Mormon Pioneer Trail Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail

National Park Service Bureau of Land Management Official Map & Department of the Interior Forest Service Guide - Large Print Department of Agriculture Formatted for ADA standards at 11” x 17” print size. The Route West missionaries, soldiers, To the sounds of teamsters, stage coach snapping harness drivers, Pony Express and creaking wagon riders, and overland wheels the pioneers emigrants bound for in the vanguard of opportunity in the westward expansion Oregon Territory, Great moved out across Basin, and California gold the North American fields. continent. Between 1840 The trunk of the corridor generally and 1870, more than followed the Platte and North Platte rivers for more than 600 miles, then paralleled 500,000 emigrants went the Sweetwater River before crossing the Continental Divide at South Pass, Wyo. west along the Great Beyond South Pass the route divided Platte River Road from several times, each branch pioneered by emigrants seeking a better way to various departure points along destinations. The route’s importance the Missouri River. This declined with the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 but corridor had been used continued to receive limited use into the for thousands of years early 1900s. by American Indians and [artwork caption] Cover (left) courtesy Brigham Young in the mid-1800s became University Museum of Art the transportation route All images in this brochure are provided for successive waves courtesy of the Museum of Church History and Art, Salt Lake City, Utah, unless noted. of European trappers,

Rev. 02/01/13 An Exodus military fashion, grouped into companies of 100s, 50s, and 10s. Discipline, hard The Mormon Pioneer Trail work, mutual assistance, and devotional Few years in the Far West were more practices were part of their daily routine notable than 1846. That year saw a war on the trail. Knowing others would follow, start with Mexico, the Donner-Reed they improved the trail and built support party embark on their infamous journey facilities. Businesses, such as ferries, were into a frozen world of indescribable established to help finance the movement. horror, and the beginning of the best They did not hire professional guides. organized mass migration in American Instead, they followed existing trails, used history. The participants of this migration, maps and accounts of early explorers, and the Mormons, would establish thriving gathered information from travelers and communities in what was considered by frontiersmen they met along the way. An many to be a worthless desert. early odometer was designed and built From 1846 to 1869 more than 70,000 to record their mileage while traveling on Mormons traveled along an integral part of the trail. In the end, strong group unity the road west, the Mormon Pioneer Trail. and organization made the Mormon The trail started in Nauvoo, Ill., traveled movement more orderly and efficient than across Iowa, connected with the Great other emigrants traveling to Oregon and Platte River Road at the Missouri River, and California. ended near the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Generally following pre-existing routes, the The Search for a Home trail carried tens of thousands of Mormon emigrants to a new home and refuge in The Mormon Church the Great Basin. From their labors arose The Mormon pioneer experience is the State of Deseret, later to become Utah closely tied to the formation, growth, and Territory, and finally the State of Utah. development of their church, which was founded by Joseph Smith, April 6, 1830, The Trail Experience in Fayette, N.Y. Within a few years it was known as the Church of Jesus Christ of The Mormon pioneers shared similar Latter-day Saints. According to the accounts experiences with others traveling west: the of Mormon history, Joseph Smith translated drudgery of walking hundreds of miles, a document from golden plates given to him suffocating dust, violent thunderstorms, by an angel. This document, The Book of mud, temperature extremes, bad water, Mormon, became the cornerstone of the poor forage, sickness, and death. They new religion, and the name Mormon was recorded their experiences in journals, applied to those who subscribed to these diaries, and letters that have become a part beliefs. of our national heritage. The Mormons were a unique part of this The church headquarters subsequently migration. Their move to the Valley of the moved to Ohio, Missouri, and, in the spring Great Salt Lake was not entirely voluntary; of 1839, Nauvoo, Ill. It remained there but to maintain a religious and cultural until 1846, when the church moved beyond identity it was necessary to find an isolated the Rocky Mountains into then unsettled area where they could permanently settle Mexican territory in the Great Basin. There, and practice their religion in peace. This Mormon leaders hoped to be insulated was a movement of an entire people, an from further harassment, antagonism, entire religion, and an entire culture driven and persecution. Membership grew by religious fervor and determination. rapidly from 1830 to 1845, and the church The Mormon pioneers learned quickly to prospered. Hostility, fear, and controversy, be well-organized. They traveled in semi- however, surrounded the church. The rapid growth of church membership, the After crossing the Mississippi River, the financial success of the members and their journey across Iowa followed primitive church, religious beliefs that were outside territorial roads and Indian trails. The initial mainstream Christian tradition, the practice party reached the Missouri River on June of plural marriage (polygamy), a large well- 14 of that year, having taken more than four armed militia, the blurring of lines between months to complete the trip. Some of the church and state, and the perception by emigrants established a settlement called some non-Mormons that the church was Kanesville on the Iowa side of the river. a threat all fueled intolerance. Hostilities Others moved across the river into the escalated, and on June 27, 1844, Joseph area of present-day (north) Omaha, Nebr., Smith and his brother Hyrum were killed by building a camp called Winter Quarters. an angry mob while jailed in Carthage, Ill. The Mormons left Nauvoo earlier than By 1845 the Mormon population in and planned because of the revocation of around Nauvoo had grown to more than their city charter, growing rumors of U.S. 11,000, making it one of the largest cities in government intervention, and fears that the state. In September 1845 foes burned Federal troops would march on the city. more than 200 Mormon homes and farm This early departure exposed them to the buildings outside Nauvoo in an attempt to elements in the worst of winter. Heavy rains force the Mormons to leave. later turned the rolling plains of southern Iowa into a quagmire of axle-deep mud. A move to the Far West had been discussed Furthermore, few people carried adequate by church leaders as early as 1842, with provisions for the trip. The weather, general Oregon, California, and Texas considered unpreparedness, and lack of experience as potential destinations. In 1844 Joseph in moving such a large group of people, all Smith obtained John C. Fremont’s map contributed to the difficulties they endured. and report, which described the Great Salt Lake and its surrounding fertile valleys. Subsequently, the Rocky Mountains and the Crossing the Plains Great Basin became the prime candidates Along this first part of the trail, the for settlement. Mormons developed skills for moving en masse. They