August 15th
Approaching Snake Fort, McLeod went ahead with most of his men, so the missionaries were able to slow their progress down to the speed of the cattle. On the 15th, Narcissa wrote “We have had such a cool wind today & it has been so comfortable traveling that we have made better proggress than usual. ….. We passed the hot Springs just before noon which are quite a curiosity. Boiled a bit of dry Salmon in one of them in five minutes.”
The hot springs are nine miles east of Mountain Home, Idaho.
16th “Our route on this side of the river is less hilly & difficult than on the south side & said to be two days shorter.”
19th “Arrived at Snake Fort about noon. ….. Mr. McLeod was ready to leave on the morrow but said he would stay a day longer to give us the opportunity of doing some necessary work, for which we were thankful.”
20th “Last night I put my cloths in water this morning finished washing before breakfast. I find it not very agreeable to do such work in the middle of the day when I have no shelter to protet me from the suns schorching rays. This is the third time I have washed since I left the states. Mr. McLeod call this evening to see if we were ready to leave. Observed that we had been so engaged in labor as to have no time for rest & proposed for our sakes (the Ladies) to remain over the Sabbath. This I can assure you was a favour for which we can never be to thankful for as our souls need the rest of the Sab, as well as our bodies.”
Snake Fort was later called Fort Boise and was located about six miles upriver from the mouth of the Boise River.
http://idahoptv.org/…/s…/pathwaysofpioneers/oldfortboise.cfm