Bert Floyd Rathbun documented a trip he and his family made by covered wagon to Wyoming to visit his brother Martin Oliver Rathbun. Rathbun's father, John Russell Rathbun, suffered from asthma, and his doctor suggested he try living in a drier climate. The Rathbuns left Simpson, Kansas, on August 14, 1909, and traveled to St. Francis, Kansas, where they wintered. On May 5, 1910, they started their trip west. He kept the journal in a "Farmers Pocket Ledger" provided by the Deere & Mansur Company of Moline, Illinois. There is information about the company's products and agricultural information in the ledger.