BGuthrie Photos: UT -- Salt Lake City -- This Is The Place Heritage Park -- Mormon Brigade Room

UT -- Salt Lake City -- This Is The Place Heritage Park -- Mormon Brigade Room:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. THISIM_160715_001.JPG: The Mormon Trail 150 Years: 1847 to 1997
2. THISIM_160715_004.JPG: The Story of the Mormon Trail Beginning in 1846 and 1847 they came by the hundreds and then by the thousands. Some walked beside covered wagons, a few rode, and nearly 3,000 pulled handcarts. They were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints whose footsteps and wagon wheels marked the Mormon Trail from Nauvoo, Illinois, to the Great Salt Lake Valley. They represented one of the great waves of 19-century Western pioneering. Drawn by religious faith, nearly 70,000 people traveled to the Great Basin before 1869. From the hub in Utah, they established settlements in the future states of California, Nevada, Idaho, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. Suffering religious persecution, Latter-day Saints in the 1830s were driven from their homes, first in New York and then in Ohio and Missouri, from where they went to Illinois. In less than seven years in Illinois they built Nauvoo, one of the state's largest and most beautiful cities. But organized mobs forced them to leave their prosperous homes and farms. The westward trek began in 1846 with the exodus from Nouvoo, halted for a few months at the Missouri River in Iowa and Nebraska, and continued in earnest in 1847, 150 years ago.
3. THISIM_160715_007.JPG: 1. Exodus from Nauvoo: Mob activity compelled the Latter-day Saints to begin an exodus from Nauvoo months earlier than planned. Flatboats carried the first wagons across the Mississippi River to Iowa on 4 February 1846, but a few weeks into the evacuation the river froze over and hundreds of wagons crossed on the ice. After the 1844 murder of their prophet-leader, Joseph Smith, the Latter-day Saints rushed to complete construction of their sacred temple in Nauvoo, which they then had to quickly abandon. Many of their homes and farms were also abandoned because no buyers could be found. By the end of 1846, more than 10,000 people had crossed the river and started west.
4. THISIM_160715_010.JPG: 2. The Struggle Across Iowa: With the mobs remaining on the east side of the Mississippi River, the challenges for the Latter-day Saints became freezing temperatures, snow, mud, rain, and Iowa's hilly terrain. It took from February to June of 1846 for the first group of exiles, under the leadership of Brigham Young, to travel the 265 miles to the Missouri River. As they crossed southern Iowa, the Saints founded several semipermanent settlements, where they built cabins and planted crops> These way stations provided rest and provisions for wagon trains that followed during the next few years.
5. THISIM_160715_013.JPG: 3. Winter Quarters: Several dozen settlements were established by the Latter-day Saints on both sides of the Missouri River near today's cities of Omaha, Nebraska, and Council Bluffs, Iowa. The largest camp was called Winter Quarters, which also became the general name for the whole area. For the nearly 10,000 people who gathered in the area or were scattered along the trail through Iowa, 1846 and 1847 were years of struggle for survival. Brigham Young had originally intended to push on to the Rocky Mountains in 1846 with an exploring party, but he postponed that plan because of the lateness of the season. The people and their leaders then turned their energy to organizing and preparing for the journey west to begin the next year.
6. THISIM_160715_019.JPG: 4. Ravages of Cold and Disease: The scene of a mother and father standing over the open grave of a child happened all too frequently during the winter of 1846-47. Frontier diseases and the bitter cold of the winter found susceptible victims in the very young and very old. It is believed that 600 individuals were buried at the cemetery on the Omaha side of the Missouri River where this heroic-size sculpture stands.
7. THISIM_160715_023.JPG: 5. The Mormon Battalion: While in the midst of moving thousands of people across the wilderness of Iowa, the Latter-day Saints were asked by the United States government to provide a contingent of 500 men for the Army to support the war against Mexico. The battalion was raised in July 1846 and then marched 2,000 miles from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, by way of Santa Fe to San Diego, arriving in January 1847. The women and children accompanying the battalion and the sick among the soldiers were detached partway through the journey and sent to Fort Pueblo, Colorado, to spend the winter of 1846-47. They joined a group of Latter-day Saints from Mississippi who had come west on the Oregon Trail in the summer of 1846 expecting to find Brigham Young on the way to the Rocky Mountains. Since he was still at the Missouri River, the Mississippi group turned south from Fort Laramie to winter at Fort Pueblo. The combined groups joined or followed Brigham Young by a few days into the Salt Lake Valley in the summer of 1847.
