Close to the heart of every member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the memory of the "Mormon Trail." The name Mormon is given as a nickname for members of this Church. We like to call ourselves Latter-day Saints though, so that is the term I will use.
The Latter-day Saints believe in the Book of Mormon which was translated from golden plates given to Joseph Smith by an angel. It was published on March 26, 1830. It is "the most correct of any book on the earth," a record of "the principal ancestors of the American Indians" and their dealings with Jesus Christ.
Because of these beliefs, Latter-day Saints have been persecuted severly. The Saints had to move from place to place, state to state to get away from the mobs of southerners and so called "Christians" that hated them. Southerners strongly opposed the Saints, who did not believe in slavery. The Protestants hated them because they were loosing members to "Joe Smith" and his "Mormon" church.
The Saints believed in a gathering of Zion. This means that the Prophet Joseph Smith, or whoever was the leader at a particular time, could designate a place as Zion, or the place for the "pure in heart" for all of the members of the Church to gather to.
At one time Zion was Kirtland, Ohio. Then it was Jackson County Missouri. After many persecutions, the Saints were forced to move on to Clay, Daviess, and Caldwell Counties of Missouri. They where only at each of these places a short time until they were threatened, beat, imprisioned, and forced to leave, just for practicing what they knew was right. They established great city after great city until they arrived near the Great Salt Lake and established Salt Lake City.
When the Saints were in Missouri, many persecutions arose because Missouri was a slave state. There were many members, none of whom practiced or believed in slavery. This was a factor of many persecutions. As things were going, many Latter-day Saints could have been political leaders; "Yankees". Southermers, predictably, would be fearful of the political power of so many "Mormons".
Members were beaten, tarred and feathered, and even killed. Finally, after being non-violent for some time, a few of the male members of the Church decided to defend themselves. After a few battles took place, such as the battle of Crooked River, Governor Boogs issued a Missouri militia order to "exterminate or drive (the Saints) from the state" on October 27, 1838, This order was perceived as open season on the "Mormons" and resulted in occurrences such as the mob's massacre of men, women, and children at Haun's Mill.
Joseph Smith and other church leaders, on November 30, 1838 were put into Liberty Jail, by wicked men, for no just cause. Nearly 8,000 scared members fled into Illinois not knowing what was to happen next. Then in April of 1839, Joseph Smith and the other leaders escaped into Illinois and established the great city of Nauvoo in 1840.
Nauvoo, at one time, was the largest city in Illinois. It was larger than Chicago! All things were going great. The Saints were so peaceful, that they never had or needed a jail in Nauvoo. Joseph Smith even ran as a candidate for the President in 1844 and was nominated in convention. On August 6, 1842, Joseph Smith prophesied that things would not always be so great. He said that the Saints would yet see persecutions and mobs. He said that the Latter-day Saints would be eventually driven to the Rocky Mountains. During the last two years of his life, he spoke regularly of sending exploring parties out to find that place in the Rocky Mountains.
On June 24, 1844, Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum Smith, were arrested on false charges with no evidence whatsoever of any crime. When Joseph Smith went to Carthage jail, two or three days before his assassination, he said, "I am going like a lamb to the slaughter; but I am as calm as a summer's morning; I have conscience void of offense towards God, and towards all men. I shall die innocent, and it shall yet be said of me--He was murdered in cold blood." Joseph Smith was assassinated June 27, 1844 by a mob of 150-200 men painted black. He died exclamining, "O Lord My God!"
On August 8, 1844, Brigham Young, as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, assumed responsibility as President of the Church. He continued Joseph Smith's idea to go to the Rocky Mountains.
In January of 1845, Nauvoo's charter was revoked by the Illinois Legislature. Mobs once again arose like the Prophet Joseph Smith had said. The Saints felt they had to leave as soon as they could. On February 4, 1845, Charles Shumway took the first refugess out of the great city of Nauvoo across the frozen Mississippi River to Montrose, Iowa. From Montrose they followed a six mile track of mud to Sugar Creek. There they camped awaiting to hear from President Young. Once he got there, he organized them and prepared them for the long, drury, death-filled journey to Zion.
At times, it rained continually for days. After so much rain, many of the people became sick and depressed. In order to have some fun, they would sometimes build miniature dams out of the mud in their camps. The rain produced awful conditions. Brigham Young wrote with dry humor, "We passed through only one mud hole today, which was about six miles in length."
On April 15, 1845, the pioneers made it to Locust Creek and set up camp. William Clayton had been worried about his wife that was pregnant in Nauvoo when he left. She stayed behind because she could not travel. One day he was worried because it was around the due date for the baby. He received a letter the very same day from her stating that his child was born. He then went off by himself, prayed, and was inspired to write "All is Well." It became the anthem of the Saints and later known as "Come, Come, Ye Saints."
"Come, Come, Ye Saints"
Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear; But with joy wend your way. Though hard you this journey may appear; Grace shall be as your day. 'Tis better far for us to strive Our useless cares from us to drive; Do this, and joy your hearts will swell-- All is well! All is well!
Why should we morn or think our lot is hard; 'Tis not so; all is right. Why should we think to earn a great reward If we know shun the fight? Gird up your loins; fresh courage take. Our God will never us forsake; And soon we'll have this tale to tell-- All is well! All is well!
We'll find the place Which God for us prepared, Far away in the West, Where none shall come To hurt or make afraid, There the Saints will be blessed We'll make the air with music ring, Shout praises to our God and King; Above the rest these words we'll tell-- All is well! All is well!
And should we die before our journey's through, Happy day! All is well! We then are free from toil and sorrow too; With the just we shall dwell! But if our lives are spared again To see the Saints their rest obtain, Oh, how we'll make this chorus swell-- All is well! All is well!
