It is impossible to write, even a small portion, of the trek across the prairie to the Rocky Mountains.\u00a0 But, at this time of year, I tend to read material reminding me of the great sacrifices and incredible stories that belong to our legacy.\u00a0 I do not have handcart pioneer ancestors, but there are still pioneers in my heritage and I honor them.<\/p>\n
The journey was difficult for everyone who came.\u00a0 For those who came from Nauvoo, in February, it was their misfortune if they were expecting a baby.\u00a0 Eliza Snow recorded that nine babies were born, surrounded by ice, the first night they camped at Sugar Creek, just across the Mississippi.<\/p>\n
Later, along the trail, Jane Richards, who would set the standard of Relief Society in the Ogden area, was \u201cskinny as a stick but apparently unkillable, spent that winter learning to love her sister-wife Elizabeth McFate\u2019s child, in place of her own two dead ones, and taking care of the dying Elizabeth.\u201d\u00a0 Eliza Snow made it her business to write an obituary poem for children who died along the way.<\/p>\n
Some of the more amazing realizations that must be remembered are that many of these pioneers were city dwellers in Europe.\u00a0 They had comfortable homes, nice belongings, they shopped in the market for their food.\u00a0 Those who came from Scandinavia, or other parts of the world, didn\u2019t even know English.\u00a0 Yet they came to Zion with a faith stronger than death, which would take some of them.<\/p>\n
No one in our century can imagine the descriptions recorded by those who crossed.\u00a0 \u201cI have seen 10,000 buffalo during the day.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cThe prairie appeared black, being covered with buffalo\u2026We have seen something near 100,000 since morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
The prairie holds no protection from buffalo, weather, or shelter, but the path is drawn all along rivers.\u00a0 Crossing them became an ordeal, especially for those few companies who traveled in the winter.\u00a0 Drying out, or even cooking meals was next to impossible without wood.\u00a0 Howard Egan recorded, \u201cThere is no wood and we have to use the sage roots for cooking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patience Loader, who kept a record of her family\u2019s journey in the Martin Handcart Company said, \u201cIt seemed the Lord fitted the back for the burden.\u00a0 Every day we realized that the hand of God was over us.\u201d\u00a0 Later, as things became unbearable, she recorded, \u201cI tried to make a fire and cook a little broth, as I had an old beef\u2019s head.\u00a0 We removed the skin from the beef head and chopped it up the best we could, put it into the pot with some snow and boiled it for a long time.\u00a0 I cannot say that it tasted very good.\u00a0 It was flavored both with sagebrush and smoke from our green cedar fire.\u00a0 But after it was cooked we felt very thankful.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the Mormons actually had it better than others.\u00a0 The Mormon companies traveled along the north bank of the Platte River, while the Gentiles followed the south bank, and traveled on to Oregon and California.\u00a0 While the Gentiles reported sixty deaths from cholera, the Mormons suffered only four.<\/p>\n
Stories of the companies who traveled late and got caught in the snows fill our eyes with tears as we read the accounts of their ordeal.\u00a0 They were so determined to get to Zion at all costs, even the cost of much of their family.\u00a0 The irony of bringing extra bags of flour that still would not save them, or the extra clothing and blankets they started out with, but left behind to lighten their load so they could move even faster, is almost too agonizing for us to hear.<\/p>\n
A touching story is of Jens Nielson, and his wife, Elsie. They were part of the Willie Company, one of the groups that started late, and could not speak English.\u00a0 Jens was a very tall man who ate less to give his family more.\u00a0 In spite of many sacrifices, their six year old son died, as well as a young girl they had charge over.\u00a0 At one point, Jens was so weak, he sat down on the trail and told Elsie to leave him behind.\u00a0 Elsie, who was little more than five feet tall said, \u201cRide, I can\u2019t leave you, I can pull the cart.\u201d\u00a0 Together they made it to the Salt Lake Valley.<\/p>\n
In October as the snows descended upon the Saints, the cold became so bitter, so dreadful.\u00a0 As she tried to care for her husband, Elizabeth Horrocks Jackson Kingsford records, \u201cThe weather was bitter.\u00a0 I listened to hear if my husband breathed\u2014he lay so still.\u00a0 I could not hear him.\u00a0 I put my hand on his body, when to my horror I discovered that my worst fears were confirmed.\u00a0 My husband was dead.\u00a0 He was cold and stiff\u2014rigid in the arms of death.\u00a0 It was a bitter freezing night and the elements had sealed up his mortal frame.\u00a0 I called for help to the other inmates of the tent.\u00a0 They could render me no aid; and there was no alternative but to remain alone by the side of the corpse till morning.\u201d \u00a0Two days later she would have a vision of her husband saying, \u201cCheer up, Elizabeth, deliverance is at hand.\u201d \u00a0The rescuers were on their way.<\/p>\n
Ephraim Hanks, the first rescuer to reach the Martin Company, recorded what he saw.\u00a0 \u201cMany of the emigrants whose extremities were frozen, lost their limbs, either in whole or part.\u00a0 Many such I washed with water and castile soap, until the frozen parts would fall off, after which I would sever the shreds of flesh from the remaining portion of the limbs with my scissors.\u00a0 Some of the emigrants lost toes\u2026whole hands and feet; one woman who [survived] lost both her legs below the knees.\u201d<\/p>\n
May we preserve their memories this Pioneer Day.<\/p>\n
For more stories about pioneer women, find my post on Pioneer Stories–Give up all and follow the Lord<\/em><\/p>\n Information from:<\/p>\n Journal of the Trail, compiled by Stewart Glazier and Robert Clark<\/p>\n The Gathering of Zion, Wallace Stegner\u00a0 (even though this author is not LDS, he writes a pure story\u2014And man! Can this guy write!)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It is impossible to write, even a small portion, of the trek across the prairie to the Rocky Mountains.\u00a0 But, at this time of year, I tend to read material reminding me of the great sacrifices and incredible stories that belong to our legacy.\u00a0 I do not have handcart pioneer ancestors, but there are still […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[373,476],"tags":[377,139],"class_list":["post-2096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-history","category-womanhood","tag-pioneers","tag-women"],"yoast_head":"\n