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Journal of Western Travel
by John McTurk Gibson
edited by Weldon Hoppe
May 16th, 1859 -- Rained again as usual, started however, and joined three more young fellows, from Humboldt County, Iowa. Their names are Henry Badger, Horace B. Bellows and Curtis Bellows, the two last, crossed the plains in 1852. We have been stumping every man we met for some sort of a trade or other, and so Powell traded off his kit of carpenter tools for a first rate rifle. Travelling heavy and hard on our cattle and the road more crooked than ever, one bend in particular, five miles across and over twelve round. At all events it took us nearly all day to make it, and we have set down this days travel at fourteen miles. We have met as many teams today as we have on any previous day since the stampede began.Powell
Travelled twelve miles over prairie I swaped my carpenter tools off for a rifle worth thirty five dollars tools being worth fifty. We had a few tunes on the violin this evening, also some dancing. We fell in with three boys to day that are going to travel with us. We have been visiting some of our neighbour campers this evening.