Salt Lake Valley Diary

Dear Diary,

The campsite overlooks the beautiful Missouri River. The weather has not been quite as beautiful as the river. Last night, the rainy weather damaged the roof of my sod house. I hired a man to fix the roof for me early this morning and I paid him in return. My sod house requires regular maintenance, and has taken a lot of damage during the rainy weather this season.
Hundreds of Mormons have perished during these past few months at Winter Quarters. I feel sorrow for families who have lost their loved ones during this devastating time. My neighbor Don has grown extremely ill while at Winter Quarters. I heard from one of his wives today that his skin is yellow. She expects that he will pass in the next few days. The rainy weather and poor diets have not helped the growing numbers of unwell.
This evening I ate cornbread, fresh

After the seventeen months of arduous travel across the west, we finally reached the Great Salt Lake Valley. Brigham announced once we arrived that this was the right place for us to live. One year has since passed, and thousands of Mormons have flooded into the valley.
Within days of our arrival, preparation began to assemble our town. Crops such as potatoes and corn were planted to sustain us during the coming winter and prepare seeds for the following spring. The hard ground of the Salt Lake Valley required the establishment of an irrigation system. Men used irrigation techniques learned while serving missions to channel water in ditches to irrigate the crops. Our first winter in the valley was disastrous. Strong winds, heavy snow, and rain caused the winter to be long and unbearable.
During my absence of writing, Brigham Young has become president and prophet of the church. He has led thousands of Mormons into the promised land. Under his order, the Salt Lake Valley was constructed to become the base of Mormon religion. Other settlements have been established in the area as