"a beautiful day [ ] towards evening we were met by an Indian and his squaw of the Sioux tribe [ ] they belonged to a hunting party in the neighborhood [ ] traveled 15 1/2 miles"
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Notes of the day from Norton Jacob:
This entry of Norton's is so interesting as he tells of how they counted the mileage on the trip. Another thing that was fascinating is that he tells of the men finding a huge fossilized leg bone bigger than any animal they had ever seen. Did they see a dinosaur for the very first time? Incredible.
"Friday 21st A fine pleasant morning started at 8 oclock [ ] the air is verry clear & serrene in this country [ ] objects are seen at double the distance that they can be in the Missisippi valley—we are verry much liable to be deceived as to distances [ ] frequently shoot at animals that seem to be quite near when the balls will fall to the ground before they reach the mark [ ] while think of it the Brethren have been quite orderly about shooting sinse they got such a dressing on Tuesday morning, not having been fired at anny living object except a rattle snake lying in the path pitched battle [ ] when the President directed Br John Higby to Kill it & he shot it with his rifle [ ] Buffalo appear to be scarse though they have been plenty here last winter [ ] Started at 8 A.M. & traveled 7¾ miles and halted at a place where the grass has been burnt this Spring & now is up finely [ ] Perhaps some might ask how we measure the distance traveled with so much accuracy. About ten days ago Br Wm Clayton conceived the idea of measuring his waggon wheel and found that it took Just three hundred & sixty revolutions to make a mile [ ] for several days he counted the revolutions made by his wheel [ ] when by Br Orson Pratts' instructions [ ] Br Appleton Harmon constructed a Spiral shaft & toothed wheel which he attache to the waggon wheel & thus we were enabled to keep measure our distance with ease & accuracy [ ] moved on 7¾ miles and camped in a circle [ ] Just before we stoped we met an Indian & his squaw on horse back, belonging to a Band of the Sioux who are camped a short distance out among the hills to the North [ ] he could only converse with us by signs & soon went off to his camp near by [ ] we found the leg bone of some animal four times as large as that of a Buffalo completely petrified [ ] We are now sight of a large grove of Pine Timber on the hills on the South side of the river [ ] a large number of Indians are now in sight on a ridge to the North"
