Pioneer Day Countdown: July 13, 1847 (Tuesday)

Brigham Young had become sick yesterday with mountain fever. For this reasons, a small party had broken away from the main pioneer company to help the Prophet. Today, Brigham's party was 7-miles behind the main group.

The Morning:

Wilford Woodruff, John Brown, and Joseph Mathews rode back early in the morning to get an update and "learn the state of his health," Norton Jacob explained.

John Brown

Joseph Matthews

The company was worried about being delayed longer, for fear of planting crops.

Later, Woodruff's group returned with Heber C. Kimball, who was second in command.  A meeting was called, "but suddenly dispersed by a thundershower." After the storm, the meeting continued.

It was proposed that a second advance guard be formed under the leadership of Orson Pratt to "try and find a pass over the mountains," Clayton reported. Heber asked "some 20 wagons to go ahead and explore the road through the mountains separating the pioneers from the valley and the Great Salt Lake." They were also assigned "to make a road" and smooth the way for easier wagon pass.

Heber reported the President Young was "a little better this morning, but last evening was insensible and raving."







The Advance Party:

The advance party included 23 wagons and 43 men--(Names of the men in the party are at the bottom of the page). They pushed off early in the afternoon.  The advance party would have the honor of being the first to enter the Salt Lake Valley, several days before July 24th (the arrival of Brigham Young).

After the advance party moved out, Kimball went back to Brigham's group, and the main body remained delayed. Some people wandered around Cache Cave, and commented that "more than 50 bird's nests" were on the roof. The place was swarming with bugs, and they found many carvings of names on the roof.

Thomas Bullock used the delay to catch up on his journaling. Hunters went out and caught 12 antelope for the camp. Some Saints tried to dig a well for water, but "the water had a sulfurous taste," he added.

Willard Richards and Wilford Woodruff did some exploring, and as they walked, "talked over old times" about the connection of their individual missions.

Although the delay may have been a nice rest, it wasn't very comfortable.  William Clayton wrote that the weather was "hot and sultry, and mosquitoes are very troublesome."

The Evening:

As the evening set in, there was a quiet throughout the camp. With the company splitting in three, the camp was a little subdued. When darkness fell, "the camp was very still, more than since we left Fort Laramie," Bullock stated.



For those interested:

The names of the Advance Party participants:

Charles Barnum         Francis Boggs        John Brown        Charles Burke        William Carter    

Alexander Chesley    James Chesney     Oscar Crosby       Benjamin Crow     John Crow

Walter Crow              Lyman Curtis          James Egbert      John Eldgredge     Nathaniel Fairbanks

Green Flake              John Freeman          John Gleason      David Grant            Hans Christian Hansen

Levin Jackman          Stephen Kelsey      Levin Kendall      Hark Lay                Stephen Markham

Joseph Mathews       Lewis Myers           Elijah Newman    David Powell          Orson Pratt

Jackson Redden        Porter Rockwell  Shadrach Roundy   Gilbroid Summe    James Stewart

Seth Taft                   Norman Taylor      George Therlkill    Robert Thomas      Marcus Thorpe

Horace Thornton      George Wardle




Source: Kimball and Knight. 111 Days to Zion. Deseret News. Salt Lake City, 1978