Heberville Washington County
Dear Brother
I sit down to write a few lines to
you, hopeing that they will find your & your ^family^ all in the
enjoyment of good health. we had a plesant journey to
this place, and arived all in good health. we did not find the
place spoken of By Br J D Lee at the Mouth of the Clarry river,
to be very convenient to make a farm, on account of the Banks
of the river being so high above the water, but By examining
the river below the forks I concluded to make a farm at
our present Location, which is about one mile south of the
forks. it is on the riove^i^rgin which is a large stream suposed to
be nearly as large as the Jorden. its Bottoms are fertile and form
half a mile to a mile in width. there is not much grass it is Cheifly covered
with Brush. there is plenty of Building Rock within one mile of our
camp, and an abundance of Lime stone about four miles ^from^ here. there is
no timber in this valley excpt a few scatering cottonwoods. there is a mountain
south of here suposed to be from fifteen to twenty miles distant, that
is covered with timber. the Indians say it is Pine. I have sent a man with
an Indian to day to asertain the paticulars relative to the timber roads.
while drying out our water ditch yesterday we found a peice of stone
coal. there may be coal in the mountain near by but we have not had
time to explore any since we came here yet. we have built a large dam
of Rock Brush & gravell. it is about seventy feet long & from ten to fifteen high
also a Levy near the Bank of the river about forty rods long
and four to five feet high. we have had the ^water^ running on our
farming land some three weeks. we have planted some peas and other
garden seeds some are up and look well. also some potatos and have
set out over four hundred small peach Trees & about three hundred Peach
seeds. we have about twenty five acres of land grabbed & Cleared,
and ten acres pla[ink spot]. we have Built a log house sixteen By twenty
seven feet. I supose there is about one thousand acres of land
that can be Brought into cultivation in the this valley. the Indians
are very friendly. three of them worked with us when makeing the Dam,
and I let them have a peice of land to work. there is a small Band
about six miles down. the river. they came to see me the other day & wanted
to know if I would help them a little with a team to build a small
dam where they could get a peice of land to work without troubling
or being troubled with the Mormons. they had previously farmed
some with the Brethren at the Clarry Mission, but as there was so many
there they thought they would rather be alone, so after consulting Brother
Hamlin ^Prst of the Mission^ on the subject, I sent a team & two men three days to Hall [Haul]
rock for them. this will enable them to get the water out and I
thought that the cheapest way to feed them was to help them to raise it.
they were well sattisfied & worked well themselves. I received a letter from
Prst B Young a few days since, in which he informed me that he had concluded
to vacate S L City. this was rather unexpected news to me at present, but I
feel that all is right, and if this people are called to pass through privation
& suffering, I hope to be able by the help of the Lord, to Bear my part, that
thereby I may be prepared to inherit the glory prepared for the faithfull saints
we have had some cold stormy weather here, and a little snow the Brethren
that have spent the winter at the cotton farm. say that the weather has been
more severe during the month of march than any other time during
the winter. it is not a very good place for stock here, although ours
have done better than what I expected they would from reports that I had
heard of this place, for some of the Brethren Told me when leaving the
City that we ought to carry the land along with us, for that we should
not find enough to make a farm of, but this I have proven not to be true.
Please give my respects to Br Smoot & Family, & to the Brethren engaged
with you in the office, and to all enquireing friends. I should be
happy to receive Letters from you at any time when it is convenient.
so no more at present from your friend and Brother in
the Gosple of Christ
PS Please excuse the half sheet
as I am almost out of paper