"on Wednesday morning the 16th a company of us went down the river a few miles to get timber to make 2 large canoes to last together to make a ferry boat [ ] we obtained them [ ] dug them out so we loaded them on wagons and brought them to camp"
***********
The entries from the 13th to the 19th sound as though he had not done any journal writing during those days. I get the impression that he was catching up with his writings on which was probably Sunday the 20th. On that day he seems like he's writing in the 'present' again.
"Work was pushed by the pioneers on a heavy new raft to serve as a permanent ferry for the Platte River. It would carry both Mormon emigrants and non-Mormons....the latter a handy source of cash and supplies. A group of men were sent into the hills to chop down and hollow out two large logs. These would serve as canoes, or pontoons, to float the raft.
...The leaders had completed plans to leave some men behind to operate the ferry, taking gentile companies over for $1.50 per wagon. ... There was no shortage of customers. A train of 19 wagons arrived at the south side of the river and offered what seemed to be a standard price of $1.50 per wagon to be taken across. Another camp 5 miles away also asked to be ferried over." ....excepts from "111 Days to Zion".
