It
advised all parties to encamp and await his return for the purpose of
showing them a better way than through the canon of Webber River,
stating that he had found the road over which he was then piloting a
train very bad, and feared other parties might not be able to get their
wagons through the canon leading to the valley of the Great Salt Lake.
[Illustration: JOHN BAPTISTE TRUBODE]
[Illustration: FRANCES DONNER (MRS. WM. R. WILDER)]
[Illustration: GEORGIA ANN DONNER (MRS. W.A. BABCOCK)]
He referred, however, to another route which he declared to be much
better, as it avoided the canon altogether. To prevent unnecessary
delays, Messrs. Reed, Pike, and Stanton volunteered to ride over the
new route, and, if advisable, bring Hastings back to conduct us to
the open valley. After eight days Mr. Reed returned alone, and reported
that he and his companions overtook Hastings with his train near the
south end of Salt Lake; that Hastings refused to leave his train, but
was finally induced to go with them to the summit of a ridge of the
Wahsatch Mountains and from there point out as best he could, the
directions to be followed.
While exploring on the way back, Mr. Reed had become separated from
Messrs. Pike and Stanton and now feared they might be lost. He himself
had located landmarks and blazed trees and felt confident that, by
making occasional short clearings, we could get our wagons over the new
route as outlined by Hastings.
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