Devotional prior to breakfast
Address by President Cowdell
Song by Trek Choir: Let Us all Press On
Thursday morning at Florence, Nebraska.
This is now also known as Winter Quarters.
It was our departing place
Eliza (Elizabeth) Simpson Bradshaw’s story told by
Lindsee Thomas
I am
Eliza Bradshaw. I was an orphan at 9 and
have been left a widow twice. I am a
single mother to five children. . I
believe in God and the power of the Priesthood.
I have longed to join the saints in Zion for many years. The trip on the ship Horizon from England to
Iowa was treacherous. My friend lost her
husband and two of her children.
Sickness was everywhere. Water
and food were scarce. Once on land, we
rode in cattle cars from Boston to Iowa City. In Iowa City, I gave up most of
my belongings to take my family across the plains to Zion with a handcart. I
believe in God and the power of the Priesthood, which has promised I will take
all five of my children to Zion. “I am
going to Zion.”
---adapted from Tell My Story, Too
Francis & Ann Webster told by Brock & Lexi Stuart
contributing to the Perpetual Emigration Fund and choosing to travel
by handcart
Ann and I
have just been married back in Liverpool 5 months ago. We are expecting our first baby. We’ve
decided to cross the plains by handcart so that others can also emigrate to
Zion through the Church’s Perpetual Emigration Fund.
Levi
Savage addresses told by Denver
Bradbury
“Brethren and sisters, [what I have said I know to
be true; but] seeing you are to go forward, I will go with you, will help you
all I can, will work with you, will rest with you, will suffer with you, and,
if necessary, I will die with you. May
God in his mercy bless and preserve us.” ---July 1856
Other interesting excerpts from Levi Savage's journal:
Prior to this final speech, with tears of love flowing down his cheeks, he had warned the saints: “Brothers and sisters, wait until spring to make this journey. Some of the strong may get through in case of bad weather, but the bones of the weak and old will strew the way.” You cannot cross the mountains with a mixed company of aged people, women, and little children, so late in the season without much suffering, sickness, and death.”]
Tidbits from Levi Savage's journal… July Des Moines, Iowa
“Just out of Des Moines, Iowa. Mr. Charles Good a respectable gentleman from
the City, who seemed very favorable to the Gospel, for no impure motive,
brought a present of 15 pairs of children’s boots.” – Willie Company Journal
July 31
“We started from Florence about the 8th
of August…Although our carts were more heavy than they were before, everything
seemed to be favorable, and we moved gaily forward full of hope and faith. At our camp each evening could be heard songs
of joy, merry peals of laughter, and witty remarks on our condition and
prospects. The only drawbacks to this
part of our journey were the constant breaking down of carts and delays caused
by repairing them.”
"We reached Fort Laramie about the 1st of
September, but the provisions which we expected, were not there for us. It was resolved to reduce our allowance from
one pound to three quarter of a pound of flour per day, and to make every
effort in our power to travel faster."
Thursday afternoon, prior to lunch
William James told by Grant
Thomas
“I am William James. One
evening as we prepared for dinner and camp, a large load of buffalo came
thundering toward us. It sounded like
thunder at first, then the big black animals came straight for our carts. The children were so scared that they were
rooted to the ground. One of the
Captains jerked out some of the carts to make a path for the steady stream of
animals and let them go through. They
went past us like a train roaring along.
After they had gone, somebody called out that our cattle had gone with
them. This was our only supply of meat. I went with other men started to ride out
after them. The rest of the company made
preparations for the night. As the sun
went down, a terrible storm came up. The
thunder and lightning was like nothing we had ever seen before. Soon the rain
came down in torrents, and in a matter
of minutes we were all soaked to the skin.
Unfortunately, we came in from the hunt empty handed. We all went to bed wet and cold.
