Continuing with the diary of James Field:
Friday, the second day of May, the order was given by the Captain to prepare for starting at 9 that morning. – Everything and everybody were anxious for this, and, at the appointed hour, we started, and went to Wolf River, in the bottom of which we camped that evening, near a Sac village. 12 m. We passed about noon through the camp of a portion of the emigration company who started from Elizabethtown the present spring. They were on Mosquito creek, and near the encampment was a dead Indian placed in the top of a tree, in a trough covered with bark. Some gentleman who accompanied us as far as our camp on Wolf river, there took the census of our company, which I will here insert:
66 wagons; 453 oxen; 649 loose cattle; 1102 total number cattle; 185 shooting-irons of all kinds;
males over 16, 98; females over 14, 57; males under 16, 78; females under 14, 60; total number of souls, 293.
Sat. 3. – Bridged Wolf river in the morning, which occupied the time to 11 o’clock, when we started and went to a small creek a few miles east of the Indian Agency, where we camped. 8 m.
Sun. 4. – Went about 12 miles to-day, across the levelest country we have found since leaving the Missouri river, the whole distance prairie.
Mon. 5. – Started early; went 14 mls, and camped on a beautiful rolling prairie, near the borders of a small piece of timber with a small creek passing through it. We occupied the same ground the emigration camped upon the preceding year, some of us kindling our fires with the unconsumed fragments of theirs. The country we have passed through since passing Wolf river has been a fine, gently rolling, prairie, well adapted for farming purposes, but nearly destitute of timber.
Tues. 6. – Had a small flare-up this morning in the camp, the captain, T’Vault, verbally resigning his commission last evening, in presence of the committee of safety, a meeting was by them called early this morning to take into consideration they had adopted, and which had given him offense. After some parleying, during which it was apparent that the company would split if the resolutions were adopted, and that the captain had changed his mind about resigning, the meeting broke up of each one’s own accord, after the resolutions had been partly acted upon, and at 12 m/ we struck up our line of march as though nothing had occurred. Five oxen, two horses, and two mules had strayed during the night, and a child in camp was considered at the point of death, which was the cause of our delay in starting, the other affair being over before the usual starting time. We made 7 miles, and camped at 4 on Wolf river again, it running a s. e. course past camp.
Tues. 6. – Had a small flare-up this morning in the camp, the captain, T’Vault, verbally resigning his commission last evening, in presence of the committee of safety, a meeting was by them called early this morning to take into consideration they had adopted, and which had given him offense. After some parleying, during which it was apparent that the company would split if the resolutions were adopted, and that the captain had changed his mind about resigning, the meeting broke up of each one’s own accord, after the resolutions had been partly acted upon, and at 12 m/ we struck up our line of march as though nothing had occurred. Five oxen, two horses, and two mules had strayed during the night, and a child in camp was considered at the point of death, which was the cause of our delay in starting, the other affair being over before the usual starting time. We made 7 miles, and camped at 4 on Wolf river again, it running a s. e. course past camp.
Wed. 7. – Made 14 miles, and camped on the same stream for the last time. The men who went back yesterday returned to camp this morning, having found the mules which had strayed back within a few miles of the Indian Agency. They report the Elizabethtown company as being 2 days’ march in our rear, keeping our trail, and that they are a larger company than ours.
Thurs. 8. – We went about 12 miles to-day, but found the pilot had taken a wrong divide, and had to double back about two or three miles, when we camped upon a small creek running southwest, so that we only made about 9 miles. The country still maintains the same character, a nearly level prairie, with occasionally a small grove of timber upon the water-courses, but the soil seems getting thinner.
From “The Diary of James Field” Willamette Farmer (Portland, OR, Fridays: April 18 – August 1, 1879).
18 Apr 1879 (April 16, 1845-May 27)
Wagons Ho!! Thank you for getting us off to a great start, Shannon!
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