"We commenced at 5 o'clock in the morning and in four hours we had landed eleven wagons of goods upon the north shore with our little leather boat, and during the day we got over all the wagons belonging to our tens, there being eleven wagons in all.
"The rest of the encampment—being twelve tens—got over only the same number of wagons as ourselves. They floated their wagons by tying from two to four together, but the wagons turned clear over each other, bottom side up and back again, breaking the bows, covers, and boxes to pieces, and losing ploughs, axes, and iron that were left in the boxes.
"Most of our company were in the water from morning till night, and all were very weary when the work was done.
"Just as we had drawn Dr. Richards' two wagons to the shore and loaded his goods into them, a storm struck us. I sprang into my carriage, tied all down very tight and applied my whole strength in holding my wagon cover on, but the rain, wind, and hail beat so heavily that it was a task, and my bed and things were nearly drenched. It lasted only seven minutes, but was severe on our wagons and goods, and our horses ran two or three miles in the storm. I crossed the river, went after them, tied them up, and returned weary, but had some pleasant dreams that night.
"I felt unwell next day from the exposures of the day before. My teeth ached. I had suffered much from them on my pioneer journey. It was quite windy and our companies crossed the river very slowly. Another Missouri company came up with us.
"President Young thought it wisdom to leave a number of the brethren here until our companies which were expected to follow us should come up. Those who remained were to keep a ferry for the emigrants on the road not of our people. Such immigrants were to pay $1.50 per wagon in flour at $2.00 per cwt., and in cows at $10.00 each.
"The brethren made two new rafts on the third day of our fording the river and got quite a number of our pioneer wagons over. I was still unwell, but in company with Orson Pratt, I went on to some of the bluffs to view the country, and shot an antelope. This was the first antelope I ever killed.
"We had some strong wind and heavy rain, and in the evening many of us went over the river and tied up our horses. When one company was returning in the leather boat, it half filled with water, and they came nearly sinking.
"Early on the following morning, we swam our horses over, and one mule was nearly drowned by being tangled in a rope, but the current carried him ashore.
"The day before, twenty men went down the river to dig out two large canoes to cover over and make a ferry boat. The emigrants were arriving daily at our fording place, and they reported one thousand wagons between here and Laramie. This was the 5th day spent in ferrying our pioneer company across the river, but now we had succeeded in getting all over, and we once more formed our wagons into a circle. Our brethren helped some of the Missourians to cross, and ran their boat all night in ferrying them over.