Our spirits were low the next morning. As we trudged through the mud, we sang “for some must push and some must pull as we
go marching up the hill, for merrily, merrily on we go until we reach the
valley-o.” I am humbled by this
experience. ---from Maryann James’ journal, William James History
We have received word (from trailriders and pass
the word onto families) that the lunches have not arrived at Hardware
Ranch. They were in a car that was
detoured.
Thursday afternoon
WAGON RESCUE told by President
McCleary
“We have
heard of your plight. President Young
called us to come to your rescue. It is
not right that we should wait at camp while you perish here on the plains. The Lord has granted us strength and
direction to find and rescue you. There are more wagon teams coming just behind
us. We hope to provide you the help and comfort you need to make it with us to
Zion. It is not far to go.”
An account of the wagon rescue by 19 year old Albert Jones
“It was at this place that Joseph A Young arrived as the leader of the relief party sent from the valleys by President Brigham Youn. He rode a white mule down a snow covered hill. The white mule was lost sight of on the white background of snow, and Joseph with his big blue soldier’s overcoat, its large cape and capacious skirts rising and falling with the otion of the mule, gave th appearance of a big blue winged angel flyig to our rescue. The scene that presented itself on his arrival I shall never forget, women and men surrounded him, weeping and crying aloud; on their knees, holding to the skirts of his coat, as though afraid he would escape from their grasp and fly away. Joseph stod in their midst drawn up to his full height and gazed upon their upturned faces, his eyes full of tears. I, boy as I was, prayed “God bless him.”
Pioneer Games
planned by Marianne Olsen
Devotional prior to dinner
Square Dance
provided by Hardware Ranch
FRIDAY MORNING AT CAMP
Revelry by bugle player Deshaun Helm
Devotional prior to breakfast
Men are called away and leave the women
Vignettes
to women prior to women’s pull
Maryann James story, 10 years old told by Emma Thomas
"One day as we were skipping alongside the carts and singing, where we were always happiest as I remember it, a group of Indians on horseback rode up and followed along with us for a while. We didn’t know the Redman well enough to be too friendly, so we quieted down and stayed close to our parents. One of the Indians seemed fascinated by the contraptions being pulled along by people. Finally his curiosity got the best of him. He leaped off his horse, ran over to one of the carts which was being pulled by a women and her daughter and gave it such a hard push that it nearly ran over them. The women and girl screamed and got out of the shafts as fast as they could. The Indian pushed the cart a little ways, and apparently satisfied, he jumped on his horse and rode off. He, with some of his friends, came back later to beg food. We gave it to them because we were told that the Indians were our brethren and that we should treat them so. We never did have any trouble with them except that they never seemed to learn that it is stealing to take something that didn’t belong to them.”
Elizabeth Bradshaw’s story told by
Lindsee Thomas
“I am
Eliza Bradshaw. I am a single mother to
five children. I have pulled my handcart
45 days now. My children have been a
wonderful help and have livened my step. I have made so many friends and feel
so blessed to be with the saints who are gathering to Zion. I have longed to emigrate to Zion for 16
years. My part is easy and my God gives me the strength to go on day by day. I
believe in God and the power of the Priesthood which has promised I will take
all of my children to Zion. “I am going to Zion.” “
Elizabeth
Horrocks Jackson, (Martin) told by Jaime McCleary
"I will not attempt to describe my feelings at
finding myself thus left a widow with three children, under such excruciating
circumstances. I cannot do it. But I believe the Recording Angel has inscribed
in the archives above, and that my sufferings for the Gospel's sake will be
sanctified unto me for my good . . . I [appealed] to the Lord . . . He who had
promised to be a husband to the widow, [see Isaiah 54:4-5] and a father to the
fatherless. I appealed to him and he came to my aid . . .
“One
night there were not enough men with strength to raise poles and pitch tents.
The
result was that we camped out with nothing but the vault of Heaven for a roof,
and the stars for companions. The snow lay several inches deep upon the ground.
