forty-five miles north-west from Nauvoo. Here it was decided to form a
settlement--to build houses and plant crops, that those who came after
would have food and a stopping place. The settlement was called Garden
Grove. Soon it was as lively as a hive of bees. Hundreds of men were busy
making fence rails and fences, building houses, digging wells, clearing
land, and plowing. Meetings were held often and the people were instructed
and encouraged. Parley P. Pratt and a small company were sent ahead to find
another location for a settlement. They found a beautiful place about
thirty miles from Garden Grove, which they called Mount Pisgah. Here houses
were also built, and farms and gardens planted. As many of the Saints were
poor and sick they rested at these two settlements while the main body went
on.

From Mount Pisgah the country was wild Indian lands, there being no white
settlements or roads. The spring rains had now moderated so that the roads
were better. On June 14th President Young and the leading companies arrived
at the Missouri river, where a stop was made. Most of the companies came up
in July. A camp was made on the east side of the river on some high land
called Council Bluffs.

This was on Indian land, but the travelers were received kindly and given
permission to stop.

President Young intended to send a body of picked men into the Rocky
Mountains as soon as possible to locate a gathering place. They were to
push on ahead that summer and put in crops. Arrangements were being made
to this end, when something happened that put a stop to the plan. This was
the call for the Mormon Battalion, about which I will tell you in the next
chapter.