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While the newspaper in Livingston erred in announcing the death of Mrs. Susan Hunter (almost 55 years prematurely), a death would soon occur in her immediate family. The following is from Susan Hunter's handwritten journal for February and March, 1874:

"As we had many trips from Bozeman to Hunters Springs, I remember one in particular. We had been to Bozeman and on our return trip we had a large carriage and one open wagon and was taking some sick men out for the benefit of the hot water and John Guy, the sheriff was one. We got along nicely till about two o'clock in the afternoon and about twenty miles of the springs when it commenced to raining. I had all my little girls along and as we traveled it rained the harder till we came to a flat bottom covered with sage brush and geese wood brush and the earth here was sticky clay called gumbo land and it rolled up on our wagon wheels till they would not turn. Our horses played out and it was a ground hog case. We could do nothing but stop. We were about two miles from anything that would make a fire so the drivers went on foot and bought some old pine stumps and cedar and made a fire. We had food but not bedding, we had expected to get home, but we had a few bales(?), laid them on the ground and put our children there and took the rain. It rained all night. The sick men had to have the covered vehicle and we were about 6 miles from the Springs. The drivers walked on and got new teams but we sat in the rain all night and in the morning walked on to the Springs lifting about two pounds of mud with every step as it stuck to our feet as it did the wheels of the wagon. We were a fine looking crowd. My husband, and myself and four little girls all dripping wet and mud all over. My oldest daughter ( Mary) NEVER went to Hunter's Springs willingly again. She all ways said that she had all she wanted on that trip of camping out on the Yellowstone. She had inflammatory Rheumatism from the exposure and it staid with her for many years. When we arrived home we had not been there long when about 60 antelopes came to the Springs to drink. My son went to the door of the cabin and shot killing two fine does at one shot. We had not trouble getting meat of the finest kind at that time."

From the Livingston ENTERPRISE, March 1874: "Died -- We are pained to learn that a child of Dr. Hunter of the...Springs, Yellowstone Valley, died a few days since...On the 10th day of Mar 1874, Emma Sidney Johnson Hunter, youngest child of Dr. A J and S C Hunter, aged four months and 18 days. Little Emma was the centre of affection of the whole family and the pet of everyone visiting the hospitable home of Dr. Hunter. She was an unusually bright and promising child, and her early demise brings sorrow to her parents and little brothers and sisters, and the visitor will sadly miss the rosy cheeks, laughing eyes, and winning ways of little Emma." Unfortunately, this report was true.

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