In some of his other notes Frank had this to say about the difficulties involved in crossing rivers:

There were no streams bridged and often, on account of wagons being stuck in the mud, progress was slow. It generally took a day to cross the Neosho at Council Grove. This was the last place where supplies could be obtained before reaching Fort Union in New Mexico. The crossing of the Arkansas River was always a "red letter day," especially at the Cimarron crossing. At this point the river was nearly a mile in width, and in one place, for some eighty feet, three and a half feet deep. For the crossing, thirty-two cattle were hitched to each wagon. One man was detailed to steer the lead cattle on each team through the deep water. Several yoke of cattle were in the deep water all the time while crossing and unable to pull to amount to anything. It generally took an entire day to cross. After crossing there were about four miles of heavy sand before solid ground was reached. In this stretch the teams had to double. After reaching solid ground, the cattle were driven back to the river and watered.