 A statue commemorating the Mormon pioneers The Mormon Pioneers were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who migrated across the United States from the midwest to the Salt Lake Valley in what is today the State of Utah. The journey was taken by about 70,000 people beginning in April, 1847, and ending with the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869. Commemorative statue on mormon pioneers, taken at mormon Temple Square in summer 2003. ...
Commemorative statue on mormon pioneers, taken at mormon Temple Square in summer 2003. ...
The temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located in Salt Lake City, Utah is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ...
This article is about non-human migration. ...
Salt Lake Valley is a valley in north-central Utah located in Salt Lake County. ...
Official language(s) English Capital Salt Lake City Largest city Salt Lake City Area Ranked 13th - Total 84,876 sq. ...
For other uses, see April (disambiguation). ...
1847 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...
A transcontinental railroad is a railway that crosses a continent, typically from sea to sea. Terminals are at or connected to different Oceans. ...
1869 (MDCCCLXIX) is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ...
Background to the Migration Since its founding in 1830, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were often mistreated and persecuted by their neighbors. There was violence directed against the church, its members, and its leader, Joseph Smith. This among other reasons caused the body of the church to move from one place to another- Ohio, Missouri, and then to Illinois where church members build the city of Nauvoo. MIssouri Governor Lilburn Boggs issued an extermination order against all Mormons living in the state. In 1844 Joseph Smith had been murdered while in custody in the city of Carthage, Illinois. In 1846, religious tension had reached its peak and mobs burned the Latter-day Saint temple in Nauvoo. The temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located in Salt Lake City, Utah is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ...
Joseph Smith, Jr. ...
The references in this article would be clearer with a different style of citation, footnoting or external linking. ...
Lilburn Wycliffe Boggs (1797-1861) was the governor of Missouri from 1836 to 1840. ...
The Extermination Order is known in Latter Day Saint history as the executive order issued on October 27, 1838 by Missouri governor Lilburn Boggs to have Mormons driven from the state in response to what he termed open and avowed defiance of the laws, and of having made war upon...
1844 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...
Carthage is a city located in Hancock County, Illinois. ...
The Salt Lake Temple is the most well-known Mormon Temple. ...
See also: Nauvoo Illinois Temple for an overview of a similar or rebuilt structure currently standing on the same site. ...
According to church belief, God directed Brigham Young, Joseph Smith's successor as church leader, to call for the saints (as church members call themselves) to organize and head to west, beyond the western frontier of the Unted States. During the winter of 1846-47, Latter-Day Saint leaders in Winter Quarters and Iowa laid plans for the migration of the large number of Saints, their equipment and livestock. This major undertaking was a significant test of leadership capability and the existing administrative network of the recently restructured Church. For his role in the migration, Brigham Young is sometimes referred to as the "American Moses." Brigham Young (June 1, 1801 – August 29, 1877) was the second prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). ...
Young personally reviewed all available information on the Great Salt Lake Valley and the Great Basin, consulting with mountain men and trappers who traveled through Winter Quarters and meeting with Father Pierre-Jean De Smet, a Jesuit missionary familiar with the Great Basin. The wary Young insisted the Mormons should settle in a location no one else wanted, and felt the Great Salt Lake met that requirement but would provide the Saints with many advantages as well. Father Pierre-Jean De Smet, (30 January 1801 at Dendermonde, Belgium – 23 May 1873 at St. ...
The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu), commonly known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic religious order. ...
The Vanguard Company of 1847 A vanguard company was designed to break the trail west to the Rocky Mountains, gather information about trail conditions, including water sources and native tribes, and to ultimately select the central gathering point in the Great Basin. The initial company would select and break the primary trail with the expectation that later pioneers would maintain and improve it. It was hoped that the group could, wherever possible, establish fords and ferries and plant crops for later harvest. In late February, plans were made to gather portable boats, maps, scientific instruments, farm implements and seeds. Techniques for irrigating crops were investigated. A new route on the north side of the Platte River was chosen to avoid major interaction with travelers using the established Oregon Trail on the river’s south side. Given the needs of the large volume of Saints who would travel west, Church leaders decided to avoid potential conflicts over grazing rights, water access and campsites. The Ox Team or the Old Oregon Trail 1852-1906 by Ezra Meeker. ...
In April 1847, Young consulted with members of the Twelve who had recently returned from the British mission. John Taylor, Parley P. Pratt and Orson Hyde brought money contributed by the English Saints, a map based on John C. Fremont’s recent western expedition, and instruments for calculating latitude, elevation, temperature and barometric pressure. Chosen members of the vanguard group were gathered together, final supplies were packed, and the group was organized into military companies. The group consisted of 143 men, including three black slaves and eight members of the Council of the Twelve, three women, and two children. The train contained 73 wagons, one cannon, 93 horses, 52 mules, 66 oxen, 19 cows, 17 dogs and some chickens, and carried enough supplies to fully provision the group for one year. Young divided this group into 14 companies, each with a designated captain. Apprehensive of possible Indian danger, a milita and night guard was formed under the direction of Stephen Markham. John Taylor is the name of: // Academic figures John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University 1486-1487 John Taylor (poet) (1580-1654), English poet John Taylor (1704-1766), English classical scholar John Edward Taylor, English translator John Taylor (1781-1864), British Egypt scholar John G. Taylor, British neural-network...
