Sunday, June 21, 1846:

On this Sabbath morning, a large meeting assembled in a small grove near a stream that emptied into Mosquito Creek. Elders Orson Hyde and Amasa Lyman addressed the Saints in the meeting.At 5:30 p.m. a council meeting convened. President Young called for carpenters, hewers and other laborers to construct a ferry boat so the Saints could cross the Missouri River without having to pay others for the privilege. Many men volunteered. The Indian sawmill at the river would be used to saw the lumber. Brigham Young acknowledged the hand of the Lord in bringing the Saints thus far from Nauvoo. Amos Fielding reported that he counted 902 wagons in the last three days on their way from Nauvoo.

In Nauvoo, the presiding elder, Joseph Young, preached on the necessity of the rich helping the poor to immigrate to the mountains. Erastus Snow also spoke and urged the same course of action.

Monday, June 22:

Letters were prepared to send to Elder Wilford Woodruff and President William Huntington at Mount Pisgah, and to Dr. John M. Bernhisel, one of the Church's trustees in Nauvoo.

Following are significant comments by President Young to Brother Bernhisel: "[We] acknowledge the receipt of your interesting letter. . .as well as several packages of News, for which you will please accept the grateful effusions of warm hearts . . . for we are mostly beyond the frowns and flatteries of the newspapers or even the sight thereof, except those we receive from yourself. . . . Continue to cheer us with your pen and papers, and have the satisfaction of knowing that you have been a comforter to the sons of Zion in the Wilderness. The health of the Camp in general is good, much better than when in the city[of Nauvoo], and there are several births to one death. Sometimes two or three births in a day. There are probably five hundred or more wagons at this encampment, and as many more, are expected in a few days. . . . We are building a large ferry boat which will be ready for use, we expect, in two or three days, which will save all expense of crossing except labor, and the boat will be left for the benefit of the brethren who shall come after. From conversation with those who are acquainted, we are satisfied that we have taken the shortest and best route to the mountains; casual meanderings excepted."

Tuesday, June 23:

It started raining during the night. By the afternoon the rain was joined by gale winds from the east. Two of Brigham Young's tents were blown down. President Young met with advisers inside the post office tent throughout the day to stay out of the storm and to get caught up on news from the east. The weather got even worse in the evening.

Wednesday, June 24:

It rained again off and on throughout the day. Again President Young met with advisers in the post office, reading and conversing. The men at Council Bluffs continued to work on their ferry boat.

Thursday, June 25:

It was cloudy and foggy most of the day. It rained in the morning and again in the evening. Brigham Young rode to Trader's Point on the Missouri and conferred with Peter Sarpy of the American Fur Company. Sarpy reported a rumor that U.S. dragoons (horse-mounted troops) were advancing north from Fort Leavenworth to intercept the Mormons and to prevent their uniting with the Indians to fight the United States. Sarpy even reported that Indian Agent R. B. Mitchell had written to Col. Stephen W. Kearny, commander of the army at the fort, informing him that the Mormons had committed depredations on the Pottawattomie Indians.

Naturally, the rumors were of major concern to the leading brethren.

Friday, June 26:

The weather was clear and pleasant. In a council meeting President Young commissioned Orson Hyde and Newel K. Whitney to meet with Agent Mitchell to explain to him the Saints' peaceful purposes with the Indians and to dispel the evil rumors about Mormon misconduct. Their mission proved successful. In the evening they reported that Mitchell said that he had not written any recent evil letters about Church members and that since he had become acquainted with Church leaders he "found them to be gentlemen, and wished them well, and he would do all in his power to do them good."

This same day a startling event took place at Mormon farm at Mount Pisgah. Wilford Woodruff reported in his diary: "The Camp was flung into some excitement this morning by the appearance of Capt. J

amesT Allen with 3 dragoons of the U S Army. I soon met Br Huntington & His Council with Capt Allen to enquire into his business. And he informed us he was sent by order of Col. Kearny who had received word so he said by President Polk to give the Mormons an invitation to raise 500 volunteers to assist the USA in the Mexican War."

Elder Woodruff, remembering the evil treatment the Saints had received at the hands of several government agencies, including many leaders in Washington, thought that this may be a plot to divide and abuse Church members. Yet he and the Mount Pisgah leaders treated Captain Allen and the soldiers with civility. But Elder Woodruff definitely wanted to consult with Brigham Young and his brethren of the Twelve Apostles about this matter. He sent a dispatch by express messenger to Council Bluffs and made plans to hurry to meet his brethren.

Saturday, June 27:

Brigham Young met in council with his brethren at the post office. They discussed the report by Elders Hyde and Whitney of their visit to Major Mitchell. They took into consideration the apostasy of John E. Page. They concluded to cut him off from the Twelve Apostles. They also discussed how to organize divisions for the trek that they hoped still to make across the mountains.

Back in Mount Pisgah most of the Saints were suffering from sickness at this time, according to Elder Wilford Woodruff. Many people had followed counsel and prepared homes for the winter. One of these was Priddy Meeks who wrote, "So I, with Christian Houtz, found a good place of rich land and fenced and put in four or five acres of corn, beans, and squashes, and built each one of us a verry snug little winter house and covered it nice and tight with Elm Bark. Pisgah was a verry sickly place."

Sources: Journal History; MHBY, pp. 190-98; The Diary of Hosea Stout, 1:169; Wilford Woodruff's Journal, 3:55; The Personal Writings of Eliza Roxcy Snow, p. 137; The Journals of William Clayton, p. 283; Exodus of Modern Israel, p. 27; Mormons at the Missouri, p. 50; Wilford Woodruff's Journal, Journal of Priddy Meeks, p. 10.