The trip from New Mexico to Montana

On the 30^th of May we pulled the wagons out of the Sapillo. We went to the last hill going down to the Gila and thare we camped.

The next day then we went up to Earnest’s Hot Springs and stopped for dinner, and I had to go back to Wood’s for some flour that we had forgotten to get that morning. In the afternoon we went on up the river and camped that night.

And on the 1^st of June we went up to the mouth of Spring Canyon. And there we met the boys with the goats. Then we started the outfit again and only went a little ways untill we camped for dinner.

At this place we gave up five young kids to one of the cowboys and after dinner we started on up the river and camped for the night just below the DD pasture.

The morning of the 2^nd we come up the river and caught up with the boys with the horses. They was just rounding up the pasture when we come up.

Than I got on my horse and helped them. I was with the horse heard untill we passed the DD ranch than I went back and brought up the wagons and we camped at the mouth of Beaver Creek for dinner.

In the afternoon we pulled the wagons up the hill and then we started for the Malipi Canyon and crossed the canyon and camped at the mouth.

Corduroy Valley, was the first nigh on herd. Ed & I was the first guard and myself and Knight was donated the last guard.

On the morning of the 3th we started for the V & T Ranch and we got thare about 8 o’clock in the morning. We wattered all of our stock and filled up the brrils (barrels?) full of water and started out for the upper lake. And arived thare just about noon.

And layed over until the next morning and started in the after-noon & traveled in a western direction. We traveled ?? untill. And made a dry camp.

The next morning we started out again and went to the Deer Park Cattle Co. ranch and Ed and my Father went over to the ranch to try and find some water, but there was no watter thare to be found. Than we started out and went about a mile and camped for dinner, Affter dinner we started and only went a short distance when we met the N mess wagon and we got information that we was (more) than 18 mis. From the Y ranch. We started on a gain and we only went a short distance when the boys found a bunch of stray goats, and they got on of them in the heard and they drove her in to camp. We camped for the night about three ms. from the Y ranch. The next morning we came on to the Y ranch and cooked breakfast. And now while I am doing this writing we have camped for the night. We stopped at this ranch and repaired the windmill and watered the stock, all but about fifteen head of horses as we could only give the saddle horses and work horses a bucket full of water at the Y windmill. They were very thirsty today. The boys had to drop two hed for the want of water.

Today is the 7^th and we are still camped at one of the ranches. We are laying over to rest up our stock as they need rest very much. The horses are coming in now for watter now. Ed and Irva have gone up to the Y ranch to get some horses that got away from us last night. Ed followed them up than and put them in the corrall last night.

We expect to lay over hear all day and probably tomorrow and by that time the stock will be rested up suficently so as to enable them to make the trip from hear to Pattersons, which is a bout 8 miles.

The wind mill broke several times yesterday. We had to work the hand pump part of the time untill we could repair the mill. Now it is all ok. We have plenty of watter for all of our horses.

Today is the 8^th and we will lay her (here) today and to let our horses rest as we have plenty of grass and watter. This (is) just a lovely morning but I hope that the wind will blow some so the windmill will run and pump plenty of watter.

We are now getting things ready to move. Today is the 9^th. We will try to go to Patterson and watter the stock.

I have been driving a team evry since we started. We have a nice road to travil. Now we are going west. We expect to watter our stock to morrow or the next day.

This is the 10^th of June. We are now about five miles from Pattersons. We will camp here for dinner and affter dinner we will take all our work and saddle horses back to the lake for watter and probably move on this affter noon, and make a dry camp tonight so we can make the next watter which is a bout 21 miles from hear.

This is the 11^th. We are now camped on what is known as Chicken Creek. We have found plenty of grass and watter for stock. We expect to camp hear for some time yet so we can get our horses in better condition to travel. This is a very nice place. It is such a nice valley.

Some of us will go over to the Jewet Ranch to see how the grass and watter is. And if it is any better than hear we will move over thare and camp for a few days.

