Dan Jones
Age 26
Main Rescue Party
In 1847, Daniel W. Jones enlisted with the Missouri volunteers in the War with Mexico. After the war he remained in Mexico until 1850. He then joined a group of frontiersmen in driving 8,000 sheep through the Salt Lake Valley to Upper California.
After a near fatal accident on the Green River, he was left by his companions in a Mormon Settlement on the Provo River near Utah Lake. He decided to stay and see for himself what Mormonism was all about. He was impressed with what he learned and felt and on January 27, 1851, he was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Dan Jones was present at October Conference in 1856 when Brigham Young called for volunteers to go rescue the handcart companies stranded out on the plains. He was among the main rescue party of about 28 men. He had the assignment to be the Chief Cook. By October 7, 1856, they were on their way.
They traveled as hard and fast as they could, never taking time to stop for dinner. They expected to find Captain Willie’s Company somewhere near the Green River, but they weren’t there. They were very concerned about the welfare of the people, because the weather was increasingly bad. An express team was sent ahead to search for the Willie Company.
Dan Jones continued with the main rescue party until they got to South Pass, Wyoming. The first snow started to fall on October 19, 1856. Martin’s company was not there. Another express team was organized to go further east in search of the missing companies. Dan Jones was part of this advance team. On October 28, the Martin Company was found. The men were cheered and welcomed as they entered the camp. They brought “the glad word that assistance, provisions and clothing were near, that ten wagons were waiting at Devil’s Gate for the emigrants.”
After the Martin, Hunt and Hodgett Companies were found, they still had to get to some shelter from the storm. The companies were helped into a protected cove to wait for a break in the weather. Dan Jones writes, “The winter storms had now set in, in all their severity. The provisions we took amounted to almost nothing among so many people, many of them now on very short rations, some almost starving. Many were dying daily from exposure and want of food. ..”
On November 10, 1856, the companies were ready to leave the cove area and continue on to the Salt Lake Valley. In order to allow as many as possible to ride in wagons, most of the freight and personal belongings needed to be left behind. Leaving these goods meant many of the people would be leaving everything they owned. Dan Jones and 19 other men were chosen to stay behind at Devil’s Gate and guard the supplies left behind until spring. When this order was announced, “many of the Saints shed tears as they had met Brother Jones at Red Buttes when the first relief party came from Utah and they hated to see him stay in such a bleak, cold place.”
This assignment would be a very difficult and dangerous responsibility. Dan and his men were left with some poor cattle and very little food, with the intention that more supplies would be sent as wagons from the valley arrived. (Unfortunately, some of the rescue wagons turned back too early and no extra food was sent on to Dan Jones and his men.) Dan wrote, “On taking stock of provisions, we found about twenty days’ rations. No salt or bread excepting a few crackers. There was at least five months of winter before us and nothing much to eat but a few perishing cattle and what game we might chance to kill..."
The men did the best they could with what they had. Soon they were totally out of food with nothing to eat but the hides of the cattle. Dan prayed to know how to prepare the rawhides to make them edible. He writes, “Finally, I was impressed how to fix the stuff and gave the company advice, scorch and scrape the hair off; this had a tendency to kill and purify the bad taste that scalding gave it. After scraping, boil one hour in plenty of water, throwing the water away which had extracted all the glue, then wash and scrape the hide thoroughly, washing in cold water, then boil to a jelly and let it get cold, and then eat with a little sugar sprinkled on it. This was considerable trouble, but we had little else to do and it was better than starving. We asked the Lord to bless our stomachs and adapt them to this food. We hadn’t the faith to ask him to bless the raw-hide for it was “hard stock." Dan continues, “We enjoyed this sumptuous fare for about six weeks ...”
In February they reached the point where they were out of everything, “having not only eaten the hides taken from the cattle killed, but had eaten the wrappings from the wagon-tongues, old moccasin-soles ... and a piece of buffalo hide that had been used for a foot mat for two months.” Dan and his men met as usual for their monthly fast day, and this time it was a true `fast day.’ He was impressed to tell the men to correct any wrong doings among themselves, clean up and pray to the Lord, that “He would take care of us, for we were there on His business.”
Dan told them if they would all do as I advised we would have a good clean supper of healthy food." They washed out their store-house and presented it before the Lord empty, but clean, and then they waited. Dan wrote, “Evening came on and no supper; eight o’clock, no word from anyone. And the word had been positively given that we should have supper. Between eight and nine o’clock all were sitting waiting, now and then good-naturedly saying it was most supper time. No one seemed disheartened.”
Soon they heard noises outside. It was the mail company trying to get through the area. A Canadian Frenchman was also among them. The visitors had food to share and by this miracle, starvation was once again avoided. Several times during the winter, Dan and his men received food from Indians and others that helped to sustain them.
There came a time when Daniel Jones and his men had to defend their lives as well as the supplies left in their care. A group of apostates came to the fort and threatened to steal the goods. Dan Jones responded, “We have been here all winter eating poor beef and raw hide to take care of these goods ... If you think you can take the fort just try it. But I don’t think you can take me to commence with; and the first one that offers any violence to me is a dead man. Now I dare you to go past me toward the fort.” The apostates backed down and left them alone.
Dan Jones and his men took their assignment very seriously. They guarded the pioneers’ belongings with their lives. Later, when Brigham Young discovered what their true situation had been, he said that “if he had known our situation he would have relieved us if it had taken half the men in the valley.”
In the spring, after help arrived and they were relieved of their duties, there were some people who complained about missing some of their things. They even accused Dan Jones of stealing and hiding thousands of dollars worth of goods. Some even approached his wife, encouraging her to leave him and marry some good man. His wife replied, “Well, I will not leave Daniel Jones. I cannot better myself, for if he will steal there is not an honest man on earth.”
After Dan and his men had returned home, Brigham Young sent the following letter to Bishops and Presidents in Utah ... dated June 11, 1857:
Beloved Brethren:
Inasmuch as there are some persons disposed to find fault with the management of Brother Daniel W. Jones while at Devil’s Gate, we feel desirous to express ourselves perfectly satisfied with his labors while there, and with the care that he has taken of the property entrusted to him. He has our confidence, and we say, God bless him for what he has done. The men who find fault with the labors of Brother Jones the past winter, we wish their names sent to this office, and when the Lord presents an opportunity we will try them and see if they will do any better.
Brigham Young
Daniel H. Wells
George D. Grant
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