On April 24, 1845, the Latter-day Saints stopped at a place they called Garden Grove. Brigham Young spoke to the people and said, "I am reduced in flesh so that my coat that would scarcely fit around me last winter, now laps over twelve inches. I can hardly keep from lying down to await the resurrection."
Parley P. Pratt was in the exploring party that lead the way by going ahead to find the route. He came across a place with grassy hills crowned with beautiful timber 25 miles north-west of Garden Grove. He named it Mt. Pisgah, referring to the mountain from which Moses saw the Promised Land from. The majority of the camp made it to Mt. Pisgah and planted crops and built cabins to help the Saints that were to come later. There were nearly 2000 people there at one time.
By October, starvation was widespread. On October 9, 1845, flocks upon flocks of quail flew into their camp. Hundreds were caught and eaten, others were kept by some to breed. The Saints saw how God's mercy on them with this event.
The main body of pioneers had made it to Kanesville, Iowa. On April 24, 1846, the same date as the Saints reached Garden Grove a year before, the federal Government became involved in the Mexican War. Because Brigham Young had the Saints so highly disciplined and organized, the government asked him to supply 500 men to the army. In return, the rest of the pioneers would be given permission to temporarily camp on Indian land across the Missouri River in Nebraska. The Omaha and Oto tribes agreed to lease their land for two years, allowing for the establishment of a city and a section of grazing land for the animals. As winter approached, it was important to have a winter quarters, so Brigham Young agreed. That land became known as Winter Quarters, and later as Florence, Nebraska.
In Winter Quarters, more than 1000 homes were laid out. Some were mere tents and dugouts, but mostly log cabins were built. They built a council house that was used as a church and school. They also built a water-powered gritsmill. The population level was about 4000, as more pioneer families stopped before continuing west. There was exhaustion, poor nutrition, cold, and disease in the winter of 1846-47. More than 600 people died, mostly the very young and the very old at Winter Quarters.
In early 1847, Brigham Young and the first group of 148 pioneers left Winter Quarters to scout the way to Zion. By April 4, 1847, the pioneers arrived at Elkhorn River. They built rafts to cross it, and a couple of men stayed there to operate the rafts for those who were to come later. Residents who had not yet left Winter Quarters by 1848 moved back across the Missouri River to Iowa, in order to honor the treaty they had made.
Brigham Young saw a need for better organization. He organized the camp in a very militaristic style. Every morning at five, they would rise at the sound of a bugle. They would say their prayers before they left the wagon, then they would eat, clean up, and pack to leave. At seven the bugle sounded again upon which the pioneers would leave. As they would travel, each teamster was to keep his gun with him at all times, or where he could get it in a moment. There was also to be a man walking beside the team with a rifle loaded and on his right shoulder. No man could leave the wagon without permission from his officer.
The Saints followed the Platte River for about 700 miles until they crossed it. The river offered them water, the thing they needed most. It was not the best water, but they kept their teeth shut when drinking the water to keep the biggest squiggly things out. After they crossed the river, they followed the Oregon Trail.
Orsan Pratt had been keeping record of how many miles they traveld by counting the revolutions of a wheel on his wagon. He suggested to Brigham Young that somebody make a device to count the miles. On May 12, 1847, William Clayton and another man invented the "road counter". It counted the revolutions of the wheel.
Brigham Young became discouraged at some people's behavior. He wrote, "Give me a man of prayers, give me a man of faith, give me a man of meditation, a sober minded man, and I would far rather go amongst the savages with six or eight such men than to trust myself with the whole of this camp with the spirit they now possess."
President Young called a special prayer circle in behalf of all of the camp on the bluffs of Scottsbluff County, Nebraska. The bluffs are now named Prayer Circle Bluffs in honor of that event.
The pioneers then made it to the land mark of Mexican Hill in Goshen County, Wyoming. The hill was so steep that some said, if a tin cup fell off the back of their wagon, it would land in front of the team. This was not the only famous landmark they had passed. They passed many marks such as Chimney Rock, Devil's Gate, and Church Butte.
On June 27, 1847, exactly three years after the assassination of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, the pioneers crossed the South Pass in Fremont County, Wyoming. The next day, June 28, 1847, the famous mountain man, Jim Bridger, met the Saints. He said he would give one thousand dollars to the man that could grow only one bushel of corn in the Salt Lake Valley. Brigham Young replied, "We will show you." On July 7, the pioneers made it to Fort Bridger, Wyoming.
On July 21, Orsan Pratt, with his party, passed through Emigration Canyon and entered into the Great Salt Lake valley. Brigham Young had been sick for weeks and was behind in another party. On July 24, President Young entered the valley with Wilford Woodruff, who would later be the fourth president of the Church. Wilford Woodruff turned the wagon to have the back end facing the west. Brigham Young stood up out of his bed and looked at the valley for several minutes invisioning the future Zion. He then declared, "It is enough.This is the right place."
Over the next few years, 70,000 Saints entered Salt Lake City. The Latter-day Saints were a major part in the colonization of the Western United States. Just as President Young organized the trek west, he sent individuals to create colonies in specific places to settle the inter-mountain west. He sent colonizers northward as far as Alberta Canada, and southward as far as Arizona and Mexico. In 1850, the Territory of Utah was established. Forty-six years later, Utah was finally admitted to the Union as the forty-sixth state.
In the years following the arrival of the Latter-day Saints in the Great Salt Lake valley, the "Mormon Trail" has diverged to encompass over 160 nations, territories, and possessions. Joseph Smith's prophecy is coming true.
"No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be acomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done." --Joseph Smith
As of December 2000, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had over 11,500,000 members worldwide.