As an apology for our long
silence, we write this letter, for no doubt you are
aware, that there would be a great croud of buiseness
on our hands, ^as^ soon has the Presidency, all left winter qurters,
the people are scattered over so great an extent of territory,
that it requires an immence labour, to communicate
with them, and in a great measure it has been done
through others, there his about 50 Branches organised,
all doing well, has a general thing, except some slight
touches of the big head, which his a natural conscequence,
where men, forget the work of the Lord, and seek to build up
them selves, on the 9th of December, all the Soldiers that had
come from Calafornia and the Valley with their wives and famelies
were feasted at the tabernace on a general collection of good things,
provided by the Saints for the occation, it was certainly equal to
the dinner provided for the pioneers at the pass which you now
was hard to beat, after the Soldiers had all feasted, the weather being
very cold, they praised the Lord in a dance, the after an hour spent
in this way several apropreate addresses were made and all felt,
first rate, the Seventys held a meeting on the Sunday and Monday
following, which were well attended not withstanding the severe wether,
unity and the good spirit prevaded these gatherings, they ajournd
to the new tabernacle on Pigeon, on the last Saturday in December,
Brother Egan an 12 others arrived here from the Salt Lack City, on
Thursday, the 7th he left the city on the 13th of September ^October^. President Young arrived there on the 20 of September President Kimbal on the 24th,
a conference had been held, on ^motion^ of Elder Pratt the Presedency as organised
here was unanimosly acknowledged, also my father as Patriarck, Charles C. Rich as President in the Valley, John Young and Erastas Snow
counsellors, arrangemengts were made ^for^ inclosing and additional field of
Corbonca
Elder Woodruff
Dear Brother
As an apology for our long
silence, we write this letter, for no doubt you are
aware, that there would be a great croud of buiseness
on our hands, as soon has the Presidency, all left winter qurters,
the people are scattered over so great an extent of territory,
that it requires an immence labour, to communicate
with them, and in a great measure it has been done
through others, there his about 50 Branches Organised,
all doing well, has a general thing, except some slight
touches of the big head, which his a natural conscequence,
where men, forget the work of the Lord, and seek to build up
them selves, on the 9th of December, all the Soldiers that had
come from Calafornia and the Valley with their wives and famelies
were feasted at the tabernace on a general collection of good things,
provided by the Saints for the occation, it was certainly equal to
the dinner provided for the pioneers at the pass which you now
was hard to beat, after the Soldiers had all feasted, the weather being
very cold, they praised the Lord in a dance, after an hour spent
in this way several apropreate addresses were made and all felt,
first rate, the Seventys held a meeting on the Sunday and Monday
following, which were well attended not withstanding the severe wether,
unity and the good Spirit prevaled these gatherings, they ajournd
to the new tabernacle on Pigeon, on the last Saturday in December,
Brother Egan an 12 others arrived here from the Salt Lack City, on
Thursday, the 7th he left the city on the 13th of. October President
Young arrived there on th 20 of September President Kimbal on the 24th,
a conference had been held, on motion of Elder Pratt the Presedency as organised
here was unanimosly acknowledged, also my father as Patriarck,
Charles C. Rich as President in the Valley, John Young and Erastas Snow
Counsellors, arrangements were made for inclosing and additinal field of
"Letter from George Albert Smith and Ezra Taft Benson, 20 December 1848," p. 1, The Wilford Woodruff Papers, accessed April 25, 2024, https://wilfordwoodruffpapers.org/p/4RBJ