The night was bitterly cold. I sat down on a rock with one child in my lap and
one on each side of me. In that condition I remained until morning. . . . I was
six or seven thousand miles from my native land, in a wild, rocky, mountain
country, in a destitute condition, the ground covered with snow, the waters
covered with ice, and I with three fatherless children with scarcely anything
to protect them from the merciless storms. When I retired to bed that night,
being the 27th of Oct., I had a stunning revelation. In my dream, my husband
stood by me and said, “Cheer up, Elizabeth, deliverance is at
hand.'"
The next
day the advance rescue team found us---the stranded Saints.”
another account...
Betsey Smith, 13 years old
“After we lost our
cattle, we kept sacred the Sabbath day for worship and rest, and felt better
for it.
“September came, and
we were on half ration and had cold weather but we never forgot to pray, and we
sang “Come, Come Ye Saints” with great zeal and fervor.
“I will not dwell
upon the hardships we endured , nor the hnger and cold, but I like to tell of
the goodness of God unto us. One day the
wind blew and the clouds arose. The
thunder and lightning were appalling.
Our captain said, “Let us pray.”
And there was offered such a prayer.
He told the Lord our circumstances.
H talked to God, as one man talks to another, and as if the Lord was
very near. I felt that He was and many
others felt the same. The the storm
parted to the right and to the left.””
YW Devotional with YW President Candice Marsh
As Sisters in Zion sung by Trek Choir and YW of the Stake
Devotional to YM with YM President Matt Reynolds and Stake Presidency
The Spirit of God sung by the YM and leaders to the YW and women during the Women's Pull
Women's Pull
Men's Pull up Rocky Ridge
an account from Levi Savage near Rocky Ridge
“We buried our dead, got up our teams, and about 4
o clock commenced ascending the Rocky Ridge.
This was a severe day. The wind
blew awful 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. About 10 or 11 o clock in the
night, we came to a creek that we did not like to attempt to cross without
help, being full of ice and freezing cold.
I started to the camp for help.
When I arrived, few tents were pitched and men, women and children sat
shivering with cold around their small fires.
It was heartrending to hear children crying for mothers, and mothers
crying for children. By the time I got
them as comfortably situated as circumstances would admit, day was dawning. I had not shut my eyes for sleep, nor lain
down. I was nearly exhausted with
fatigue, and want of rest.”
Thursday October 23rd
Pioneer Meadows
Lunch and Pony Express delivery
For eighteen months starting in April, 1860, the Pony Express was the
talk of the nation. The firm of Russell, Majors and Waddell turned the idea
into reality and a crew of "young, skinny, wiry fellows...expert riders
willing to risk death daily" carried it out. Each rode over 100 miles a
day, changing horses every 10-15 miles. They carried the mail between St.
Joseph and Sacramento, 2,000 miles in ten days, sometimes less. The completion
of the transcontinental telegraph in October, 1861 signaled the end of the Pony
Express.
Utah territory, which then included Nevada,
contained almost half of the 2,000-mile-long Pony Express trail and some of its
most difficult terrain and dangerous stretches. The company hired many LDS men
and boys who fit its high standards—employees took an oath “before the great
and living God to not use profanity or liquor, not to quarrel, and to be
honest.” Such LDS frontiersmen as Howard Egan, “Doc” Faust, and Bolivar Roberts
manned isolated Pony Express relay stations. Of the Express’s ten dozen rugged
horsemen riders weighing less than 125 pounds riders--no less than two dozen
were teenage or young adult Latter-day Saints, including William Frederick
Fisher, Howard R. and “Ras” Egan, and George Washington Perkins. The main
problems the LDS riders told about were night riding over dangerous trails,
Indian attacks, bandits, slippery trails and deep snows in winter, loneliness,
and fatigue. Salt Lake City’s Main Street station was four days’ ride from
Sacramento, California, and six from St. Joseph, Missouri. Whenever riders
brought important news from “the States,” the weekly Deseret News issued an
extra, called the Pony Dispatch, to keep the Saints up-to-date. The Pony
Express mail moved between Utah and “the States” a week faster than stagecoach
mail.
