Utah’s Pioneers

Who are the Mormons?Members of The Church

of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Started in 1830 Joseph Smith- 1st

leader/founder of the LDS (Mormon) Church

Persecuted for unique religious beliefs.

Persecution- to cause to suffer because of belief

Place they lived before coming to UtahPalmyra, New YorkKirtland Ohio Independence, Missouri

Governor Boggs gave the extermination order

Nauvoo, IllinoisMormons asked U.S.

government to take action, but were refused.

Joseph Smith killed and Brigham Young takes his place

Mormons are forced out of Nauvoo

The Trek West Brigham Young- 2nd leader

of the Mormons, leads the Mormon west

Winter Quarters- after the Mormons are forced to leave Nauvoo, the stay the winter in IowaProblems with disease,

cold, shelter, and food Choose to settle in Utah

Religious freedomLive in isolationRead accounts of explorers

and Mountain Men

Mormon Trail Started in Nauvoo,

IllinoisYears people used the

trail- 1846-1869More than 70,000

pioneersBecause they wanted

to be alone, they traveled on the south side of the Platte river

Ended in Salt Lake Valley

The Advance PartyThere was a group

that left first to help those who were to come by:Set up fordsLeft descriptions of

the trailClear pathsMake trail guides Arrived in the

valley on July 24, 1847

Plant crops

Mormon Battalion Left from Winter

QuartersMormon Battalion-

US government asked Mormons to help in Mexican- American War

Marched 2,000 milesThey did not fightHelp gain land for

the U.S.

Life on trailHorn blew to start

morningGather fuelBreakfastRoll the wagons!

Animals hard to control Everyone walked

Midday stopped for lunch

Travel 10-20 miles a day Did not travel on

Sundays

Journal Entry from William Clayton

We halted on the ridge a little while and then prepared to descend, many locking both hind wheels, a precaution not at all unnecessary. We found the road down exceeding steep and rendered dangerous by the many stumps of trees left standing in the road. The brethren cut many of them up which delayed us much. About a mile down is a bridge formed of small trees laid one on another to fill up a deep ravine. It is steep on both sides and here Joseph Rooker turned his wagon over, however without much damage. A mile and a half from the top is a spring and small stream of very good cold water where we halted to let teams drink. This would make a tolerable good camp ground in case of necessity. After this the road is not so steep but is very rough winding between high hills or mountains, through willows and brush wood and over soft places, crossing the creek a number of times. At 4½ miles from the top of the ridge we arrived at a good spring of cold water, plenty of grass and a good place to camp. Our teams have now been in the harness about 10 hours without eating and the feeling of many was to stay here, but some wanted to go on and we continued, turning suddenly to the right a little below this spring we begin to ascend another high ridge and while ascending, some of the teams began to fail. There are a great many service berries on this ridge, growing on what we supposed to be wild apple trees. The berries are good and rich when ripe. The descent from this ridge is not nearly so steep as the other one, yet many locked both hind wheels. After descending we found another small creek and a very rough road again. At half past 7 we formed our encampment near the creek having travelled 14 miles in 13 hours. There is but little grass here, and a poor chance for cattle. O. Pratts company are camped half a mile ahead of us and our camp was formed by Col. Markham. He says they have had many new cases of sickness, but mostly getting better. The Cannon is left back on the other side of the mountains. About a mile back from this place there is a small grove of Sugar Maple, and considerable other timber along the creek. There are also beds of nice green rushes in several places.

Trouble on the Trail Temperatures Dust Poor sanitationBad water Accidents InsectsSnake bites Indians Cholera- sickness caused

by bad waterDysentery- massive

diarrhea caused by bad food and water

Handcart Companies Immigrants spent money on

trip to AmericaNeeded help getting to UtahHandcarts were a lower cost3,000 Mormons came west Most travel successfullyWillie-Martin Handcart

company Left late in the year Got stuck in a snowstorm in

Wyoming Ran out of supplies Tents buried in snow 280 out of 980 died

October 23, 1856, Thursday Morning. We buried our dead, got up our teams and about nine o’clock a.m. commenced ascending the Rocky Ridge. This was a severe day. The wind blew hard and cold. The ascent was some five miles long and some places steep and covered with deep snow. We became weary, set down to rest, and some became chilled and commenced to freeze. Brothers Atwood, Woodard and myself remained with the teams. They being perfectly loaded down with the sick and children, so thickly stacked I was fearful some would smother. About ten or eleven o’clock in the night we came to a creek that we did not like to attempt to cross without help, it being full of ice and freezing cold. Leaving Brothers Atwood and Woodard with the teams, I started to the camp for help. I met Brother Willey coming to look for us. He turned for the camp, as he could do no good alone. I passed several on the road and arrived in camp after about four miles of travel. I arrived in camp, but few tents were pitched and men, women, and children sat shivering with cold around their small fires. Some time lapsed when two teams started to bring up the rear. Just before daylight they returned, bringing all with them, some badly frozen, some dying and some dead. It was certainly heartrendering to hear children crying for mothers and mothers crying for children. By the time I got them as comfortably situated as circumstances would admit (which was not very comfortable), day was dawning. I had not shut my eyes for sleep, nor lain down. I was nearly exhausted with fatigue and want of rest. 

October 24, 1856, Friday. This morning found us with thirteen corpses for burial. These were all put into one grave. Some had actually frozen to death. We were obliged to remain in camp, move the tents and people behind the willows to shelter them from the severe wind which blew enough to pierce us through. Several of our cattle died here.

Levi Savage’s Journal

Influences today Grid patternCentral squares

Temple SquareState holiday-

Pioneer Day- July 24Street namesEstablish Utah as a

place to live