8. THISIM_160715_026.JPG: 6. A Push to the Rocky Mountains: The principal transportation of the Latter-day Saint trek to the Rocky Mountains from 1847 through 1868 was the covered wagon, drawn by oxen, mules, or horses. These wagons provided limited space for belongings and food. Some mothers and soldiers in the early pioneer companies managed wagons and teams alone because their men were with the Mormon Battalion. Brigham Young led the first pioneer company -- composed of 143 handpicked men, 3 women, and 2 children -- west from Winter Quarters on 5 April 1847. Their objective was to move quickly to the Great Basin so they could plant crops and prepare for those who would follow.
9. THISIM_160715_032.JPG: 7. Circling the Wagons: One of the most significant landmarks for travelers on both the Mormon and Oregon Trails was Chimney Rock, near the western border of present-day Nebraska. This scene shows the circling of the wagons at the end of the day. Wagon trains were able to cover from eight to fifteen miles per day. After several weeks of calculating mileage by counting the revolutions of a cloth tied to a wagon wheel, members of Brigham Young's first company developed a mechanical odometer to measure mileage.
10. THISIM_160715_034.JPG: 8. Life on the Trail: Every pioneer company faced one constant -- a daily search for water and fuel. Wood was scarce over several long stretches of the trail, so women and children gathered buffalo chips for fuel. Each company was well organized, with captains of ten, fifty, and one hundred. Except in the first company, most pioneers traveled as families. The work that went with life on the trail was shared among all -- young and old, male and female. Music and dancing on some nights helped relieve the drudgery, and Mormon immigrant trains rarely traveled on Sunday.
11. THISIM_160715_037.JPG: 9. Brigham Young: Although there were many heroes among the Mormon pioneers, Brigham Young was the moving force behind that great western migration. As head of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he led the first pioneer party to the valley of the Great Salt Lake and later directed the settlement of hundreds of communities in what are now eight western states.
12. THISIM_160715_043.JPG: 10. Handcart Tragedy: Between 1856 and 1860 approximately 3,000 Latter-day Saints in 10 different companies made their way across the Mormon Trail pushing and pulling handcarts. Two of these handcart companies were caught in early blizzards on the high plains of Wyoming in 1856. Before rescue wagons from Salt Lake City could reach them, nearly 200 people died. The faith and endurance of the handcart pioneers and the courage of those who came to the rescue make one of the most touching stories of the Mormon Train experience.
13. THISIM_160715_047.JPG: 11. This is the Place -- A New Start: After 1,000 miles of dusty trail, the stark desolation of the Great Salt Lake Valley offered little outward appeal to many in Brigham Young's first company. Nevertheless, his comment was, "This is the right place. Drive on." It took only a few years before the pioneers who paused as they came into the valley viewed a much different scene. The desert had "blossomed as a rose." Water flowed in irrigation canals across the valley. Crops were growing, and trees stood around homes. Another energetic city, laid out in a similar pattern to Nauvoo, was growing at the end of the Mormon Trail. In common with settlers in other regions of the West, the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have left an enduring physical and spiritual legacy with their "faith in every footstep."
14. THISIM_160715_052.JPG: Formation of the Mormon Battalion: President James K. Polk and members of Congress had adopted the policy of "Manifest Destiny," which was the idea of extending the United States boundaries from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Only the Mexican Provinces of California and New Mexico prevented the "Manifest Destiny" from becoming a reality. President Polk also did not want the area to fall under British or French rule. Neither did President Polk want a large body of Mormons joining forces with Britain or France. Trouble had existed for some time between Mexico and the United States in 1845, it reawakened the anger of the Mexican government, which bitterly disputed the borders of Texas set up by the United States. So, as a result, in May of 1846, war became the outcome of the disputes between the two countries. When James C. Little, representing President Brigham Young, met with President Polk requesting help for the Mormons stranded on the Iowa prairie, he was advised that the United States government would render aid by having the Mormons provide a contingency of men to join the Army of the West in the Mexican War. President Polk then sent word to Colonel Stephen W. Kearny who was stationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, authorizing the Mormon camps to recruit the men. After being mustered in a t [sic] Council Bluffs, Iowa, on July 16, 1846, the Mormon Battalion began their March to California from Ft. Leavenworth on July 20, 1846. Their 2,000 mile March is one of the longest recorded in history.
