William Clayton

(1814-1879) lived in Omaha. Pioneer, chronicler of early Mormon history, musician, participated in advance company of almost 150 people to journey between Omaha and Salt Lake Valley, Utah; authored The Latter-day Saints' Emigrants' Guide (1848), a catalogue of all major landmarks along the way, which was used by Mormon pioneers and other followers of the Oregon trail; credited with originating the invention of the roadometer (now odometer) near North Platte, Nebraska in May 1847, a mechanical counter with wooden cogwheels that permitted travelers to measure distances with greater precision than previous methods. Consult Sunday /Omaha/ World Herald, April 13, 1997, pp. A-1, A-2 and May 11, 1997, p. B-11 and David R. Crockett, Saints Find The Place (LDS Gems Press, 1997) and BYU Studies, Vol 37, No 1 (1997-98) 83-115 and American National Biography, Vol 5 (1999) 40-41.

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