I continue to push through this odyssey. The saint’s lead has grown from 93 kilometers to 135 kilometers. Since June 1st I’ve run just shy of 600 kilometers. This deficit is unfortunate but couldn’t really be helped without too much risk of injury. I should catch up this weekend. I am running the 100 mile Sinister 7 ultra marathon, this Saturday. I’d have liked to be on par with the saints so I could do some recuperating after this weekend. Instead, it is likely I’ll catch up just to fall behind again. It is going to be a bit of a game of leap frog I’m afraid.
So what have the saints been up to these last few days? Let’s find out.
Friday 5th
Mr. Harrison’s son is quite sick. The road was at a distance from the river, but we drove down to it at a point where a clear spring creek is a tributary, about 2 miles east and opposite Horseshoe Creek. A young man named Harvey from the camp on the south side stole two horses last night and left. Mr. Harrison’s son was baptized by Brother Cannon and confirmed by Brother Thomas. He was born in Iowa.
Saturday 6th
We stayed in camp due to the illness of Mr. Harrison’s son, who is very low. Some Indians and ranch men visited from their camp about 2 miles up the river. The camp was variously engaged in hunting, fishing, reading, washing, baking, and other activities for necessity or pleasure.
Sunday 7th
We started at 7:05 AM, which is the usual time, although sometimes we are delayed by cattle straying. The roads were dusty and sandy but not deeply so, very dry with no feed except on the riverbanks. We had lunch on a creek to the left of the road with clear water and good feed. The bluffs here for several miles approach the river. There was scrub timber during the afternoon on this side of the river. We camped around 6:30 PM on the Platte near a large island in the river, with plenty of feed and wood.
Monday 8th
The roads were pretty good in the morning but very sandy and hard on the teams for 2 or 3 miles east of Rawhide Creek, where we camped. The creek was dry and the feed nearly so, with plenty of wood but not dry. Several company members went to Fort Laramie and reported that Harvey was caught and on his way there for trial. We stayed at Rawhide Creek for the rest of the day due to poor feed conditions above. There was a ranch just below. The ranch men on this side are generally French and illiterate but know enough to take advantage of the emigrants’ necessities.
Tuesday 9th
We rolled out at 10 AM, delayed by cattle straying. We had lunch about 4 miles up the river, where the feed was poor but there were plenty of wild currants. The roads were sandy and flies were murderously hostile. We brought all the cattle and rolled on in the afternoon to a point of timber nearly opposite Laramie, where the feed was very poor. We decided to divide the company until we found better feed. The 1st, 5th, and 6th under charge of Cannon; the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th under care of Wiley Thomas; Bartlett Tripp was the sergeant guard of the 2nd company, with other officers remaining as before. There was a stampede of horses during the night, and Harvey was punished with 30 lashes.
Wednesday 10th
We did not find the horses and mules until late. The rest of the camp came on and had lunch on Laramie Bottoms, where the feed was better. The missing mules and horses came in around noon. We set out again around 3 PM to Dry Creek, about 4 miles away, where the bottom was fine and the grass good. The road in the afternoon was quite hilly.
Some of the story lines that emerge from Bartlett’s record are compelling. Why did this young Harvey think he could abscond with a couple horses? Where was he going exactly? I’d sure like to sit down with him and chat about what compelled him. 30 lashes would be quite the trial, I think. The record is not clear as to whether this Harvey was a member of the company or another company in proximity to them. Bartlett says, “A young man named Harvey from the camp on the south side.” There is a young man (23) named Harvey in the company. Is this the Harvey he is referring to? If so, it seems he goes on to serve in the civil war on the side of the union and become the father of 12 children by two wives. There is nothing in his Family Search record that might shed some light on whether he had something of a rebellious young adulthood.
Other storylines include sick children, baptisms, and the constant struggle to keep cattle together and fed. I had quite the time generating an image in Chatgpt to represent the travels and travails describes in these journal entries. These images can hold some real oddities.
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