established several semi­ Heading West permanent camps, including Garden Grove and Mount Pisgah, where they planted Establishing the Trail: The crops and built facilities to assist those Treks of 1846 and 1847 who followed. It was during this leg of the journey that Brigham Young first organized The first movement of the Mormons from them into companies of 100s, 50s, and 10s. Nauvoo to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake The lessons learned crossing Iowa were occurred in two segments: one in 1846, used by future companies of Mormons. the other in 1847. The first segment, across Iowa to the Missouri River, covered around 265 miles. The second segment, from the The Trek of 1847 Missouri River to the Valley of the Great The longest leg of the journey began at Salt Lake, covered more than 1,000 miles. Winter Quarters on April 5, 1847, and ended on July 24, 1847, when Brigham The Trek of 1846 Young entered the Valley of the Great Salt Lake. The trip went smoother than The departure from Nauvoo began on the previous year’s journey because the February 4, 1846, under the leadership of Mormons were better organized, had better Brigham Young, who succeeded Joseph provisions, and began the trek when trail Smith as leader of the Mormon Church. conditions were optimal. as soon as they reached the valley. During the next few weeks, they laid out streets, The lead pioneer party left with 148 people built temporary shelters, and prepared (143 men, three women, and two young for winter. Mormon emigrants continued boys), 72 wagons, 93 horses, 66 oxen, 52 to arrive during the remaining weeks of mules, 19 cows, 17 dogs, and some chickens. summer and fall, and approximately 1,650 This hand-picked group was organized into people spent their first winter in the valley. two large divisions and further split into Shortly after their arrival, Brigham Young companies of 50 and 10. This organizational and many members of the pioneer party structure was based on Brigham Young’s made the return trip to Winter Quarters to plan for migrating west. The plan also be with their families and to organize the included details on camp behavior and next spring’s migration to the valley. devotional practices to be followed during the journey. The trail across the Great Plains The next 20 years would see about 70,000 traversed hundreds of miles along the north Mormons traveling by wagons and side of the Platte and North Platte rivers. At handcarts to the Valley of the Great Salt Fort Laramie the Mormons crossed to the Lake. Overland wagon travel declined after south side of the river, where they joined the completion of the transcontinental the Oregon Trail. About 100 miles later, railroad in 1869, when emigrants could they left the North Platte River at present travel across the plains by rail. day Casper, Wyo. They then followed the Sweetwater River for almost 100 miles and crossed the Continental Divide at The Ones Who Walked South Pass. At Fort Bridger they left the The Handcarts: 1856 to 1860 Oregon Trail and struck out on their own A unique feature of the Mormon migration following a route first recommended by was their use of handcarts. Handcarts, California promoter Lansford Hastings and two-wheeled carts that were pulled by pioneered in 1846 by four companies of emigrants, instead of draft animals, were emigrants bound for California. These four sometimes used as an alternate means of companies blazed two different routes into transportation from 1856 to 1860. They the Salt Lake Valley. The Mormons followed were seen as a faster, easier, and cheaper the faint, year-old track of the ill-fated way to bring European converts to Salt Donner-Reed party through the Wasatch Lake City. Almost 3,000 Mormons, with 653 Mountains. carts and 50 supply wagons, traveling in 10 different companies, made the trip over the The final 116 miles, from Fort Bridger to trail to Salt Lake City. While not the first to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake, were the use handcarts, they were the only group to most difficult. The people were weary, their use them extensively. wagons worn, and livestock weakened by almost 1,000 miles of walking. Travel The handcarts were modeled after carts through the narrow, willow-choked used by street sweepers and were made canyons and over tree-covered slopes and almost entirely of wood. They were rocky ridges of the Wasatch Range was so generally six to seven feet long, wide enough slow that it took the pioneer party 14 days to span a narrow wagon track, and could to complete this part of their journey. On be alternately pushed or pulled. The small July 22, 1847, when Thomas Bullock caught boxes affixed to the carts were three to four his first full view of the valley he shouted feet long and eight inches high. They could “hurra, hurra, hurra, there’s my home at carry about 500 pounds, most of this weight last.” consisting of trail provisions and a few personal possessions. The pioneer party began planting late crops All but two of the handcart companies [artwork caption] completed the journey with few problems. Plan for the Nauvoo temple shows a majestic The fourth and fifth companies, known building. as the Martin and Willie companies, left Winter Quarters in August 1856. This was [artwork caption] very late to begin the trip across the plains. Brigham Young, Courtesy Daughters of Utah They encountered severe winter weather Pioneers west of present-day Casper, Wyo., and hundreds died from exposure and famine [photo caption] before rescue parties could reach them. The Welsh-English dictionary (top) While these incidents were a rarity, they accompanied its owners across an ocean and illustrate that the departure date from the three-quarters of a continent. trailhead was crucial to a successful journey. [artwork caption] The harshness of the weather in Winter The Mormon Pioneer Quarters comes through clearly in the painting above. Courtesy Jeanette Taggart Trail Holmes The Trail Today [photo captions] Congress established the Mormon Pioneer Orson Pratt’s sextant (far left) and an axle National Historic Trail as part of the grease bucket were needed on the journey National Trails System on November 10, west. 1978. This historic trail commemorates the 1846-47 journey of the Mormon people [artwork caption] from Nauvoo, Ill., to the Valley of the The painting shows the crossing of the Platte Great Salt Lake. The designated corridor River in 1847. Courtesy Daughters of Utah is almost 1,300 miles long and is managed Pioneers. as a cooperative effort among private landowners, trail associations, state and [artwork caption] local agencies, the National Park Service, Scandinavian pioneers pulled their handcarts the Bureau of Land Management, and the 1,300 miles across the plains to the Valley of USDA Forest Service. Land ownership the Great Salt Lake. along the trail is comprised of 822 miles (64 percent) on private land, 264 miles (20 [photo caption] percent) under federal management, and This spinning wheel was a necessary tool for 214 miles (16 percent) in state and local those who wanted to create a self-sufficient ownership. Much of the trail is no longer community beyond the Rocky Mountains. visible, though some trail segments and sites can be visited. Long stretches of the trail [artwork caption] can still be seen in Wyoming. The map on An emigrant trail descends from the top of the other side of this brochure shows the Big Mountain and enters the Valley of the Great Salt Lake. Courtesy Utah Division of historic route and site locations. If you want Parks and Recreation. to visit sites on private land you must obtain the landowner’s permission.

