Historian's Office, G. S. L. City November 4th 1856 Dear Brother O. Pratt Although it is the 4th of November the Eastern mail has not arrived, and thinking the California mail would be safer than the Eastern, under McGraw and Co. we write you by it. On the 4th ult. Elders Franklin D. Richards, Joseph A. Young, William H. Kimball, George D. Grant, Daniel Spencer, John Van Cott,

of hand carts, bringing bad news. Through starting so late in the Season, many of them have died; when the messengers arrived at this camp twenty had died—nineteen of them men; and when they left fifty had died. In order to put a stop to so late starting another year, The Presidency talk of establishing posts along the road, for the storage of provisions &c, viz: at Kearny, Wood River, Nebraska Territory, Laramie, Deer Creek, and Devil's Gate. Altogether about 26 ...