OCTOBER 1995 NEWSLETTER
Nice to see everyone who attended the Labor Day weekend Mower Reunion in Salt Lake City. That was a good chance to see each other and get updated on the research. I have a financial report to give on the status of the research and would like to thank everyone who contributes. Trudy is doing our research for us and charges us $25 per hour. As you know we have employed her for several years now, first of all doing the GEISSINGER research in the Austrian records, then the MAURER research in the Goggenbach area, and now the BRILL research. Research that Tedi Jeen and I do is donated as is our time writing and publishing the newsletter.
CONTINUATION ... of Henry Mower Jr.'s trip to Utah 1849 as recorded in Silas Richards' Journal. Traveling with him were wife and child, (Susan Strong and John Albert Mower):
July 21--- Morning cloudy, some rain. Camp started at 9 o'clock. Cloudy all day, road very bad. Reached the Platte at 6 o'clock and camped, having traveled 12 miles. Rain through the night.
July 22--- Sunday raining. Did not travel. Cattle restless some of them got off 6 miles.
July 23--- Morning and day cloudy. Traveled 11 miles and camped on the South Fork of the Platte near Sarpses old trading post, now not occupied. A beautiful place and good for camping. Here we sent a detachment of men to examine the river to see if a ford could be found. One of the men, Marshall Rockwood, came very near being drowned. They reported no chance of fording.
July 24--- Morning cloudy. We traveled about 5 miles and encamped on the prairie, near a long pond on the south side of the road. 15 miles.
July 25--- Morning foggy, but soon cleared. We started at 8 o'clock. Encamped on the prairie near Pioneer Ford. Made 13 miles. Heavy rain tonight.
July 26--- Started at 8 o'clock. Some rain about 9. Crossed Cedar Creek which was very deep, blocked up the wagon beds, and was over by 10 o'clock. Encamped at old Pawnee village, having traveled 13 miles. No wood except willow bushes.
July 27--- Morning fair, we sent several men to examine for a ford. About 7 o'clock they returned to camp and reported that the bottom of the river through the deepest water was rock, and that the fording was the best known on the river though it had never been used. The bank being about 40 feet high, this river, like the Platte is very broad, though not deep. The quick sands making crossing very dangerous. We concluded to did the high band down enough to pass our wagons down and avail ourselves of the advantages of the rock bottom. The men went to digging the bank down, and by 11 o'clock began to let the wagons down with one yoke of oxen on the tongue only and holding on by ropes. We put four or five yoke of oxen to each wagon with two teamsters who had to wade, holding to the ox-bows to keep on their feet. The water was very cold and river rising rapidly. It was getting dark before we got all over. My 3 waggons and carriage, I kept to the last, having to raise the wagon beds by placing yokes under them to keep the water out. The camps of Bro. G. A. Smith and E. T. Benson came up to the ford.
July 28--- The above named companies, 115 wagons all crossed.
July 29--- Sunday. The camps met together for meeting and received much instruction from Bros. Smith and Benson. In the afternoon a discourse was delivered by Judge Wm. I. Appleby on the signs of the times.
July 30--- Morning clear and cool. Having left the road at this crossing, we had to travel a route without a road for 12 miles. I accordingly sent Lieutenant Merrill ahead on my horse to look out the way. The camp followed at 8 o'clock. In the evening we had to turn off our course about 1 mile to get water, having traveled about 10 miles, not reaching the road.
July 31--- Morning fair and very cool. Started at 7 o'clock. Reached the main road in about 3 miles. He we struck sand hills and we met the other companies, which had struck the road a little farther back. They traveled on the right hand track, we on the left. Made 18 miles to Prairie Creek today. The forepart of the day over heavy sandy roads, in the evening over broad, wet flats.