Thursday, February 28, 2013

Richard Litson Jr. Emigration Account, Part 7 of 7



Glade Family Line

Friday, August 10 — A fine morning. We travelled and the other trains were traveling also and we did not pass them until they camped and we went on again and had water at a creek. There was a mule train here. There was a notice here "To Bridgers Ferry, 15 miles”, "To Virginia City, 425 miles". We all went on again and camped by plenty of wood. We have had aplenty of wood this week and we shall have all the way now. We had a fair night.

Saturday, August 11 — A fair morning. We started very early and went 5 or 6 miles and then had breakfast between 10 or 11 a.m., and between that and night we traveled 20 miles or more. We had a warm day and fair night.

Sunday, August 12 — A fine morning. We crossed a creek and traveled on some distance and camped and had dinner and traveled about 18 miles. We had a fair night.


(There is some missing or no record from August 12 to August 24.)

Saturday, August 25 — A mild, dull morning. We started a little after 7 o'clock. We went a long ways and crossed the river to the left and then crossed another and camped for dinner. We went on again and camped for the night by (the) same river. It rained a little at supper. It lasted for nearly half an hour. The rest of the night was pretty fair and mild.

Sunday, August 26 — A fine morning. We traveled on a pretty good ways and camped. It is raining now rather heavy, but it passed in time to have dinner, and in a little while we started on again and crossed Green River, all but a few wagons. We crossed on a ferry boat. We had a fair night.

Monday, August 27 — A fine morning. It rained a little in the night. We traveled on but had to take water with us. We did not get water until night again. There are soldiers here not to be trusted. We had a fair night but rather damp and cold.

Tuesday, August 28 — A fine morning. We traveled on and had water from Green River. Traveled on again and crossed and camped on the left hand side of the river. A fair night.

Wednesday, August 29 — A fair morning. We traveled on, camped, and went on again and camped. We had a little rain today, a fair night.

Thursday, August 30 — A fine morning but chilly. We traveled on and passed a house and some trains. We camped but the water was scarce. We traveled on and saw some miners going the reverse. We camped by a creek and had plenty of water. It began to rain about supper time and continued till midnight and then passed off.

Friday, August 31 — It began to rain about breakfast time. We did not travel that day. We had some potatoes from Salt Lake. We had showers or rain now and then, but we had a fair night.

Saturday, September 1 — A fair morning after the rain. Some of our teams went on but us and some others had to stay behind on account of some of the mules being lost. We had the mules brought in afterwards. We traveled on and crossed many bridges and "toll bridges." We camped after a little while and the other part of the train camped further on. We traveled and overtook the others and went on together, and camped pretty late and had a rather cold night.

Sunday, September 2 — A fine morning again and terrible dry. Some of the mules got lost again ans [sic] some of the train went on. We found them again. We traveled on again and saw Cush Cave on the right hand as we passed by and met our friends from Salt Lake City. We camped middling late. They came in Hammers' Great Salt Lake City Local Express. We had a warmer night than last.

Monday, September.3 — A very fine morning. We stopped out, before the train with our friends, Brother Glade and his little girl and my youngest sister. We traveled on and reached the mouth of the canyon and after went through Coalville. We had breakfast at Elizabeth Yates'. We traveled on and camped at Silver Creek. We passed many inhabited places, Kimballs' Hotel, and went before the train with our friend Brother Glade.

Tuesday, September 4 — A fair morning. We traveled on from Twenty Mile Creek over the summit. We camped at the head of Emigration Canyon. We arrived in about 4 o'clock, so thank God for our safe arrival in the Valley of the Mountains.

The above prepared by Earl H. Ottley [handwritten: son of Irene Ottley]
445 North 4th East
Logan, Utah 84321
March 25, 1967

This account was given to Reed Matthews March 1978 by Irene Ottley, age 95, and her daughter Norma Christensen. 6400 So. in Murray. Heed is great grandson of James Richard Mathews, a brother to Francis Ann Matthews Litson. Irene Litson Ottley is daughter to Francis Ann Matthews Litson.

To be continued...

Book of Account of Voyage and Training and Overland Travels (Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4Part 5—Part 6Part 7)

Picture of Emigration Canyon in the fall from utahwildflowers, used under a Creative Commons license.

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