During their stay in the Iowa camp, the emigrants employed themselves in making carts and doing other preparatory work until July 28th, when the camp broke up, and the handcart portion moved off, nearly a mile for a start, and then camped again. (From Historical Department Archives, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)
From John Jacques:
As only a very limited amount of baggage could be taken with the handcarts, during the long stay on the Iowa City camping ground, there was a general lightening of such things as could best be done without. Many things were sold cheaply to residents of that vicinity, and many more things were left on the camping ground for anybody to take or leave at his pleasure. It was grievous to see the heaps of books and other articles thus left in the sun, rain and dust, representing a respectable amount of money spent therefore in England, but thenceforth, a waste and dead loss to the proper owners. The company was divided into Hundreds and Tens, with their respective captains as usual with the “Mormon” emigration of those days. Many of the carts had wooden axles and leather boxes. Some of the axles broke in a few days, and mechanics were busy in camp at night repairing the accidents of the days.
