Location:
Green River: Lombard Ferry
Distance: 1,128 miles from Nauvoo

This was another ferry established by the Latter-day Saints in 1847 as a commercial venture and to assist emigrating Saints. Eastbound Samuel Brannan met the westbound vanguard company and Brigham Young at this site in 1847. Brannan, who was the Church leader over the Saints that sailed on the ship Brooklyn to California in 1846, had traveled to meet the vanguard company in an effort to convince Brigham Young to continue to the coast. In later years, ferrying prices often created friction with non–Utah-bound gold seekers and competing ferry operators. In the late nineteenth century the site was known as the Lombard Ferry.

Horace K. Whitney

"During this afternoon [at the Green River] we were all much surprised by the unexpected arrival of Elder Samuel Brannan who was at the head of the company of the brethren that went round by sea last year from New York city to California—He was accompanied by 3 men, 2 of whom had come thro' with him from the latter country—with 1 of them I was well acquainted. This man is [Charles C.] Smith & is I believe some distant relation of our prophet Joseph. He left Nauvoo (where I made his acquaintance) some 2 years since for Oregon. One of the other 2 men was one of the individuals seen with Mr. Bridger the other day—the other man I did not know. Elder Brannan gives a very favorable account of climate, soil, etc. of California & appears quite anxious that we should immediately go there to take possession of the country before it becomes occupied by others. He had left Yerba Buena April 13th—This place is situated on the bay of San Francisco & from all accounts bids fair to become in time a flourishing city. He brought a number of news papers with him which he distributed among the "Twelve"—among these was a file of his own entitled the "California Star" 12 all in number. Mr. Smith informed us that in Oregon they had 2 seasons, rust & dry" (quoted in Frontiersman: Abner Blackburn's Narrative, ed. Will Bagley [1992], 53).

Charles Darwin

July 1849

Darwin describing the Mormon ferrymen at the Green River:

"Four dollars is the charge for wagons & fifty cents for packs & men. tho they do not hesitate to carry any one for nothing who is poor perfect gentlemen are they, in conversation conduct & entire bearing. they had been several of them in the mines & got gold & now lived at Salt Lake said that was the nearer way. Many Ladies or such as look to be such were in a company crossing & some looked extremely fascinating . . . quite a comedy was enacted in my presence by a crowd who had a boat with them & thought to scare by vulgarity & show of crossing themselves the owner of the ferry with their terms he manfully & kindly resisted I was glad to see the rascals foiled I say rascals & their conduct justified the term" (quoted in Dale L. Morgan, "The Ferries of the Forty-Niners," Annals of Wyoming, Apr. 1960, 63).

Journal photographs courtesy of Infobases, Inc.