Written by Lewis Barney
(1808 - 1894)

Submitted by Glen Briscoe

Excerpts From A Journal Of the Trek

On the 7th day of February 1847, I crossed the Mississippi River in Company with the exited [exiled] Saints.

Being mobbed and driven from our hard earned homes and fire sides in the depths of winter to perish with cold and hunger for no other cause than that we dare believe the Word of God contained in his revelations to man on the earth.

We camped on Sugar Creek eight miles west of Nauvoo. Here we stayed three weeks exposed to the most Sevier Storms of snow and cold weather that occurred that winter all most in sight of our own homes that was now in the hands of our persecutors. Our women and children trailing from one wagon to another knee deep in snow many times nearly frozen. At the end of three weeks we rolled out and set our faces westward trusting in the providences of Almighty God for our deliverance. In reaching the Summit between the Mississippi and the Desmoins Rivers the Company made a halt for the purpose of taking a last and peering look at the Nauvoo Temple, the Spire of which was then glittering in the bright shining sun. This last view of the Temple was witnessed in the midst of sighs and Lamentations. All faces in gloom and sorrow bathed in tears at being forced from our homes and Temple that had cost so much toil and suffering to complete its erection…

I was loaded with goods belonging to one of the Nauvoo Merchants by the name of David Yearsley. Being heavy loaded and one of my horses being swunied I was unable to get up a long hill. Yearsley, coming by with a splendid Span of fine horses to his carriage, commenced complaining about my horses not being able to take the load up the hill. I told him to try it with his horses and commenced unhitching my team from the wagon. He unhitched from the carriage and while he was hitching to the wagon I was hitching my horses to the carriage. So I drove off with the carriage and Yearsley’s family and left him to bring up the load.

I managed to keep 2 or 3 miles ahead of Yearsley until we come to the place of encampment for the night. I discovered he had taken 4 sacks of flour out of the wagon in order to lighten up the load. The next morning as soon as the bugle was sounded, I hitched to the carriage again and drove off with the family. Leaving Yearsley to bring up his load of goods with his fine horse. This I continued for several days. We made slow progress on our journey in consequence of storms and bad roads. At length we campt on the Sharidon River for the night…

I then was numbred with the hunters for the camp of pioneers… Joseph Hancock, one of the principal hunters, chose me for his partner. After this him and I hunted togeather the balance of the time, furnishing the camp with more meat than any other two in the camp, the rest of the hunters having poor luck.

One day at noon one of the officers said to Porter Rockwell, “Port, what is the matter, you don’t kill anything; here is Barney, he brings in something every day.”

Port said, “oh he kills does and all. I could kill more than twenty does a day if I would, but I don’t want to kill old suckling does.”

The answer was, “better does than nothing.”

“Well,” said Port, “I don’t want to kill anything but nice fat bucks.”

I thought that would do to tell.

The next day at evening Port came in with an Antilope skinned and dressed up in nice order, saying, “see here what a nice buck I have got.”

Some one spoke up and said, “Barney has brought in a buck and a doe.” Says Port, “I could have killed half a dozen does if I wanter to.” I came to see Porter’s nice fat buck. I looked. I thought that it was rather poor for a buck, so I took up the skin and examined it and found it was an old suckling doe skin. I called out, “see here boys what nice tits Port’s buck has; it must have a good mess of milk”

The boys saw that it was a doe skin. Then they hooted Port for his nice buck. Port scorched around for a while in a terrible rage….

The 22 day of July 1847 the Advanced Division of Pioneer Camp of Latter day Saints drove into the Great Salt Lake Valley camped for the night on a small stream of water to the left of the mouth of the canyon.

The next day we moved up on City Creek and on the 24th the Division under Colonel Rockwood came up with the President. Arrangements were then made and the whole camp consisting of 75 wagons 143 pioneers and a small detatchment of the Mormon Batallion moved upon the Temple Block.

President B. Young then called the camp together and asked the pioneers if they were satisfied with this place or whether they wished to explore the country still further to find a better place for a location for the Church as a home and center spot for the geathering of Israel.

The response of the whole camp was they were satisfied and believed this was a good place to make a stand and locate the Latter day Saints.

With the exception [of] two who thought we might perhaps find some place better to make a beginning, to which president Young said: “you may explore the whole region of these mountains and you will not find a better place. This is the place for us to make a beginning. I know this place as well as I know my old home and farm in the States. I have seen this place many times and right here will be the Temple and up yonder is Ensign Peak where the ensign to all nations will be raised. I have seen this place by vision many times. He then called on the pioneers to join in with him and the whole camp gave three grand shouts of Hosannah to God and the Lamb.