Before starting from Wyoming Thomas was advised to sell his horses and buy a yoke of oxen instead, and did so.
Henry W. Lawrence, a merchant of Salt Lake City, was there for a train load of merchandise, and persuaded Thomas to accompany his train of twenty-five wagons, and also hired his brother-in-law to drive team for him, thus insuring his passage to the valley and the fulfilment of the prediction Thomas made concerning him before he left Springfield.
Acting upon advice, Thomas bought a cook stove before starting, as it would only cost $30.00 in Nebraska City, and would be worth $250.00 when he got to Salt Lake. When he was ready to start he had only $3.00 in cash left, but he had two yoke of cows and one yoke of oxen, and plenty of provisions. As two of the cows were giving milk, he counted upon deriving some profit from the sale of milk on the road.
For the first few days everything went well with Thomas and his family, but then his leg grew worse again, and for a time he was not able even to yoke up his cattle. However, the wagon master had some of the Utah teamsters hitch up his team for him.
On reaching Julesberg the Platte river was found to be so high that the wagon boxes had to be blocked up to the top of the standards to keep the merchandise from getting wet, and they hitched fifteen yoke of oxen on to each wagon to go through. It took the train four days to cross the river.
Some of the oxen soon grew tender-footed, and had to be driven in a herd behind the train. George Merrick, the wagon master, furnished Ephraim a horse and hired him to ride behind and drive the loose cattle. Then it was found necessary to herd the cattle at night, and Thomas' brother-in-law was given that job, and kept it all the way.
Many dangers were encountered on the journey, some of them due to Thomas' helpless condition, but all were safely passed, and Salt Lake City was reached on the 4th of September, 1864, after a journey of 1800 miles in a wagon.
The journey had been fruitful in experience, and not wholly unprofitable, as he landed with $40.00 in his pocket, part of it having been earned by Ephraim driving the loose cattle, but most of it the proceeds of milk sold during the journey. The best of all, the family was in excellent health, and overjoyed at reaching the valley and finding people who manifested a friendly interest in them.
One of the first friendly acts of which they were the recipients, was the privilege granted them by Father John Vance, of keeping their animals in his pasture without charge.
For Thomas, Salt Lake valley and the surrounding mountains had a familiar appearance. He had seen them before in vision in Minnesota, when he lay wavering between life and death, and now as he recognized them his heart swelled with gratitude to the Almighty for sparing the lives of himself and family to reach the valley, the goal for which he had hoped and prayed and struggled for so many years. He felt that he could not do less to show his appreciation for what the Lord had done for him than to devote his remaining days in mortality to the service of the Lord. He felt that he would gladly do that and endure without complaint any further hardships that might fall to his lot if his children might only be preserved in the faith and manifest throughout their lives a love for the truth.