This is the 12^th. We are still camped in the same place. The horses are doing very well. The clouds are floating as if they would give some rain.

June 13. This has been a very warm day. I have been shoeing horses this morning.

Thare was a man passed by our camp and stoped at the spring for to get dinner.

The horses are all grazing very quietly. They seem to be contented.

I expect that we will move out of hear to morrow and go as farr as the Jewet Ranch which is about 12 miles around the road. The boys will take the herd over the mountain and save about seven miles.

On the 14^th. Lewis Griffith and Father went up on the mountain to try and find a rout over the mountain to take horses over.

On the 15^th. I and my Father went over the mountain and found Slaughter and his men camped at the Jewet Ranch and we took dinner with them.

Affter dinner we took the road and followed it back to the ranch where we were camped.

The boys had a bunch of horses in the corrall when we got thare, for the purpose of riding some of them.

On the 16^th. The boys rode very near all day to get the horses, so we could only go a short distance.

I run my wagon over in a deep gullie and upset. So we had to stop and make camp after dark.

On the 17^th. We started for the Jewet Ranch and on the way they droped one of my horses. They went on untill noon and after dinner I caught ……….

This is the 21^st. We are laying over. I have been sick all day. It has clouded up and looks as if it would rain this evening.

To day is the 22. We will move from the mace lake. We will go to the head of the Little Colorado. We have got over the line into Arizona.

Today is the 23 of June. We have got all of the horses but two which we can’t find and are ready to start this evening to make a drive of a bout six miles.

June 27. We are camped at the meadows seven miles below St. Johns Arizona. I have not had time to write for the last three.

Yesterday we was camped just below the town. Ed and I rounded up the heard in the morning and found that they were out 27 head of horses. Ed went out and found them in a very short time.

Today has been (a) very slow day and looks very much like rain. We had a nice rain in the evening.

June 28. We are preparing to make another move.

June 29. We have to go to St. Johns after some grain and we are out some horse for which we will look out for.

June 30. This is the last of this month and we are laying over now about fifteen miles of St. Johns.

Ed and I have just returned with our horses and grain. We camped at a corrall about five miles from hear. The grass is very nice hear and the horses are doing very well.

July 1^st. We are still in camp in the same place and we will probably stay hear for some time.

The horses have the grass eaten down very short now.

July 2^nd. This has been a very quiet day. Nothing much to do. I have been riding one of my horses to get him gentle.

July 3. We have just returned from looking at the horses. We have been down to Harry Greers Ranch which is a bout three miles from hear. There is a nice spring on this ranch. The one at the house I believe has been an old crater for you can’t see the bottom. It is about six or seven feet across the top. Ed shoved a branch that was ten feet long down as farr as he could and then he couldn’t reach the bottom.

July 4. We (I?) rounded up the horses and drove over to Harry Greer’s ranch which was a bout ten miles from where we was camped. We have good grass but the watter is very bad.

July 5th. We drove from the Greer Ranch to Woodruff which is a drive of abot 27 miles. This is a nice place only it is very dry and windy. The horses are doing very well and they seem to be contented.

We lost several head of goats from eating poison weed which grows hear. It is a kind of specia of milk weed.

July 6^th. We are still in camp heare waiting for it to rain so we can move on down the river.

July 7^th. It is very warm here now as the wind has not blowed to day.

We had some trouble finding the work horses this morning. I had followed them around the lower side of the ??? and clear around on the other side before I found them.

July 8^th. Everything is very quiet hear now. Only the wind has blowen harder than any other day and the dust was terrible. It just blowed in to every thing so bad that we could hardly eat our meals.

July 10. I have lost one of my horses and I looked all day for him but could not find him.

July 11^th. We will start for Holbrook this morning as soon as we can. It is only twelve miles.

July 12^th. The boys had bad luck with the horses last night and this morning they were lat in getting them togather. After…….