This letter was copied from a typewritten copy of the original. The
typewritten copy was received from Sara Leota Mutz, a granddaughter of
Arthur Tyrrell.
Letter written to:
Jonas R. Partrige
Wards Grove
Jo Davis Co (sic)
Illinois
Page One
Head Quarters of the Enterprise Company 1849
Dear but distant friends I have again taken my pen to inform you that my health continues good and the Company is mostly well some Ague and bowel complaint in camp we are now on the bank of a small stream 170 miles west of the Missiouri River and fixing to cross
Now for particulars of the Journey Left Mr Rice old place on tuesday May 15th arrived at Mr Eads 17th Went into Galena done some trading and sold our flour at 250 per hundred left Eads 19th Went to Smiths fery crossed 20th paid $1 dollar apeace for wagons 25¢ a pare for oxen 12½ cts apeace for loose cattle had good luck a crosing
Good bye to Illinois for a time
We went down the Mississippi as far as Belview I saw the house where the
fight was a few years ago between the sitizens and the mob it is a pretty
place for a town one man had died with cholera there it is a small place
yet We now start west to Andrew over a sandy country and rough road I
think that will in time make a large place for inland town continueing on
to forks of Maquokate did not like the country very well the stream was
bridged but high Water had cut a new chanel had to fill it up with logs to
git along. Saw mill on the north fork where we crossed plenty of timber
and mud the south fork there is a flouring and saw mill both and good
bridge half mile more Very bad road Came to prarie sandy but ritch and
some rolling now go over ridges through hollows and mud to Hapsapenica
had to ferry river it was very high mean country and poor water swamps
sloughs and good prarie not much timber it is as pretty a stream as I ever
saw had to ferry it. The next stream of any size is the Iowa there is
some good land there. Iowa City is a handsome place it contains a number
of stores and taverns Oats was worth 15 cts per bushel corn 25 wheat 50
flour was scarce on account of high Water all the spring the mills could
not grind and there had ben but one steamboat up this spring We crossed the
Iowa River 30th of May. It is a nasty looking stream Traveled over rather
a poor country 2 or 3 days then came to as good a country as I ever saw
there is some large farms there & mud a plenty We crossed a number of small
streams by building bridges and wadeing water the next stream is the Skunk
River.
Page Two
a small stream out rightly named it was at this stream that we broke down the wagon wheel crosing it. it was a hind wheel We cut a pole and put under and went on to Newton about 10 miles distance. Mr Heacoks (a man in our company) filed the wheel and we went on after crosing a number more small streams We arrived at Big Skunk River, We ferry the stream but could not ferry the mud for 2 or 3 miles We only went a few rods at a time Without stoping the teams to rest them It was the capshief of the whole road that I ever saw The man that owned the ferry had a tame Buffalow 3 years old the first I ever saw and had some half breed calves Buffalow and cattle will mix I should as quick think deer and sheep to mix as them from the looks The road to Fort Demoin is better getting dry
Small streams not so high from Fort Demoin to the Missouri River distance
130 miles a very good road most of the way untill within 8 or 10 miles then
it was hilly among the bluffs 3 miles of bottom land Very bad more then a
mile of it I had to wade in Water 1 to 3 feet deep and drive the team to get
to the ferry, the river was higher than ever known before had good luck
crossing it Cost the same ferry it as it did the Mississippi The road
from Council Bluffs on has bin measured to Salt Lake by the Mormens We
have one of their guides a very useful book it gives the distance from one
stream to annother all the way. The first stream of any size west of the
Missouri is Elkhorn distance 27 miles it was very high and bad to cross
it is 9 rods wide we crossed it on a raft made of logs after crosing it is
good road. Next Loup Fork the worst stream to cross on the whole rout it
is quicksand bottom and 80 rods wide water about 3 feet deep. The wagons
cut into the sand and Wet our loads some, distance 133 miles Wood River,
where I now am 170 miles fixing to cross.
Our thanks to Ray W. Justus for contributing this letter to the Jo Daviess Co., IL USGenWeb site.