Wheelock Stocker, Eleazer 1864

Merrill J. Mattes Collection·

“Drove 15 miles and camped on dry fork of Wind River grass and water source. Sage brush poor. Joe killed a buffalo calf, roads are good, and we can see snow on three sides of us.” ~ Eleazer Wheelock Stocker, June 2, 1864

Page 1 states that E.W. Stocker traveled from Benton Co., Iowa to Montana and Idaho. Stocker kept a diary during his trip, of which the family has the original.
Page 6 contains record of supplies and costs. The notation at the bottom states that it is assumed that James Waton accompanied Stocker, and the figures indicate there may have been a third person traveling with them.
6 Pages

The collection was begun in 1991 by the late Merrill J. Mattes, a co-founder of the Oregon-California Trails Association. That original nucleus was a result of a generous donation from Merrill and reflected his many years as an award-winning National Park Service historian and also included works of his own authorship. The collection is housed at the national Frontier Trails Museum in Independence, Missouri. Here, you have access to many of the original trail diaries he collected in digital form.