Great Salt Lake City, June 28,1854.
To Wash-e-kek and Tatowats.
I write to you because you was not afraid and come and see me, so I am acquainted with you I would like to be acquainted with all your people. I love you very much and have always loved you. I know that you are the very best Indians in all the mountains, and I know that you have always been friendly to us. We want to do you good and always be good friends, and if you will be friends with us we will live together, and always be good friends. 'Tis true that we wish to cultivate some of your land and raise grain and vegetables if they will grow there and we expect to furnish plenty of trade so soon as we can obtain it to trade with all the Shoshones. James Bridger violated and broke the laws and probably would have been fined if he had not have fled, but his best plan would have been not to have broken the laws in the first place and in the second place not have fled or resisted the officers but stood his track, perhaps he might have got clear and not even been fined. He was accused by the emigrants of furnishing the Utahs with ammunition to kill the whites with. If we find that we can raise grain &c on your land we will buy as much of it of you as we want to use and you can still live about them so you do not destroy the grain or do damage. We would be glad to have you always with us and help us raise grain and we would teach your children to read and write. We do not wish to injure you or infringe upon your rights in the least but to do you good, neither do we injure the Mountaineers but they are white men and must not break the laws if they do they have to be punished. I would be glad if you and the other Shoshones and chiefs would come to the city so that I could get acquainted with them also. I want you to show this letter to the other chiefs.
We send you some trade, all we can at present, but will send more when we can obtain it. You and us have always been friendly, why should we not remain so? Anybody who seeks to make difficulty between us does wrong; they ought not make difficulty between you and us because they themselves have got into difficulty and have done wrong. Let them do right as well as you have done and then all would be well.
O. P. Rockwell, Amos Neff, and Geo. Bean will take out some trade and talk with you and I hope transact business to your satisfaction I would like to meet you at Green River or Fort Supply but the water is too high for me to come so soon. I intend going there this summer when I would be glad to meet you and the other Shoshone chiefs. If any man tell you or To to wats that we are going to kill off the Indians or would do it if they should come amongst us, you just tell them that they lie for we are your friends <and brethren> and not your enemies and if we live friendly with each other and do each other all the good that we can the Great Spirit will be pleased with us and make us happy.
I am your friend & brother.
Brigham Young