Parley Parker Pratt (12 April 1807–13 May 1857) (commonly known as Parley P. Pratt) was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of The Quorum of Twelve Apostles from 1835 until his murder in 1857. ...
Orson Hyde Orson Hyde (January 8, 1805 – November 28, 1878) was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. ...
John C. Frémont John Charles Frémont (January 21, 1813-July 13, 1890), birth name John Charles Fremon [Harvey, p. ...
In Mormonism, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Quorum of the Twelve, the Council of the Twelve, or the Twelve) is one of the governing bodies of church hierarchy in many Latter Day Saint denominations. ...
On April 5th, 1847, at 2 p.m., the wagon train moved west from Winter Quarters toward the Great Basin. The first segment of the journey, from Winter Quarters to Fort Laramie took six weeks, with the company arriving at the fort on June 1st. The company halted for repairs. While at Fort Laramie, the vanguard company was joined by members of the Mormon Battalion who had been excused from service due to illness and sent to winter in Pueblo, Colorado. Also traveling in the new group were Church members from Mississippi who had taken a more southern route toward the Great Basin. At this point, the now larger company took the established Oregon Trail toward the trading post at Ft. Bridger. At a difficult crossing of the Platte, the company made use of their portable boat and were able to cross with comparative ease. Missourians at the river paid the Saints $1.50 per wagon to help them cross. Seizing the opportunity to both help future travelers and increase the cash available to the migration, nine men were left behind to construct and operate a ferry at that location. Grounds of Fort Laramie Fort Laramie, located in present-day Goshen County, Wyoming in the United States, was a significant 19th century trading post and later a military outpost of the United States Army. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
Pueblo is a city located in Pueblo County in southern Colorado. ...
Fort Bridger is a census-designated place located in Uinta County, Wyoming. ...
During the last week of June, Sam Brannan, leader of the Mormon emigrant ship Brooklyn, met the company near Green River, Wyoming. He reported to Young about his group's successful journey and their settlement in what is today San Francisco, California. He urged the vanguard company to continue on to California but was unable to shift the leader’s focus away from the Great Basin. Young also met mountain man Jim Bridger on June 28th. They discussed possible routes into the Salt Lake Valley, and the feasibility of viable settlements in the mountain valleys of the Great Basin. Bridger was enthusiastic about settlement near Utah Lake, reporting fish, wild fruit, timber and good grazing. He told Young that local Indians raised good crops, including corn and pumpkins, but that there was everpresent danger of frost. The company pushed on through South Pass, rafted across the Green River and arrived at Fort Bridger on July 7th. About the same time, they were joined by thirteen more members of the sick detachment of the Mormon Battalion. San Brannan (1819 - 1889) was born in Maine. ...
Green River is a city located in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. ...
For details about the famous earthquake, refer to the article 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. ...
Jim Bridger Jim or James Bridger (March, 1804 – July 17, 1881) was among the foremost mountain men, trappers, scouts and guides who explored and trapped the Western United States during the decades of 1820-1840. ...
The vanguard company now faced a more rugged and hazardous journey, and were concerned about negotiating the passes of the Rocky Mountains. They had received conflicting advice, but Young chose to follow the trail used by the Donner-Reed party on their journey to California the previous year. Shortly after leaving Fort Bridger, the group met trapper Miles Goodyear, who owned a trading post at the mouth of the Weber River. He was enthusiastic about the agricultural potential of the large Weber Valley. During the trip through the rugged mountains, the vanguard company divided into three sections. Since crossing the Green River, several members of the party had suffered from a fever, generally accepted as a “mountain fever” probably induced by wood ticks. Young himself became ill soon after meeting Goodyear. The small sick detachment lagged behind the larger group, and a scouting division was created to move ahead on the designated route. The Donner Party Memorial at Donner Memorial State Park. ...
In July 1847 the first company reached the Salt Lake Valley, with scouts Erastus Snow and Orson Pratt entering the valley on July 21st. Pratt wrote: Erastus Snow (November 9, 1818 – May 27, 1888) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from 1849 to 1888. ...
Orson Pratt Orson Pratt (September 19, 1811 – October 3, 1881) was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. ...
- we could not refrain from a shout of joy, which almost involuntarily escaped from our lips the moment this grand and lovely scenery was within our view.
