Letter to Brigham Young, 3 September 1850
Upper crossing of the Platt
President Young
Dear Sir
We received a visit a few days since
from Brothers Stratton & Hanks As messengers from the
valley Their visit Has truly cheered our hearts & not ours
ownly but the Hearts of all the moveing camps of Israel who
are wending their way through these mountains to their desired
Home. It Has caused our souls to rejoice not ownly in the
interest the presidency of the Church manifest for our welfare
but also of the Glad tidings & good report they bring of the universal
prosperity & Blessings of God upon the Saints in the valleys of
the Mountains. I wish to say a few words concerning my present
condition & circumstances & the company with me I received
your letter of instructions while in the east concerning the gathering
of the Saints from the Eastern Lands. I laboured with all
disligence to carry out the instructions given me. It was a
Barren field & like the gleaning of grapes after the vintage was
done yet in my gleanings we Baptized about 800 & gathered
about 500 for the vally & the remainder who are in the faith
will leave the east for the valley next Spring. I started from
Boston the 9th April with 209 of the Saints the Philadelphia company
started a week before in consequence of freight Baggage &c we
Had to take slow tra[i]ns or Emigrant trains which made it somewhe
somewhat late in ariving at Kanesville. I sent two men early
in the season to St Louis with what means we could raise
to procure teams for our journey but Nothing ^was^ bought untill
my arival the great flood of gold emigration Had drained
the country of cattle & most of the emigrating Saints had
also bought before we purchased & it seemed almost imposs-
ible to obtain teams at all, & we had to purchase mostly
wild unbroke steers or old oxen, However through the Blessing
of God we were enabled to organize a company of over sixty
waggons & crossed the Mo River the 16th June the majority of which
were our Eastern Brethrn, but many Had to stop that expected to
come in consequence of the High price of oxen & the count of
Measures. We first organized our company into two divisions
