Diary of William Polke
Monday, 1 Oct. 1838
“Early in the morning we left Island Grove—travelled over a dry prairie country, seventeen miles, we reached our encampment, near Jacksonville, at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Nothing occurred during our march save that a child fell from a wagon, and was very much crushed by the wheels running over it.”
“It is thought the child will die.”
“Tonight some of the chiefs reported two runaways, who left this morning. During the evening we were much perplexed by the curiosity of visitors, to many of whom the sight of an emigration or body of Indians is as great a rarity as a travelling Caravan of wild animals. Late at night the camp was complimented by a serenade from the Jacksonville Band. “