus on
the 4th of May when Beaumont crossed the Platte to meet the Pioneers, to
which incident reference has already been made in this chapter, the camp
halted long enough to write fifty-two letters to their friends and families
at Winter Quarters, and the twelve wrote an epistle to the church encamped
on the Missouri. These communications were entrusted to Mr. Beaumont who
engaged to deliver "the mail" at Sarpee's agency, near Winter Quarters,
whence it would be forwarded to the "Mormon" encampments. Quite a supply
of provisions was given Mr. Beaumont as compensation for his trouble.
Again on arriving at Fort Laramie letters were written some to be sent to
Sarpee's agency, thence to the camps of the saints; and others to be held
by one of the storekeepers at the Fort,--who kindly consented to act as
"postmaster" in the case, until the arrival of other "Mormon" camps, when
they would be delivered to the leaders of said companies.
B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol.3, Ch.78, p.176
Another means of communicating with the camps that would follow was the
erection of posts at striking points of the journey with a message written
upon it. For example: On the 8th of May, the north bluff of the Platte
valley approaching near to the river, a cedar post was erected, on which
the following inscription was written:
From Winter Quarters, 295 Miles,
May 8th, '47. Camp, all well.
W. Clayton.
B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol.3, Ch.78, p.176 -
p.177
Two days later a letter was addressed to the officers of the next camp,
which it was expected would pass that point in about six or eight weeks. A
piece of board 6x18 inches was sawed into a sufficient depth parallel to
its surface and the letter placed in the track of the saw; cleats were then
nailed on the top and sides to protect it from the weather, and the
following direction written upon the board:
Open this Box and you will find a Letter;
316 miles to Winter Quarters, Pioneers.
Latitude 41 degrees.
B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol.3, Ch.78, p.177
The letter contained an account of the journey up to that point. The
board was then nailed to a pole four or five inches in diameter and fifteen
feet long and set in the ground about five feet.
B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol.3, Ch.78, p.177
At other times the whitened skull of a buffalo would be used for the same
purpose. An engraving of one such "Bulletin of the Plains" accompanies
this chapter. Not, however, as an actual reproduction of any one of these
"bulletins" but an idealized representation of what they were like. It is
engraved as follows:
Pioneers camped here
June 23rd, 1847
making 15 miles today
All well
Brigham Young.
B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol.3, Ch.78, p.178
Westward of Fort Laramie, where they were following the Oregon-California
route, the Pioneers planted posts every ten miles, the distance being
measured by their odometer. They improved the road as they journeyed over
it. "We fully work our poll tax," says Orson Pratt, in his journal entry
for the 9th of June, "for we have ten or twelve men detached daily whose
business it is to go in advance of the company with spades, iron bars and
other necessary implements to work the road."

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