LETTER FROM LYMAN HINMAN OF WINTER QUARTERS, DOUGLAS, NEBRASKA TO "BROTHER AND SISTER TAYLOR"
The following letter, found in the Utah State Historical Society, Salt Lake City, Utah, MSS A702, was written by Lyman Hinman whose family were in the advance wagon train to Salt Lake. The letter has been arranged into paragraphs for ease in reading:
Dear Brother & Sister Taylor
I hardly know how to begin or what to write that will be pleasing or interesting to you. However I conclude that a sketch of our journey and experience may be as great a Novelty as I can write at present. We left Nauvoo on the 3 of August 1844 in company with two or three others expecting to fall in company with others going we knew not where we were going but desiring to find a place where we could breathe free and worship God according to the dictates of our own consciences.
The first night we lodged upon the ground about five miles east of Nauvoo in a tent. Our clothes in the morning were almost wringing wet from the dew. on the following day we bent our course for Fort Madison on the Mississippi River--and crossed it about 2 o P M. Camped about 5 miles west of the River the day following we put bows and covering upon our waggon and traveled about 8 miles and picthed [sic] our tents at the head of Los a Creek so called at this place. we lost 7 head of Oxen and of course among the lost I had One yoke and 2 cows. we hunted for them 5 days and then left them and pursued on our journey.
fell in company with 3 or 4 other waggons following up not far from the Iowa River crossed it and passed the City of Iowa on the 19th Recrossed the River-and proceeded up said River to the upper trading post on said River [around Marengo, Iowa] where we met and fell in with others amounting to 200 persons at which place we organized ourselves into a company for the purpose of traveling together and remained at said place until the last day of December on which day we left and followed up said River with our cattle whiche we had purchased with our fine clothes furniture and feather beds. We sold untill we put our effects and family aboard of one waggon.
We traveled from bottom to bottom on said River staying from one day to three weeks in a place just as we found feed for our cattle digging wild potatoes artichokes and onions leeks and peas adding to our half pint of corn per head per day which was all the Bread stuff we had little or no meat for the Indians went before us and killed or scared all the game away from us. About the 18th of April we came to a place where the hard Maple trees were quite plenty we taped them and went to making sugar as fast as we could under our circumstances for I was so weak that I could hardly carry an 8 quart tin pail full of water and others were in a similar condition We continued making sugar untill the 15th of April in which day our camp was surrounded by a mob of 60 or 70 men or in the shape of men there was some men among them for I found friends with them. I and 3 others were taken prisoners and taken back to the city of Iowa 130 miles on the 19th about 10 or 11 o clock P.M. we were lodged in jail and the key turned upon us and we had the solid comfort and pleasure of lodging upon the hard timbers for a bed instead of the ground as we had all the way down on our journey.