The Long Journey to Utah Part 2

Leaving Nauvoo MMost of the Mormons were forced to leave Nauvoo in the winter. TThe Mississippi River froze over in February of 1846 and the Mormons crossed over into Iowa. SSome Mormons were too poor to afford wagons or teams. TThey were forced to stay in Nauvoo.

 Governor Ford of Illinois removed the state militia in the summer of  Many poor Mormons were forced to leave Nauvoo before they were ready.  These pioneers had very little food but were able to catch some disoriented quail by hand to eat.  They considered this a miracle and were able to join the other saints.

Leaving Nauvoo

The Trek across Iowa  The Mormons faced the problem of trying to supply the trek westward.  Some tried to find odd jobs, while others planted crops at settlements in Southern Iowa.  The rest of the Saints trudged along a muddy trail to a gathering place on the Missouri River at Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Iowa Nebraska Wyoming Utah The Mormon Trail was 1300 miles long and it took about three and a half to four months to complete it everything went smoothly. The trek across Iowa was probably the most difficult part of the journey because of all the mud, and also because it took so long to get so many of them out of Nauvoo, Illinois.

Winter Quarters  The Mormons would have a difficult time in this spot.  On top of the poor living conditions, The U.S. Government asked for Mormon men to help with the Mexican War.  They became known as the Mormon Battalion.  The money they made helped the Mormons supply themselves for the journey.

Mormon Battalion & Winter Quarters  The Mormon Battalion had the longest infantry march in United States history.  The Mormons built a temporary settlement on both the Nebraska and Iowa sides of the Missouri River.  It was a horrible winter because many people got sick and over 100 people died.  People had to live in rough log cabins with very little protection from the cold.

Mormon Battalion Route

Winter Quarters

The Plan for Migration  In December 1846, the Mormon leaders came up with a plan.  An advance company would leave earlier than the main body of Saints.  The job of the advance company was to get to the Salt Lake Valley and prepare it for the flood of refugees.  The advance company left on April 14, 1847.

The Advance Company  The people in the company were mostly men with a few exceptions.  They had farmers and craftsmen.  Also included were three African- Americans, women and a few children.  Brigham Young was very specific in his instructions to the pioneers.

Wagon Train Leaders Brigham Young Heber C. KimballOrson Pratt

Organization of Wagon Companies  Wagon parties were divided into hundreds, fifties and tens based on the Israelite pattern in the Bible.  In Indian country each pioneer was to carry a loaded gun.  The wagons traveled with two wagons side-by-side with the rest of the wagon train falling in behind them.  Drivers were not supposed to leave their wagons unless sent on an errand.

Instructions for Wagon Companies WWake-up time was 5:00 a.m., which allowed them to leave by 8:00 a.m. TThey traveled during the daylight hours, retiring at 9:00 p.m. MMembers of the wagon train were to attend to prayers and observe the Sabbath, and refrain from card playing.

 Hunters were not supposed to kill more animals than the party could eat.  Brigham Young told them that animals had souls, and the killers must account for their use and protection.  All of other wagon parties followed the example of the advance party.

Mormon Wagon Party

Challenges on the trail  They found sufficient food on the trail for themselves and their cattle.  There were abundant buffalo and grass on the plains, and there were antelope, deer, and fish in Wyoming and Utah.  Their biggest problems did not come from the land, starvation or Indians. It came from disease.

Challenges on the trail SSome of the diseases they faced were diarrhea from unfamiliar food. CCankers, nosebleeds and toothaches caused discomfort. IIn general, fever plagued the pioneers the most. TThis fever was usually caused by ticks and was called Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Brigham Young caught this and was still very sick as they would enter the valley.

The Route  The pioneers did not blaze the trails that they followed.  The trail had been used by Indians, Mountain men, and immigrants to Oregon.  John C. Fremont and others had described these trails.  They followed the Hastings Cutoff pioneered in 1846.

The Route  They traveled on the north bank of the Platte River, while the Oregon Trail generally followed the south bank.  They did encounter other travelers returning from the west.  They found settlements at Fort Laramie and Fort Bridger.

The Route

Fort Laramie Fort Bridger

Platte River

Advice along the way  The Mormons received advice from different mountain men and explorers along the way.  Moses “Black” Harris and Thomas “Peg Leg” Smith suggested Cache Valley.  Jim Bridger told them that they would have a tough time growing crops in the Salt Lake Valley.

More advice Miles Goodyear, who had established Fort Buenaventura near present-day Ogden, told them that his vegetable garden had flourished, and he urged them to settle in the Salt Lake Valley Miles Goodyear’s Cabin. The oldest standing structure in Utah.

Conflict of Ideas  At the Green River Crossing, they met Samuel Brannan.  Brannan had lead a group of Mormons on a voyage from New York Harbor around Cape Horn and then on to Hawaii, and then San Francisco.  Sam Brannan wanted the Mormons to come to California, but Brigham Young disagreed with him.

Samuel Brannan Route of the Brooklyn

Where to settle  Accounts by Fremont and the Mountain Men lead the Mormons to believe the eastern edge of the Great Basin provided the best place for settlement.  They had decided to go to the Salt Lake Valley before they reached Fort Bridger.  The trail became difficult now.

Through the mountains  They decided to follow the trail of the Donner-Reed party the year before.  The trail was very rough and was the most difficult part of the trail.  Healthy men were sent ahead to clear the trail better, while the sick, including Brigham Young followed a few days behind.

The Valley at Last!  The party went through Echo Canyon, crossed over little and big Mountain into Emigration Canyon. From there they would finally reach their destination.  The first party reached the valley on July 22, They immediately began planting crops.  Brigham Young and the rest of the party would reach the valley on July 24, 1847.

“This is the right place, drive on.” –Brigham Young