John R. Shinn Journal, Vol. 5

"July 16 Traveled 20 and a half miles over pretty good road. Passed 3 graves. Camped on the Sweetwater near the Bitter Cottonwood Creek, pretty good place to camp.

July 17 Traveled 16 miles. Camped on the Sweetwater, pretty good camping place. Weather dry and windy.

July 18 Traveled 16 miles. Passed 1 grave, quite number of cattle left dead and dying. Weather windy.

July 19 Traveled 12 miles. Passed 6 graves and quite a number of cattle dead and dying and some horses.

July 20 Traveled 18 and a half miles. Passed 6 graves, 33 dead cattle, 3 live ones, and 3 dead horses. Camped on the Willow Creek. Weather windy with a shower at night.

July 21 (Sunday) Traveled 17 miles. Passed 12 graves, 21 dead cattle and 5 horses. Camped at the Pacific Springs, South Pass Rocky Mountains. Here the water runs west. Good camping place except for wood, weather good. (written to the side of the entry) The altitude of this pass is 7,085 feet.

July 22 Laid by at the above camp to recruit our teams. Weather good, fine shower in the evening.

July 23 Traveled 24 and a half miles over a level but barren country. Camped on the Little Sandy River. Plenty of water and wood, very little feed. Passed 1 grave, 38 dead cattle, 3 live ones, 6 dead horses. Weather cool, shower in the afternoon.

July 24 Traveled 25 and a half miles. Camped on the Big Sandy, there is no water in all this distance except the Big Sandy, 8 and a half miles from the Little Sandy. Passed 15 dead cattle, 3 left to die, and two dead horses. Weather cool, little rainy.

July 25 Traveled 17 miles over a desert like country. Camped on the Green River 7 miles after crossing it. Weather cool.

July 26 Traveled 15 miles over a desert country without water or grass. Passed 12 dead cattle. Camped on Black Forks. Weather pleasant.

July 27 Traveled 28 miles. Camped on the Prairie. Plenty of feed, no wood nor water. Passed 2 grave. Weather cool with a little rain.

July 28 Traveled 10 miles. Camped on Black Fork, 1 mile below Fort Bridger. Pretty good place to camp. Weather cool and pleasant.

July 29 Laid by at the above camp to rest, had a shower and some hail.

July 30 Traveled 20 miles over a rough road, quite a number of small streams. Passed 3 graves. Camped 1 mile west of the Soda Spring. Plenty of grass and wild sage but no water. Weather pleasant.

July 31 Traveled 17 miles 14 of it without water for stock. Passed Dividing Ridge between the waters of the Colorado and the Great Basin, the altitude of this ridge is 7,700 feet and passed 2 graves. Camped on Bear River, plenty of wood, water and grass. Weather cool and pleasant."

Note Bitter Cottonwood Creek is in Fremont Co., Wyoming. Willow Creek is in Utah. Most of the landmarks covered in this entry are explained here.

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