The Brigham Young Center

Presidents Office
Great Salt Lake City
March 24th 1858.

To the Officers North of Great Salt Lake City Eclesiastical, Civil, Military

Dear Brethren:

As you will perceive by printed instructions herewith forwarded that we have concluded to vacate this City.  We are intending to send families, grain, stock &c forthwith to different locations south where we can sow grain, plant potatoes, sugar cane, corn, and other vegetables and recommend you to do likewise.  We intend to move a part of the way and return and bring another load and so on until all are removed.  The young brethren will generally remain to water and take care of grain and property but not burn until it shall become necessary.  Our party has returned from the pursuit of the western Indians without catching them.  It is supposed that they will go round the North end of the Lake raking down the Malad, Cache and Box Elder settlements of all their horses and take them to the enemies camp.  If the brethren from Malad and Cache have not already vacated in accordance with our former instructions they should do so forthwith and they had better not stop and sow grain in the Northern settlements but continue on to some place south of Utah County.  The brethren of Box Elder must look out also for their horses, they had better start their teams on the road immediately with families and provision and that will save the horses and oxen from being taken, and when they travel put up their horses, mules, Oxen and cows in yards and stables and watch them that they may not be stolen there is plenty of feed for all more than the people know what to do with.

We wish Bro. West to take this letter to the Northern Settlements and ascertain the feelings of the brethren and see if they are willing to gather up and leave for the south.  We have sent Brother Oris Newell and others for all of our stock north of this city and wish them furnished there with feed and provisions such as they need so soon as the roads get passable.  We wish the brethren at Willow Creek and Box Elder to take their teams and go to the Malad and Cache Vallies and assist the brethren from those places if necessary.  Our counsel is for you to neither plant nor sow any more in your respective settlements but send farming utensils and seeds of every kind to plant and sow south

Inasmuch as all are soon going Brother Lorenzo Snow will take families instead of the company that he was collecting for the Ivinpah and go south.

Your Brother in the Gospel of Christ.

Brigham Young

P. S.  Please not to loan the circulars only to those who will faithfully return them