Elder Willard Snow wrote the following to his brother Erastus Snow:
Salt Lake Valley, Oct. 6, 1847.
Bro. Wm. Erastus, mother and the doctor:
We are all alive and well, safely landed, at the Mormon Fort, on this lake, which is, I suppose the land of Zion now, if it never was before. We got here yesterday morning and for the first time we had rain enough to lay the dust. This morning I am like a hen with her head cut off hopping about, mighty well pleased to stop rolling, like all the rest, but I don’t see much chance for me to get anything to build me a place to lay my head, but adobies or dobeism; there is such a fever raging to get all the timber out down right quick which reads in Dutch that it is very scarce, and some greedy dogs want it all. The soil, I think, is sufficiently rich, if it had rain like the land on the Missouri.
There seems to be a variety of sentiment in some matters relating to the organization of the two divisions of the emigration which were amalgamated into one by Parley P. Pratt and John Taylor. They appointed a committee to seek out farming land and present their doings to the council and was rejected, the council feeling that it belonged to them to do it for the approval. Rumor says that they feel as though this place belonged to Brigham and Heber who organized these two divisions and they are at liberty to locate in the Piute Valley, the Utah Valley, or somewhere else. I think that, however, is the effects of Pres. Young’s whipping he gave them and may soon wear away, but it is certain that they both feel keenly as though they were disarmed and aborn of a great portion of their power which is probably the facts. Still, I think they will act in concert….
Willard
[Journal History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Oct. 6, 1847, 2]
[transcribed and proofread by David Grow, July 2006]
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Tuesday, October 19. The High Council of G.S.L. City met according to adjournment in Amasa Lyman’s house. The plowed land matter was taken up, and it was decided that Pres. John Smith, Chas. C. Rich, John young, Henry G. Sherwood, Thos. Grover, John Murdock, Parley P. Pratt and John Taylor should have 15 acres of the plowed land allotted to them, as a matter of justice, as they were servants to the public. Henry G. Sherwood offered to measure said land gratis. At the request of Albert Carrington, he was released from acting as a member of the committee on Old Fort walls, for want of time to attend to it, and W.W. Willis was put in this place. It was decided that Shadrach Roundy should see that the water on the east side of the fort was kept in its channel. The council then adjourned till tomorrow evening at candle light.
[Journal History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Oct. 19, 1847, 1]
[transcribed and proofread by David Grow, July 2006]
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Sunday, October 24. The Captains of Hundreds, Fifties and Tens met at 4 o’clock p.m. at the hay stacks in G.S.L. City. John Smith stated the object of the meeting and called on his counselors to do the talking. Parley P. Pratt moved that the High Council, the Land committee, the Presidents and counselors of the two divisions and the captains of hundreds be a committee to locate the farming lands for this and the coming season and do it tomorrow and to let the surveyor and chain carrier run it off in two divisions and let the presidencies of the two divisions divide it to the captains of hundreds, the captains of hundreds to the captains of fifties; and the captains of fifties to the captains of tens; and the captains of tens to their men. The motion was seconded and carried. It was decided that Brother Carlton Lewis hang the bell tomorrow morning and bring in his charge to the High Council.
[Journal History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Oct. 24, 1847, 1]
[transcribed and proofread by David Grow, July 2006]