Microfilm of the diary and autobiography of John Clark Dowdle. The volume recounts his childhood and conversion to Mormonism, gives a detailed account of his journey across the plains to Utah in 1852-1853, and recounts his daily life in Utah. Some specific events he writes about include finding the body of Bailey Lake, who had apparently been killed by Bannock Indians, in 1858 his 1862 trip to St. George his journey to Las Vegas in the mid-1860s his involvement in Utah schools and spending 1873 looking for work before settling in Willard City. The last entries were made in about 1894. The first few pages of the volume include a summary of each chapter. Original manuscript owned by Will Dowdle, 1947. All inquiries about this item should be directed to the H. Russell Smith Foundation Curator of Western Historical Manuscripts at the Huntington Library, San Marino, CA. Microfilm. San Marino, Calif. : Huntington Library Photographic Dept., 1947. 1 microfilm reel : negative 35 mm. Forms part of the Manuscripts Department's Mormon file, c.1805-1995. John Clark Dowdle (1836-1913) was born in Franklin County, Alabama. In 1843 his family moved to Mississippi and his parents were baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1844. The family moved to Council Bluffs in 1846 and Dowdle was baptized in 1848. That same year they moved to Little Pigeon in Pottawattamie County. In 1852 they crossed the plains to Utah, arriving in Provo in 1853. Dowdle, who was actively involved in local schools, later lived in Echo Canyon, Cache County, Lewiston Ward, and Willard City. He died in Logan, Utah, in 1913.
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