Story and Diaries of the Willie Handcart Company Part 1
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STORY AND DIARIES OF THE WILLIE HANDCART COMPANY PART 1 OF 2 President Brigham Young Excerpt from remarks given on October 5, 1856, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 4, pp. 113-114 To-morrow our semi-annual Conference will allow the brethren to tell something about commences, and I notice that many have come in their missions, by way of exhortation to wind up from a distance. We shall have large congregations with. during the Conference, and we wish perfect order I will tell you all that your faith, religion, maintained. and profession of religion, will never save one soul I will now give this people the subject and of you in the celestial kingdom of our God, unless the text for the Elders who may speak to-day and you carry out just such principles as I am now during the Conference, it is this, on the 5th day of teaching you. Go and bring in those people now on October, 1856, many of our brethren and sisters the Plains, and attend strictly to those things which are on the Plains with hand-carts, and probably we call temporal, or temporal duties, otherwise many are now seven hundred miles from this your faith will be in vain; the preaching you have place, and they must be brought here, we must heard will be in vain to you, and you will sink to send assistance to them. The text will be-to get hell, unless you attend to the things we tell you. them here! I want the brethren who may speak to Any man or woman can reason this out in their understand that their text is the people on the own minds, without trouble. The Gospel has been Plains, and the subject matter for this community already preached to those brethren and sisters now is to send for them and bring them in before the on the Plains; they have believed and obeyed it, winter sets in. and are willing to do anything for salvation; they That is my religion; that is the dictation of are doing all they can do, and the Lord has done the Holy Ghost that I possess, it is to save the peo- all that is required of Him to do, and has given us ple. We must bring them in from the Plains, and power to bring them in from the Plains, and teach when we get them here, we will try to keep the them the further things of the kingdom of God, same spirit that we have had, and teach them the and prepare them to enter into the celestial king- way of life and salvation; tell them how they can dom of their Father. First and foremost is to secure be saved, and how they can save their friends. This our own salvation and do right pertaining to our- is the salvation I am now seeking for, to save our selves, and then extend the hand of right to save brethren that would be apt to perish, or suffer ex- others. tremely, if we do not send them assistance. I shall call upon the Bishops this day, I shall not wait until to-morrow, nor until next day, for sixty good mule teams and twelve or fifteen wagons. I do not want to send oxen, I want good horses and mules. They are in this Territory, and we must have them; also twelve tons of flour and forty good teamsters, besides those that drive the teams. This is dividing my text into heads; first, forty good young men who know how to drive teams, to take charge of the teams that are now managed by men, women, and children who know nothing about driving them; second, sixty or sixty- five good spans of mules, or horses, with harness, whipple-trees, neck-yokes, stretchers, load chains, &c.; and, thirdly, twenty-four thousand pounds of flour, which we have on hand. I will repeat the division; forty extra team- sters is number one; sixty spans of mules or horses is part of number two; twelve tons of flour, and wagons to take it, is number three; and, fourthly, I 2 DAILY ACCOUNT Willie Handcart Company WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1856 suitable to the times, which was well received by the people; he bid the camp good by & went on his Willie Company Journal way to the States. Bro. Willie accompanied him to The Handcart Company rolled out of Fort Laramie. Camp about noon and the 4 wagons then turned The camp rolled on as usual, traveled back to an elevated spot of ground commanding a about 7 miles & camped. A meeting was held in full view of the Fort. The first thing this morning the evening, Bros. Willie, Atwood & Savage ad- it was discovered that several sisters had left the dressed it on the necessity of shortening the rations Camp and had taken up their residence at the Fort. of the camp, that our flour might hold out till sup- Early this morning Bro. David Reeder died, aged plies should meet us. The people were willing to 54. He was born at Rumburgh, Suffolk, in Eng- listen to Capt. Willie's suggestion, & it was land. unanimously approved of by the people. Capt. Willie with some brethren returned to Fort Laramie with the mule team on business. Levi Savage Journal W. Woodward had charge of the company during Early This Morning. I returned to the Fort the day. Rolled about 7 miles and camped on the to make the sale of my watch. It cost me $20 and I banks of the river Platte. sold it for $11 and purchased a pair of $6 boots William Read died coming to camp in a and other articles. I then proceeded to overtake the wagon - he was born at North Crawley, Bucking- camp. On my way I met a company of Elders hamshire, England, aged 63. from the Valley bound to the different nations of Capt. Willie & the Brethren returned to the earth to preach the gospel. I met Brother P. P. camp. Some missionaries from Salt Lake passed Pratt in camp. He spoke cheeringly to the Saints. by our camp & informed us that Brother P. P. Pratt Today Brother Reade died of a disease of the & other missionaries were camped about 4 miles heart. He is age 64. from us up the river. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1856 Levi Savage Journal Platte River. This morning Brother David Willie Company Journal Reader was found dead in his bed. He has been ill Road leaves the River, ascended some for some time. He had no particular disease, but of steep bluffs & rolled on. Nooned on a dry creek. debility. He was a good man and a worthy mem- Rolled on again, descended the Bluffs & travelled ber of the Church. Brother Siler and company till dark. Camped by the road, travelled about 21 stopped here to recruit and strengthen his teams, miles. Peter Larsen, aged 43, from Lolland, Den- and to join the first wagon company that arrives mark, died during the day. here bound for the Valley. Our camp moved on, and Brothers Willey, Atwood, myself and others Levi Savage Journal went to the Fort and purchased provisions. They Platte River. Today we left the river, are extremely costly. I stopped all night with crossed over the hills; it is said to be twenty-two Brother Siler and company. miles to food and water. We travelled until eight o'clock p.m. and camped within a half mile of a THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1856 spring, but no feed for our cattle. We were all fa- tigued. Brother Ingra, aged 68, died just after we Willie Company Journal camped. Morning fine. Several missionaries came into camp this morning, among which was Thomas SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1856 Bullock - they were in good spirits, several breth- ren went on to the wagons as they were traveling Willie Company Journal & Bro. Parley came to camp, preached a discourse The camp rolled on about 3 miles & the 3 DAILY ACCOUNT Willie Handcart Company company staid to allow the sisters to wash clothes, certain of supplies before arriving at the Pacific &c. Benjamin Culley, aged 61, from Sprowston, Springs. Norfolk, England, died; also George Ingra, aged 68, from Bassingbourne, Cambridgeshire, England TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7,1856 died; also Daniel Gadd, aged 2, from Orwell, Cambridgeshire, England, died. A cow was killed Willie Company Journal in the afternoon. Travelled about 3 miles & forded the Platte River. Roads generally good, some few Levi Savage Journal hills. Nooned on a creek that was nearly dry. This morning at ten o'clock we started and Rolled on again & camped on the banks of the travelled about five miles to a small creek and en- Platte. Travelled about 15 miles. camped. We took an estimate of our provisions and reduced our rations to twelve ounces per day. Levi Savage Journal The Pacific Springs is the only place that we are Platte River. Today we travelled fourteen sure of meeting supplies. Brother Benjamine miles. The weather is good. Culley, aged 61 years, and David Gadd, aged 2 years, died. They were buried at dawn. Some WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1856 stealing is practiced by some; consequently, we put all the provisions into three wagons and placed a Willie Company Journal guard over them. This morning one of our best oxen be- longing to the P.E. Fund, died - supposed to have SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1856 eaten a poisonous weed. The camp rolled on, roads splendid, some few hills; crossed a clear Willie Company Journal running stream & rolled on to the Platte & nooned The camp rolled on, roads good, nooned where the Black Hills road intersects the river on the Platte; rolled again, crossed some hills, then road.