15. THISIM_160715_057.JPG: Enlistment: When Captain Allen arrived in the Iowa Territory to recruit the Mormons, he was greeted with resentment and hostility. Mob violence had driven the Mormons from their homes in Ohio, Missouri, and Nauvoo. In 1844, their leaders, Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, had been murdered while awaiting a trumped-up jury of false charge in Carthage, Illinois. Mobs continued their threats against the Mormon who finally decided to move west to a land where they would be left alone. On a very cold day in early February 1846, they began their exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois, leaving their beautiful homes and crossing the Mississippi River. Their wagon trains were spread across the country and they were in a destitute condition. Brigham Young realized that if they could move 500 men west at the expense of the government, it would be helpful for the saints as they moved west. He also arranged for the men to wear their own clothing and that the monies of the clothing allowance would be given to him to enable the western migration to continue. In addition, the men were to be allowed to keep their weapons and accoutrements, which they could retain after one year of service. Brigham Young, after meeting with the government military leaders, told his people that it was the will of the Lord that they accept this opportunity. He promised that if they were true and faithful, they would not die in battle and their names would be held in honorable remembrance in all generations to come. After sixteen days of hard recruiting, what could be done in the next four days to raise the last 100 men? Brigham Young and Heber Kimball never left their saddles for two weeks recruiting men. Would others follow if they asked some of the older men? Yes, they would. Elderly, faithful David Pettegrew, whose wisdom and white locks results in him being called "Father Pettegrew" by the men, was asked to join by Brigham Young. In addition, what could be better than to invite a general authority of the Church to join? Levi Hancock, a trusted leader, was asked to serve. These two men were appointed the fathers and spiritual leaders of the Mormon Battalion by Brigham Young. From the journals, we find numerous accounts where these two men admonished the young men not to swear, drink, and to pray daily. At last they recruited 520 men, 20 women as laundresses, into the five companies. Since all volunteers were Mormon, they called themselves the "Mormon Battalion." It was the first time ever a Battalion of men who served in the United States Government were of the same religion.
16. THISIM_160715_061.JPG: Women Left Behind
17. THISIM_160715_073.JPG: Fort Leavenworth
18. THISIM_160715_076.JPG: James Allen
19. THISIM_160715_081.JPG: Santa Fe
20. THISIM_160715_085.JPG: Detachments to Pueblo
21. THISIM_160715_090.JPG: Trumpeter Blow Orders to the West
22. THISIM_160715_096.JPG: Raising the First American Flag in Tucson The Battle of the Bulls
23. THISIM_160715_099.JPG: Crossing the Desert with No Trail
24. THISIM_160715_107.JPG: Building of San Diego
25. THISIM_160715_109.JPG: Mormon Battalion -- Builders at Fort Moore, Los Angeles 4 July 1847 Raising of the Bear Flag Designed by Battalion
26. THISIM_160715_114.JPG: Pueblo de Los Angeles
27. THISIM_160715_119.JPG: Monterey, California
28. THISIM_160715_120.JPG: Yerba Buena ... to ... San Francisco
29. THISIM_160715_122.JPG: Ship Brooklyn
30. THISIM_160715_125.JPG: Sutter's Fort -- Gold Discovered
31. THISIM_160715_135.JPG: Duty Triumphs "These Men Have Crossed a Continent" General Stephen W. Kearney With the conquest of Mexico accomplished before the arrival of the battalion, the soldiers never engaged in combat. Rather, the Battalion's role was to strengthen and stabilize the U.S. presence in California and facilitate the settlement of the west through the construction of roads, schools, digging of wells, and firing the first bricks for a courthouse in San Diego. Discharged battalion men working for John Sutter discovered gold in Coloma, leading to the 1849 Gold Rush. Returning to the Salt Lake Valley cutting through rock in the Sierra Nevada, they opened the first wagon road east. This trail brought over 200,000 gold seekers to California. 2010
Description of Subject Matter: This Is The Place Heritage Park is a city park in Salt Lake City. It consists of:
* This is the Place Monument -- which commemorates the Mormons' entrance into the valley,
* The Old Deseret Village -- a recreated mid-1800s pioneer village, and
* The Pony Express Station and Fairbanks Monument -- commemorating the Pony Express stop in the city.
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