"It looked," says Wilford Woodruff, "as much of a miracle to me to see our flour and meal bags replenished in the Black Hills as it did to have the Children of Israel fed with manna in the wilderness. But the Lord had been truly with us on our journey and had wonderfully preserved and blessed us."
These little stores of flour were supposed to have saved the lives of some of the pioneers, for they were by this time entirely destitute of the " staff of life."
The pioneers were seven days crossing the river at this point. While here they established a ferry and selected nine men to leave in charge of it, with instructions to divide the means accumulated equally, to be careful of the lives and property of those they ferried, to "forget not their prayers," and "to come on with the next company of Saints." They reached Independence Rock on the 21st of June, and the South Pass on the 26th.
Several days later they met Major Harris, who had traveled through Oregon and California for twenty-five years. He spoke unfavorably of the Salt Lake country for a settlement. Next day Col. Bridger came up. He desired to go into council with the Mormon leaders. The apostles held the council with the colonel. He spoke more favorably of the great basin; but thought it not prudent to continue emigration there until they ascertained whether grain would grow there or not. He said he would give a thousand dollars for the first bushel of wheat raised in the valley of the Salt Lake.
At Green River they were met by Elder Samuel Brannan from the Bay of San Francisco. He came to give an account of the Mormon company that sailed with him in the ship Brooklyn. They had established themselves two hundred miles up the river, were building up a city, and he had already started a newspaper. They were several days fording Green River. Here the pioneers kept the 4th of July.
The Mormon battalion now began to reinforce the pioneers. Thirteen of these soldiers, returning from the service of their country, joined them at Green River, and reported that a whole detachment of 140 were within seven days' drive.
As the pioneers approached the valley of the Great Salt Lake, the interest became intense. The gold-finders of California, and the founders of the Pacific States and Territories generally, had but a fever for precious metals, or were impelled westward by the migrating spirit of the American people; but these Mormon pioneers were seeking the "Pearl of Great Price," and their thoughts and emotions, as they drew near the Salt Lake Valley were akin to those of the Pilgrim Fathers as they came in sight of Plymouth Rock.
During the last days of the journey, President Young was laid up with the "mountain fever," from which he did not fully recover till on the return trip to Winter Quarters.
After passing Bear River, a council of the whole was called, and it was resolved that Apostle Orson Pratt should take a company of about twenty wagons, with forty men, to go forward and make a road. Twenty-three wagons started the next morning. For a while we will follow the journal of Orson Pratt: "July 21st —We resumed our journey, traveled two and a half miles, and ascended a mountain for one and a half miles; descended upon the west side one mile; came upon a swilt running creek, where we halted for noon: we called this Last Creek. Brother Erastus Snow (having overtaken our camp from the other camp, which he said was but a few miles in the rear,) and myself proceeded in advance of the camp down Last Creek four and a half miles, to where it passes through a canyon and issues into a broad open valley below. To avoid the canyon the wagons last season had passed over an exceedingly steep and dangerous hill. Mr. Snow and myself ascended this hill, from the top of which a broad open valley, about twenty miles wide and thirty long, lay stretched out before us, at the north end of which the broad waters of the Great Salt Lake glistened in the sunbeams, containing high mountainous islands from twenty-five to thirty miles in extent. After issuing from the mountains among which we had been shut up for many days and beholding in a moment such an extensive scenery open before us, we could not refrain from a shout of joy which almost involuntarily escaped from our lips the moment this grand and lovely scenery was within our view. We immediately descended very gradually into the lower parts of the valley, and although we had but one horse between us, yet we traversed a circuit of about twelve miles before we left the valley to return to our camp, which we found encamped one and a half miles up the ravine from the valley, and three miles in advance of their noon halt. It was about nine o'clock in the evening when we got into camp. The main body of the pioneers who were in the rear were encamped only one and a half miles up the creek from us, with the exception of some wagons containing some who were sick, who were still behind.
"July 22nd.—This morning George A. Smith and myself, accompanied by seven others, rode into the valley to explore, leaving the camp to follow on and work the road, which here required considerable labor, for we found that the canyon at the entrance of the valley, by cutting out the thick timber and underbrush, connected with some spading and digging, could be made far more preferable than the route over the steep hill mentioned above. We accordingly left a written note to that effect and passed on. After going down into the valley about five miles, we turned our course to the north, down towards the Salt Lake. For three or four miles north we found the soil of a most excellent quality.
Streams from the mountains and springs were very abundant, the water excellent, and generally with gravel bottoms. A great variety of green grass, and very luxuriant, covered the bottoms for miles where the soil was sufficiently damp, but in other places, although the soil was good, vet the grass had nearly dried up for want of moisture. We found the drier places swarming with very large crickets, about the size of a man's thumb. This valley is surrounded with mountains, except on the north, the tops of some of the highest being covered with snow. Every one or two miles streams were emptying into it from the mountains on the east, many of which were sufficiently large to carry mills and other machinery.
As we proceeded towards the Salt Lake the soil began to assume a more sterile appearance, being probably at some seasons of the year overflowed with water. We found as we proceeded on, great numbers of hot springs issuing from near the base of the mountains. These springs were highly impregnated with salt and sulphur: the temperature of some was nearly raised to the boiling point. We traveled for about fifteen miles down after coming into the valley, the latter parts of the distance the soil being unfit for agricultural purposes. We returned and found our wagons encamped in the valley, about five and one-fourth miles from where they left the canyon.
"July 21st.—This morning we dispatched two persons to President Young, and the wagons which were still behind, informing them of our discoveries and explorations. The camp removed its position two miles to the north, where we encamped near the bank of a beautiful creek of pure cold water. This stream is sufficiently large for mill sites and other machinery. Here we called the camp together, and it fell to my lot to offer up prayer and thanksgiving in behalf of our company, all of whom had been preserved from the Missouri, river to this point; and, after dedicating ourselves and the land unto the Lord, and imploring His blessings upon our labors, we appointed various committees to attend to different branches of business, preparatory to putting in crops, and in about two hours after our arrival we began to plow, and the same afternoon built a dam to irrigate the soil, which at the spot where we were plowing was exceedingly dry.
Towards evening we were visited by a thunder shower from the west; not quite enough rain to lay the dust. Our two messengers returned, bringing us word that the remainder of the wagons belonging to the pioneer company were only a few miles distant, and would arrive the next day. At 3 p. M. the thermometer stood at 960."
Returning to the main body of the Pioneers, a few simple but graphic passages from the diary of Apostle Wilford Woodruff will illustrate their entrance into the valleys of Utah better than an author's imagination.
"July 20th.—We started early this morning, and stopped for breakfast after a five miles' drive. I carried Brother Brigham in my carriage. The fever was still on him, but he stood the journey well. After breakfast we travelled over ten miles of the worst road of the whole journey.
"July 21st.—We are compelled to lay over in consequence of the sick.
"July 22nd.—Continued our journey.
"July