170 years ago today - Jul 28, 1847

[Wilford Woodruff]
I having lost my Carriage whip the evening before 4 miles back, I started in the morning on Horsback to go back after it. As I got near the place I discoverd two objects appear on A ridge before me About 1/2 a mile distant. I at first took them to be bears but after approaching a little nearer I discoverd about 20 objects appearing over the Hill. I soon saw that they were Indians And as I was unarmed & over 3 mi from camp. I did not consider it prudent to go among them. I wheeled my Horse & started on my return in a slow trot.

As soon as I Started back they called to me & one mounted his horse & came After me with all speed. When He got within 20 rods of me I stoped & met him. The rest followed on. I found them to be Utahs & wanted to trade. ... He stoped in Camp awhile & wanted to smoke the pipe of peace but we soon started on & He waited for his company to come up....

We walked from the north camp to about the centre between the two creeks when Prest. Young waved his hands & said here is the forty Acres for the Temple (we had conversed upon the subject of the location for the Temple previous to this) & the city can be laid out perfectly square North & South, east & west. It was then moved & carried that the Temple lot contain 40 Acres on the ground whare we stood.

It was also moved & carried that the City be laid out into lots of 10 rods by 20 <[long?]> exclusive of the streets & into Blocks of 8 lots each, Being 10 acres in each block & one acre & a quarter in each lot.

It was also moved & carried that each street be laid out 8 rods wide & that there be a side walk on each side 20 feet wide & that each House be built in the centre of the lot 20 feet from the front line that there might be A uniformity through out the City & President Young remarked that He wished but one house built upon A lot & they being in the centre if they took fire they would not burn up their neighbors....

President Young in his address to the Saints remarked ... He spoke of the saints being driven from place to Place, And Said the ownly way Boggs, Clark, Lucas Benton & all the leaders of the mob could have been saved in the day of the Lord Jesus would have been to have come forward voluntarily & let their heads been cut off & let their blood run upon the ground & gone up as A smokeing incens before the heavens as an antonement but now they will be eternally damned. ...

If the Brethren had not gone they would have made war upon us & the Gov of Mo would have been ordered not to have let us Cross the Missouri & the raising of the Battalion was our temporal Salvation at the time & said Polk would be damned for this act & that He with many of the goverment men had a hand in the death of Joseph & Hyram & that they should be damned for these things & if they ever sent any men to interfere with us here they shall have there throats cut & sent to Hell. And with uplifted hand to Heaven swore by the Gods of Eternity that He would never cease His exhertion while He lived to make every preperation & avenge the blood of the Prophets & Saints. That He intended to have evry hole & corner from the Bay of Francisco to Hudson bay known to us And that our people would be connected with every tribe of Indians throughout America & that our people would yet take their squaws wash & dress them up teach them our language & learn them to labour & learn them the gospel of there forefathers & raise up children by them & teach the Children & not many generations Hence they will become A white & delightsome people & in no other way will it be done & that the time was nigh at hand when the gospel must go to that people to.

He Said Be long spoken of giving a lecture to the females & when Be got time He intended to do it. He spoke of the duty of man to his God that he should love him with all of his heart soul, mind, & Strength serve & obey him. And that the woman in like manner ought to obey her husband & not to have a woman every time A man steped out be A watching him as uneasy as A fish out of water & as soon as he returns O whare have been, & what have you been about, & why did you not get back before & many other things that was none of her business. Her business is to take care of her Children keep herself Clean & House & keep my Close clean. Instead of that the Husband asks whare is the Children? The wife will say dear I dont know. I was so Concerned about you I have not thought about the Children. They are probably to some of the neighbors...

He said that every spirit was pure when it first entered a body, but many persons have been ruined in consequence of the mother giving way to temptation & fretfulness while in the state of [-] And the Husband ought to be vary tender & kind to them when in that State. And the Mothers mind ought to be excercised [-] things during the whole time & be calm & composed that what temptation the mother should give way to would effect the Child [in la?]ter life. Many other principles was spoken of By President Young of interest.

[Source: Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]

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