Pioneer Day Countdown: July 8th, 1847 (Thursday)

Yesterday, the Pioneers had reached Fort Bridger, and camped near unto it.  The company decided to stay one more day to "set some tires", rest their animals, and do some shopping.

The morning:

It was cold when they woke up in the morning; cold enough that ice had formed in their water buckets and around the streams.  To add to the cold, there was also a brisk wind which whipped about the wagon covers.

A view of Bridger Valley, WY

Many of the Saints went to the fort to barter and trade. One man, Howard Egan, swapped two rifles for "19 buckskins, three elk skins, and other articles for making moccasins."

Howard Egan

President Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball bought hunting shirts and pants as well as "20 good skins."

The Fort was pretty expensive compared to others they had been to along the road.  For this reason, only a few were successful at trading their goods for others.  Most of the time, they weren't able to get high enough offers for their own belonging to trade. 

Recovered Hobbies:

Wilford Woodruff loved fishing, and was excited to buy a fishing rod and supplies to fish (for the first time since England) at a stream near the fort. 

When Wilford went to the stream to fish, other fishermen (using real meat and locusts) told him there weren't many fish and they weren't biting. "It was the first time I had tried it in America," Wilford said, "or even saw it tried.  He cast his artificial fly, and to the amazement of the other fishermen, a trout promptly struck the line.  To his delight, he caught 12 large fish that day, weighing in a total of 9 pounds. 

"The rest of the camp did not catch three pounds all together. This is proof that the artificial fly is the best to fish with," Wilford stated.

Wilford Woodruff as a young man.

A Scuffle:

In Pueblo, during the Mormon Battalion service, a trapper named Tim Goodale had stolen the Mormon's horses and mules.  Only one of the animals was recovered later. 

Sgt. Thomas Williams

Sgt. Thomas Williams of the Mormon Battalion saw Goodale at the fort, cornered him, and seized one of Goodale's horses, saying he "could recover the loss from his own men."

Coincidentally, it was also decided this day that Sgt. Williams and Samuel Brannan go back along the trail to meet members of the Mormon Battalion detachment coming from Pueblo. The 140 men hadn't been fully discharged or paid, so there was talk of sending a group to California to collect the payment.

A Time to Prepare:

Much of the camp was busy mending the wagons, shoeing horses, and getting ready for the final and difficult trek through the Rocky Mountains. 

The foreboding beginning of mountains in Bridger Valley.

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