Diary of George Jo Whitman

March 19, 1848   

    Our family has just got 100 hundred dollars from doing extra work in Independence.  I think I will call my business Good Time Blacksmith.  

March 20, 1848

     We have just received 50 dollars to spend on the wagon and food supplies for the trip. 

May 1, 1848

     I feel that I want to stay but I want a new life to start a business.  I think it will be safe but I don’t know if our captain for this migration is capable.  I am.  My children loved Boston but I don’t know how much they will like Oregon.  My oldest, Abbey, really wants a barn for her horse so I will build one.  I will be sad to leave family, but I think it will be better to start a new life.  

Dear Diary, 

    It is May first still, and there is livestock and horses for sale.  We won’t get one because we don’t need more for the migration.

Dear Diary,

   Still May first and we are getting water in Independence .

Dear Diary,

   Our water is bad.  It has cholera so we have to dump it.  We will boil the water and get the cholera out of the keg.

  May 4, 1848                                                    

    We will stay on the trail.  We will not climb because our oxen will get tired.

July 12, 1848

   Abbey is not going up because she can get lost and die.  She is going because she is old and ready for responsibility.  We are educating our oldest child.  The ground is shaking.  It is the buffalo stampeding!  We take cover and my leg is hurt and I am trying to get Abbey and Morgan to the wagon train.  I got them there.  We shot 5 buffalo.

July 23, 1848

          At the fort……I rested and settled down for the time being.  I had a bath and got food.  I wrote on the bulletin board that there is a spring that is poisoned and to keep animals away. We sent one letter.  I said “We are fine and hope to see you soon”.  When we were checking the wagon, we realized the axle was broken.  We had an extra though!  We got more food and rested.  There is a new member on the train.  It is a baby who is mighty beautiful.  It has been hard on the trail but I am still alive.  The rattlesnakes are very scary and the water on the way has been contaminated.

But, I feel strong.

July 30, 1848

          Sweetwater Station…We will have a party to dig for ice and have the women and other men take care of the oxen.   The children are a couple of

miles off.  Daniel and Robert will dig for ice.  We found clear pure ice.

July 31, 1848          

          South Pass …Halfway…In the Rockies it was easy up in the mountains.  The desert is hard.  The rivers are very fast.  There is white water and  a waterfall.  The water is clear.  It would be hard to go across.  The wagons go fast down the mountains.  The wagon got caught and the wheel snapped and stuff fell out.  The water cask is gone.  They could use rope and tie it on and put it into the river.

August 1, 1848

           I was bitten by a rattlesnake, but I am fine.  Doc Honeyman healed me with whisky.  Only a little venom got into my body.  I felt a little pain.  I was scared that I would die.  The trail diverged but we decided that we would go to Fort Bridger.  There may be Indians out there where there is water and grass for the cattle.  We can buy more supplies from the Indians.  We bathed, got water, and ate some antelope stew.  Lavina found out that her blankets were stolen.

Dear Diary,

     We made it down safely by tying the supplies down so they wouldn’t fall out. We tied a rope to the wagon and made a pulley system. We didn’t hitch the oxen to the wagon.  Two oxen had to be killed because of broken legs.  No one got hurt.  I am very thankful that no one got hurt.  We all learn from our mistakes.

October 5

Dead Man’s pass

Dear Diary,

      A party had a member in it who was exhausted and  had to be carried.  When they got there he was dead so they put him in the hollow in a tree.  A party passed through.  They found the man and the area was given the reputation of Dead Man’s Pass.  This is one of the legends of how it got its name.  The truth is that a driver went through there and was killed by Indians.  Many Indian attacks followed.

October 12

Mile 1,709

Walla Walla County , Washington

Whitman Mission

Dear Diary,

      We are almost out of food and running out of supplies.  We are going to rent a canoe and get an Indian to guide us down the Columbia Gorge.  We sold our wagon to a nice family whose wagon flipped over and could not be fixed.  I am happy we could help these people.  Now we can get to our destination with some money.  Allison’s horse will be guided by a trusty Indian who we will meet again at the end.  We are bringing flour, sugar, one set of clothes, and all the money we have.  We are also bringing my dog Sen and salt.  John Honeyman and Samuel Mcmillon are scouts.  We weren't able to send out two of the same family members or two doctors.

October 28

Dear Diary,

     Sam and John were never heard from again.  I feel bad that John is gone.  My children are in school.  We have prime land, 2 turkeys, 4 horses, 1 dog, and 2 children.  We have meet up with my parents.  The reunion is great and we share in the memorial for the two lost people.