Sweetwater Crossing told by President Tyson Welling
The crossing of the Sweetwater proved to be a terrible
ordeal. Standing shivering with cold on
the river bank, they watched huge pieces of ice floating downstream. The water was about two feet deep at the
crossing and it was almost sundown. In
spite of the cheering information that this was the last river the would have
to cross, it seemed impossible for them in their weakened condition to make the
attempt. Not only women and children
wept, but men shed tears freely. Some of the strong men made several trips
across to help others make it. They
camped on the bank of the Sweetwater that night. Ahead, mountains grew steeper and roads
rougher.
Historians have shown that the
Sweetwater River was 30-40 feet wide at the point of
crossing. Fording a river requires
crossing it on an angle, making it easier to fight the
current as well as getting in and out
at the banks – this angle makes the Sweetwater crossing 100 feet across, or 200 feet round
trip.
We must always stay on the straight and narrow path and endure to the end. We
work with and within the main body of Christ, striving to do better and helping
each other. In the Sweetwater crossing,
everyone helped and did their part. Brigham Young stood in meeting and
announced that Saints were trapped in the snows, and he asked for help. There
Some men prepared and set up camp
across the river, getting the tents and fires going so that it would be ready,
warm, and waiting. And almost everyone in that company crossed the water on
their own, and did so many times over – which is the only way to ford a river
and get everyone and all the wagons and supplies across. The pioneers had at
least 6 wagons and the rescuers came with at least 10 more, not to mention a
fourth of all the remaining handcarts. All of these were used to ferry the
elderly, the children, and the frozen infirm. However, the wagons and handcarts
required people on all sides pushing and helping.
Bry Cox, More About The Three Men of the
Sweetwater Rescue
Page 7 of 8
Pioneer Games available to families prepared by Marianne Olsen
Devotional prior to dinner
Fireside about the Martin Handcart Company
Some Must Push and Some Must Pull sung by all
Now Let us Rejoice sung by Trek choir accompanied by Dave Christensen
We Seek After These Things played and sung by Carter Walker
Testimony Meetings in wards
Taps
Revelry
Devotional
John
Briggs told by Grant Thomas
I am John Briggs. I have been giving
my rations to my children. I can hold out
until the rescue party arrives. My heart
aches when I see my children hungry and having to live on rations. I love my
family and know the gospel is true.
Whether I live or die, I have a desire they will remember this sacrifice
as a gift of love from their father who will do anything to help them along
their journey.
Louisa
Mellor(15) is the daughter of Mary Ann Mellor(36)
told by Denver Bradbury
music played by Dave Christensen
I am Louisa Mellor. I am here
with my mother Mary Ann Mellor who has felt overcome with weakness and
homesickness. Mother persuaded father to let her stop and rest beside the trail
many hours ago. The company could not
wait for her. I told my sister Elizabeth
to take care of the rest of the family and I would stay with mother. Now many hours have passed by. Mother is quite discouraged. She sat down on a rock and wept. I had faith the Lord would help me know what
to do. I stepped a little way away from
mother to pray that God would help us, that he would protect us from the wolves
and let us reach camp. As I was just
going back to where Mother is sitting, I have found this apple pie in the road. I will give it to mother to eat. She will rest and recover. She will be strengthened and know that
Heavenly Father is aware of her and cares for her. She will know that she can do hard
things. I am so grateful for this
blessing from God. I know mother will
also be overcome with gratitude. I know
when mother feels like giving up and quitting, this apple pie will remind her
of how watchful the Lord is. She will press
on and offer a prayer of gratitude instead.
Apple Pies miraculously delivered after family pull up hot mountainside
Burial of a child displayed by Mike & Sherri Helm and Lindsee Thomas
Dave Christensen playing music in background
"My sister has lost her baby in the cold overnight. Move on."
Bagpipes played along the trail
Welcome to Zion address by President Cowdell
More stories may be found at Additional Pioneer Stories
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