[artwork caption] Joseph Smith’s (left) 1820 vision led to the organization of the Mormon Church. From 1839 to 1846 they lived and prospered in Nauvoo, Ill. (above). Important dates in the 1846 and 1847 treks from Nauvoo, Illinois to Utah are noted I walked some this afternoon in company at right. Quotations from contemporary with Orson Pratt and suggested to him the diaries and letters describe those years. All idea of fixing a set of wooden cog wheels to the objects shown here made the journey across hub of a wagon wheel, in such order as to tell the trail. the exact number of miles we travel each day. —William Clayton, April 19, 1847 February 4, 1846 First wagons leave Nauvoo and cross the May 26, 1847 Mississippi River. Emigrants pass Chimney Rock.

The great severity of the weather, and . . . the difficulty of crossing the river during many In advance of us, at a great distance can be days of running ice, all combined to delay our seen the outlines of mountains, loftier than departure, though for several days the bridge any we have yet seen . . . their summits . . . of ice across the Mississippi greatly facilitated covered with snow. the crossing . . . . —Horace Whitney Jane, June 23, 1847 —Brigham Young, February 28, 1846

June 27, 1847 April 24, 1846 Mormons cross South Pass, the Continental Garden Grove, the halfway point across Divide. Iowa, is reached. This was one of several semi-permanent camps set up for the use of later emigrants. . . . and beholding in a moment such an extensive scenery open before us, we could June 14, 1846 not refrain from a shout of joy which almost Brigham Young arrives at the banks of the involuntarily escaped from our lips the Missouri River. moment this grand and lovely scenery was within our view. September 1846 —Orson Pratt, July 21, 1847 Winter Quarters is set up on the Nebraska shore of the Missouri River. Approximately 4,000 people spent the winter here. July 24, 1847 Brigham Young arrives in the Valley of the November 1846 Great Salt Lake. Father Pierre de Smet, a Jesuit missionary, visits with the Mormons in Winter Quarters and provides information about the Great Basin area. April 5, 1847 The first group, led by Brigham Young, leaves Winter Quarters. Exploring the Mormon Pioneer Trail

For more information on the history of the trail, locating sites, or traveling segments of the trail, you may contact:

National Park Service Internet Information National Trails System Office www.nps.gov/mopi http://history. 324 South State St., Suite 200 utah.gov/partners/mta www.liscoplus. Salt Lake City, UT 84111 com/~iowamormontr www.nps.gov/poex. Auto Tour Route Guides National Historic Trails These interpretive guides provide Interpretive Center descriptions and driving directions to National Historic Trails 1501 North Poplar trail sites. Download them from the Casper, WY 82601 Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail www.blm.gov website: www.nps.gov/mopi

Historical Department Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 50 E. North Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84150