The two scouts undertook a twelve mile exploratory circuit into the valley before returning to the larger party. The next day, larger segments of the valley were explored, streams and hot springs investigated and the first camp established in the Salt Lake Valley. On July 23rd, Pratt offered a prayer dedicating the land to the Lord. Ground was broken, irrigation ditches were dug, and the first fields of potatoes and turnips were planted.
On July 24th, Young first saw the valley from a “sick” wagon driven by his friend Wilford Woodruff. According to Woodruff, Young expressed his satisfaction in the appearance of the valley and declared "This is the right place, drive on." Today a monument stands in the spot where he made this declaration. Young later reported that he had seen the valley, including Ensign Peak, in a vision and recognized the spot. Wilford Woodruff (March 1, 1807 – September 2, 1898) was the fourth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from 1889 until his death in 1898. ...
On July 28th, Young established a location for the future Salt Lake Temple and presented a city plan to the larger group for their approval. In August 1847, Young and other selected members of the vanguard company returned to Winter Quarters. By December 1847, more than two thousand Mormons had completed the journey to the Salt Lake Valley, and several hundred had returned east to gather and organize the companies scheduled for following years. Each year during the Mormon migration, people continued to be organized into "companies", each company bearing the name of its leader. The company was further divided into groups of 10 and 50 with authority and responsiblity delegated downward.
Travel Conditions The material conditions of the church members varied as they covered the more than 1000 miles to the Great Basin. Covered wagons pulled by oxen were common, but some people pulled or pushed handcarts (similar to wheelbarrows) holding all of their belongings. Others walked much of the way as family members rode in the carts. The pioneers traveled to the Salt Lake Valley in the Great Basin using wagons, handcarts, and, in some cases, hand carrying their belongings. Their trail along the Platte River and over the Sweetwater River became known as the Mormon Trail. Salt Lake Valley is a valley in north-central Utah located in Salt Lake County. ...
A statue commemorating Mormon handcart pioneers The Mormon handcart pioneers were participants in the westward migration of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who used handcarts to transport their supplies and belongings while walking from Iowa or Nebraska to Utah. ...
The Platte River, showing the North Platte and South Platte The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately 310 mi. ...
The Sweetwater River The Sweetwater River is a tributary of the North Platte River, approximately 150 mi (241 km) long, in the U.S. state of Wyoming. ...
The Mormon Trail or Mormon Pioneer Trail is the 1,300 mile route that members of Latter Day Saint movement traveled from 1846-1857. ...
Due to the weather in the American heartland, the best time to travel was April-September. Some companies however, got a late start resulting in disaster. The most famous of these are the Willie and the Martin handcart companies. Leaving Iowa in July, they did not reach Utah until November, suffering many deaths due to winter weather and the lack of adequate supplies.
More Migration After the initial departure of the Latter-day Saints living in Illinois and Missouri, converts to the church from other areas in the United States and from Europe followed the initial trail to join the main body of the church in Salt Lake City. Every year from 1847 until 1869 there were church members making this journey. Migration continued until about 1890, but those who came by railroad are not generally considered to be "Mormon Pioneers."
Settling the Desert Upon arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, the Mormons literally had to make a place to live. They created irrigation systems, made farms, built houses and schools. Later, Brigham Young directed satellite communities to be formed in all directions. Church members headed south into present day Arizona, West into California, North into Idaho and Canada, and East into Wyoming, settling many familiar communities in those areas.
Heritage The Mormon pioneer chapter is considered important to American history in general, but holds a special place to church members. They view it not only as a journey across a wilderness, but also a great manifestation of spiritual faith. They hold dear the pioneers who gave up their homes to face such uncertainty in the name of their religion. Diary entries of pioneers display not only hardship but also a firm desire to follow God's will, exemplary faith in God and in their newfound religion. Many entries and stories also exhibit events which many consider to be miracles, many of which saved lives.
In all, nearly 70,000 Mormon pioneers crossed the plains. Because of fatalities, suffering and sacrifices endured by these early Mormon Pioneers, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints considers many of the graveyards and campsites along the trail to be hallowed ground.
See also
A statue commemorating Mormon handcart pioneers The Mormon handcart pioneers were participants in the westward migration of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who used handcarts to transport their supplies and belongings while walking from Iowa or Nebraska to Utah. ...
The Mormon Trail or Mormon Pioneer Trail is the 1,300 mile route that members of Latter Day Saint movement traveled from 1846-1857. ...
Pioneer Day is a holiday celebrated on July 24 in the U.S. state of Utah. ...
External links
References - Barney, Ronald O., editor. The Mormon Vanguard Brigade of 1847: Norton Jacob's Record. Utah State University Press, Logan, Utah 2005. ISBN 0874216095.
- Hafen, Leroy and Ann. "Handcarts to Zion". University of Nebraska Press, 1992.
- Slaughter, William and Landon, Michael. "Trail of Hope: The Story of the Mormon Trail". Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City, 1997.
- Stegner, Wallace. "The Gathering of Zion". University of Nebraska Press, 1992.
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