Gold Rush Era Letters

that I saw were as ugly as the mud fence which sur rounded them, though there is no accounting for tastes as the girl said when she kissed the cow. the East side of the Fort is the main Entrance on that side the Houses are two stories high the roofs are almost flat sloping slightly inward & Composed of Earth thrown on logs of cedar laid close toget=her the wall of the fort extending above the roofs of the Houses forms a most admirable beam work for defense. There were a large number of fine wagons drawn up before the fort which they had bought for the Enormous sum of five doll =ars a piece which had been abandoned by Emigrants on account of their being too heavy they had thousands of pounds of bacon which they had bought for 1/4 & 1/2 cent pr. h/" and every thing [everything] else in proportion. We came up with Capt. Roberts here who had left us two Sundays before he and Henry Spottswood had, had a fight and seperated [separated] here. Two of the men going with Henry & four of them going with Roberts among them "Aut" you can tell John Ives this item. Roberts traveled with us this week but left us yesterday evening he I suppose not wishing to lay over on Sunday. Today the camp was thrown into a state of great excitement by three buffaloe [buffalo] being discovered making their way directly for the camp, notwith standing it was Sunday. I could not with stand the tempt= ation but seized my gun and got fair shot at one of them about a hundred yards off though I did not get the meat I am certain I killed the animal. Doson & Saterly killed one yesterday evening about four miles from camp upon which we are now feasting. The meats on our table today consits [consists] of Buffaloe [buffalo], meat & liver, antelope, fish, Hare, & Bacon, a first rate assortment we have plenty of fresh meat all the time, but I must resume my Journal.

You will understand unless something unusual occurs that we always remain in camp on Sundays & of which I make no note.

Monday June 11 = started at 6 A. M. rode some 8 miles, when the road diverged from the river, to which it did not return for the distance of six miles. The trains Halted for noon on the High Table land and I having taken a "cut off" or a bye path which led along the river but impassable for teams I came out far ahead of the wagons & lost my dinner but some of the most beautiful flowers I have yet seen, we reached the Larimies [Laramie's] fork of the Platt [Platte] at 4 oclock [o'clock] which we found a very fine rapid river it was most too deep to ford but we blocked our wagon beds up & come through safly [safely] & encamped on this side about 1/2 mile East of fort Lar= imie [Fort Laramie] upon very poor grass at 6 oclock [o'clock]. Distance today 23 miles.

12 -- Started at 6 /2 oclock [o'clock] above the fort where we sold some of