James Jackson Woodruff born (only child of Mary Ann Jackson and Wilford).
28th we Parted with Major Harris After doing some traiding with
him He promised to meet us Again on bear River, we travled to
little Sanday & nooned the stream was high, in the Afternoon
we travled 2 miles & met Mr Bridger of the fort on the way
with two other men going to fort Laramie. He was expecting us & was
to have an interview with President Young & the Twelve And also we
wished to have an interview with theHim. So we immediately turned
onto the creek we nooned on & camped for the night & Mr
Bridger & his men camped with us, we met in council & spent
some hours in conversations, we found him to have been a great
traveller And A great knowledge of nearly all Oregon & Calafor[nia]
the Mountains, lakes, rivers, Brooks, springs, valleys, mines, ores, &c &
ie if what He told us was true. He knew of gold, silver, copper, lead, coal
Iron, sulpher & salpeter, mines He spoke more Highly of the great
[page covered] [Bas]in for a settlement than Major Harris did, that it was his [page torn]
& if this people settled in it He wanted to settle with them, there [page torn]
but one thing that could operate against it becoming A great gra[in] [page torn]
country & that would be frost He did not know but the frost would
effect the corn. He said there was A spring at the end of the Salt lake
that produced both Hot & cold fresh water, & Hot & cold salt water
out of the same Hole or spring, & formed A large body of verdegreece [verdigris]
below which the Indians get to paint skins, Arrors &c. He informed
us whare to find A mine of silver & lead ore on big timber Creek we
conversed about A great variety of things. He said he was Ashamed of
the Maps of Freemont for He knew nothing about the country
ownly the plain travled road, that He could correct all the maps that
had been put out about the western world. He said if we wanted
any of his services to let him know, the American fir Company had
paid him $2000 dollars per year while in their employ. He spent the
time conversing untill 10 oclok. we then retired to bed several of
the brethren bought dressed deer skin shirts & pants of [him] then they
would swap An outside dress for one Hickory or checked shirt.
We had good grass & water & plenty of musketoes to night dis 15 1/2 [miles]
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