20th A hard wind through the night. this morning fair
but strong SW wind it covers our waggons with sand
& dust while journeying the soil is universally
sandy on the banks of the the grass is now
about 4 inch high scattering not half feed. their are
many waterfowls about the Platt such as ducks geese
brant but the most numerous of all are the sand Hill Cranes which
flye in large flocks on evry side of us. 25 minutes past 7 we
started on our Journey, 2 1/2 miles came to another grove of small
& large cottonwoods covering about 40 acres, it was about
5 miles to the table land which was now rising into a bluff. Here
the road runs 20 degrees south of west bending to S by W, one mile
in which distance we passed 3 Islands in the Platt covered with
timber the largest about 10 acres & their continues a chain of
Islands for miles on the river & some timber on the south
side of the Platt. we came to 3 miles from our
encampment 1 1/2 miles to the right of shell creek is a prairie
dog village covering about 6 acres of ground. this Creek is timbered
ownly by a few scattering willows the river runs about
parallel with the river its general barings are abouc east &
west after crossing the shell creek bridge the road runs
about S.W by W 60 degres west of south for about 15 miles
the Platt is skirted with timber. Professer & myself
went forward of the company to take observation we traveled
about 13 miles & stoped bated horses took observations &c
while on the road we freequently see gopher hills from
one to 6 feet in circumference diamiter & from 3 inch to
2 feet in highth some resembling a potatoe patch which
makes it rough waggoning over them with the exception
of this it is the best road on the north side of the Platt
river I ever travled being a level dry hard road. our
standard Thermometer stood to day at 1 oclok 94°, / the
company approached us & we continued on 5 mile & the
whole encampment came up & we encamped for the night
in a circle, cut down cotton wood trees to feeds the
horses on the bark they will knaw off the bark from
brouse limbs & sticks 10 inches through as readily as they
would eat corn we have had to feed upon cotton wood
all the way thus far we give each horse also about 2 quarts
of corn per day. Our fisherman drew a net this afternoon
& broat into camp 213 fish Buffalo & Carp which was
divided in the Camp we had a Buffalo would weigh 10 lbs
a Carp 2 lbs & had a good supper. The Platt was a mile
wide whare we camped including an Island opposite of
us with timber the distance of the day 18 miles
