Across The Plains

During this period of Church History, Down and Back “Church Trains. . . were sent from Utah in April with provisions for the yearly immigration, and they returned with immigrants in the summer and early fall.” The Church brought Europeans to Utah “at a reduced cost because of the voluntary donation of labor, teams, and supplies from the Saints [already in the Salt Lake Valley].” (Church History in the Fullness of Times, p. 3 89).
The immigrants from 'The Amazon' arrived on July 31. Then they “rested. . . doing washing, patching, mending and preparing for the tedious journey across the plains” (Dowden).
William Fowler and his family were assigned to the Dixie Train led by Daniel McArthur. According to the Historic Resource Study: Mormon Pioneer Train the Daniel D. McArthur wagon train left with about 500 people and 75 wagons. The Teamsters had all sorts of food provisions already bought and ready to load. The Dixie Train led by Daniel McArthur would leave Florence on August 6th and arrive in Salt Lake on October 3rd.
Harriet says, “we were crowded in a lumber wagon with my Aunt Martha's three children, Mother's three children, and all our earthly possessions for both families.” That made nine people assigned to their wagon besides the teamster who drove it.


Figure 7 Map of Pioneer Trek

Harriet wrote, "The teams of oxen and covered wagons were waiting at Florence, Nebraska, in a large open plain. We had been delayed so long on the sea. I had not seen an ox with such long horns, and they did look fierce to me.” Harriet goes on to name the oxen that drove their wagon.”We had three yoke of oxen at first- the wheelers were a large pair of red and white cattle, and the other two pair were red and brindle oxen. They were name, respectively, Dine and Lion, Buck and Berry, Dick and Derry. We lost Dick and Derry before we reached the mountains.”
All but the very ill were encouraged to walk, so as to lighten the load for the overburdened animals. Young children were also encouraged to walk all they could. In fact they were obliged to since many people were ill and could not walk fast enough to keep up with the train. [Riding was also uncomfortable with the jolting over trails. ]
Harriet writes that the women and children slept in the wagon at night. There was no room for William, so he slept on the ground outside with the teamster that drove their wagon. She says that it “rained a lot” on the plains and that William got wet every time.
The company was called together each day for morning and evening prayers and each night the wagons were to be drawn into a circle to form a corral. Harriet described how they made the circle at night as follows; “There were fifty wagons in the train. They were divided into two wings. The left and right wing, Each morning as the bugle sounded to start, the right wing would move out to the road and at night, when we were ready to camp, the lead team would leave the road and turn to the right and the wagons in that wing would follow and form a half circle, the lead team coming back to the road; then the left wing would turn to the left and go in a half circle and the lead team came to the road where the first team were, thus forming a complete circle. The tongues were turned in, and the cattle were unyoked and turned out to feed and water. There was always a guard with them. They would be brought into the big corral to yoke them up”(Allen).
Eight a.m. was a normal time for the wagons to get rolling each morning.
A normal ration of food for an adult was 1 1A pounds of flour and 1 pound of bacon a day besides other eatables.
“We never traveled on Sundays”, Harriet writes.” We as well as the cattle needed the Sabbath Day rest, and the teaching and encouragement of the brethren.”
They had to wade many streams. The teams could barely pull the loads over. They came to the Loup fork about 100 miles after Florence. The “bottom was quicksand.” Harriet wrote. That made it very difficult to cross over. Harriet continued, “It was the Loup Fork of the Platte River. Every one had to get out of the wagons. The men rode across to test the footing, on horses. They hitched a long string of oxen to each wagon and their men rode on each side to urge the teams, for if their wheels should stop they would begin to sink through the quicksand and they would not be able to move it. I remember we all took off our shoes and stockings, tied them together, and hung them around our necks. Father took my little sister, Florence, astride his neck, with her arms clinging to him, and led my brother Ammon by the hand. Then Mother held to my hand and we waded through the stream. To us who were not used to seeing running water, only in a little stream with a big bridge over it, it seemed dreadful. Some who were too sick to wade across were carried on horseback, for no one dared to ride [in the wagons] Least the wagons might sink. It took all day to cross” (Allen).
The Company “often saw buffalo” (Allen). One day a large herd came in sight. The captain ordered the train to halt. He then ordered all the women and children to get in the wagons for safety. The “men rode out towards the herd and fired at them to try to turn them away from their course. It had been thought nothing could turn a herd of buffalo from their direct course. They had run over wagons in their mad race, but the Lord as ever, was guarding His people and they swerved to the right and did not come near the wagons. The men got several for meat for the camp” (Allen).
About 93 miles after crossing the Loup fork the company came to Wood River (Hafen). Here they found quantities of wild plums growing. Crossing the plains they lacked vegetables. The teamsters from Zion had brought large supplies of food; flour, bacon, salt, vinegar etc. but of course there was no milk or butter or vegetables. Harriet wrote “We no doubt suffered for the lack of fresh vegetables. One time they [the teamsters from Utah] told us not to eat too freely of the great quantities of wild plums we found at Wood River. They were very good and no doubt some ate too many at first. Our mother only gave us a few each day, so we were not made ill.” Ellen was a wise mother with good discipline; her children obeyed her without question. Others in the camp however overate and were made ill.
Wood and brush which people would normally use to build fires was very scarce on the plains. Pioneers crossing the plains had to collect buffalo chips to burn. Harriet says, “Many times in our travels there was a scarcity of fuel, and we had to gather the dried droppings from the cattle. When they were allowed to burn down to a hot bed of embers and the smoke was all gone, the food could be cooked with no bad odor.”
The lack of milk was “very hard on babies” Harriet says. Perhaps she was talking about her little cousin, Kate. Who would sicken on the journey.
While they were on the plains, Martha's baby, Kate, just 15 months old, died of Summer Complaint. Harriet wrote, “ Aunt Martha's little babe, about 15 months old, got sick with teething and dysentery, and died on the plains as many others did on that toilsome journey.” (Allen). The company halted while the men scooped out a shallow grave. The babe was wrapped up in a clean sheet and laid in. Dirt was hastily thrown over it, and they were ready to march forward. While the burying was being done, both families of children raced around gathering wild flowers to strew over the little grave. Then the drivers whip was raised and his big voice boomed out a, “Gee” as the wagons were again pulled back on the trail.
William had always enjoyed good health, but that was soon to change. Harriet wrote, “My father caught cold wading the streams and sleeping out nights, He contracted tuberculosis, so Mother could not have as much help from him as before.” He coughed so much, he couldn't keep up with the wagons and had to ride.
With William in the wagon Harriet could no longer ride. In Harriet's biography it says that, “The first day her feet grew very tired and blistered in the course shoes. The next day the blisters broke and bled and stuck to her shoes. After awhile the brave little feet could walk all day without a whimper.” Later she would walk without shoes at all. One family story says that Harriet would get thistles in her feet and could not stop to pull them out until evening when the wagons stopped. (Cheney, Helen).
Harriet says, “Once we camped at a place where there were some mineral springs and lots of the cattle became sick and some died. I do not remember if this is where we lost our one yoke of oxen or not. When we at last came to where we could see the distant mountains there was great rejoicing, though we had many days yet to travel before we reached them” (Allen).
Mary E. Fretwell Davis, who traveled with the McArthur wagon train said that “when we got in sight of the mountains, the Utah boys [teamsters from Utah] gave a great shout, and up went their hats in the air. The mountains and canyons looked wonderful to us. After walking through canyons and over mountains, we came to a mountain [from which] we could see Salt Lake City, and over the valley.” She says that when they went down to the city and camped that President Brigham Young and others came to meet them. President Young gave them all good advice.