The Trek West

Laurel’s Class 3/14



Brigham Young took off with the first wave of members to go west. Their first goal destination was Winter Quarters. First they had to cross the Mississippi into Iowa because they didn’t want to go through Missouri because it was too dangerous. They tried building a raft to carry a wagon across, but the ox kicked a hole in it and it sank. People jumped in the river to save the family and all their belongings.



Then a miracle happened – the river froze so solid that they could cross with their whole wagons, animals and everything safely.

At this same time, many members were in New York. Sam Brennon ran a newspaper called The Prophet. His idea was to sail to the west and got many people to go with him. It was enough people that now it would be considered a very large ward. They set sail and went around South America. Two babies were born on the trip. One was named Atlantic and the other was called Pacific.

They landed in San Francisco and Sam wanted SF to be the new Church headquarters. He went to Utah to convince Brigham, but he said no, which caused Sam Brennon to leave the church. He took the tithing from the saints to invest in gold (gambled it away). He was the first millionaire in California but became addicted to alcohol, was divorced, and died penniless and alone.

Some of those members stayed in California but most went to Utah.

In 1846 the saints with Brigham Young arrived in Nebraska at Winter Quarters, what is now Florence, Nebraska. They waited there until spring to continue west. By September they had 820 lots laid out with log houses on them.

In Nauvoo, many who had remained behind were because they were too poor to buy covered wagons and make the trip. They tried to sell their new beautiful homes, but nobody would buy them. They even tried to sell the temple to finance the poor, but nobody would buy it. Two years later, someone burned it, and 2 years after that a tornado tore it down.

The saints left were in danger from the mobs. They swore they would get rid of the rest of the Mormons so they had to flee. They stayed in what became called Poor Camp. This was October. They all had to leave without food or blankets or adequate clothing. They prayed for help and on October 9 large flocks of quail fell at their feet. Same as in Numbers 11, but those people were not grateful for the quails and weren’t wise with them. They overate and got sick. They were guilty of gluttony. But the saints were grateful and saved as much as they could for the future. When Brigham Young heard of their situation, he sent rescue companies to take them to the way station.

So one of the biggest problems Brigham Young had was that the saints were too scattered. His group had almost run out of food and lived on cornmeal mush and bacon. It kept them alive, but many got sick and it caused scurvy. Brigham Young and Willard Richards both were very ill. Many died in winter quarters. George A Smith lost his wife and 3 children. He studied and found that potatoes could cure scurvy, so he got everyone eating potatoes. After that he was called the Potato Saint. Brigham Young was so concerned for his family that he gave them his portion of potatoes and only ate the peels but was healed anyway.

The saints stayed optimistic through everything in spite of all they were suffering and all the deaths. Willard Richards wrote to the apostles who weren’t there that Brigham Young sleeps with one eye open and is always ready to serve. BY was 45 years old at the time.

Brigham Young had a dream in which Joseph Smith told him the word and will of the Lord for them to move west – D&C 136. It is Brigham Young’s only recorded revelation in Doctrine and Covenants. In it he was told how to organize the saints – basically the same as Moses was told to organize the Israelites except that there weren’t nearly as many. Brigham had more than one dream in which he saw Joseph Smith. Frequently prophets are visited by past prophets. Joseph gave messages for the members – to follow the Spirit of the Lord. He told them that they can distinguish if it is the Lord’s Spirit if He whispers peace, has no malice, and what He says will help you do good.

This made the saint’s trek very different from all other settlers because of their orderliness and organization. There were three big companies and

each was led by 2 apostles.

Each company was self-sufficient.

Each took care of the fatherless and the children

They were to not complain or criticize, but to edify with their speech

They were strictly commanded to not take the name of God in vain.

(Kimball said when you are no longer shocked by evil you have lost your first defense against evil.)

They were to cease drunkenness

They were to return what they borrowed

They were to be good stewards over their property – waste not, want not

They were to praise the Lord with singing and dancing.

Heber C Kimball and Willard Richards were Brigham Young’s counselors. D&C 136 also tell why Joseph Smith had to die.

Brigham Young wanted to send a vanguard – an advanced party to go ahead to Salt Lake City. There were 143 men, 3 women and 2 children.

The missionary effort in England helped the pioneers. The members there sent scientific instruments to measure the altitude and other important things, and sent them money.

In May they reached the halfway point of the trek – Chimney Rock in Colorado. Each day the woke up and begin trek by 5:30. There were some highlights along the trail that brightened their days; they saw huge herds of buffalo and wide expanses of sunflowers. The saints were happy in spite of their difficulties and hardships. At night they would sing and dance

Jim Bridger talked to them and told them they would never make it to Utah. Orsen Pratt and Erastus Snow were the first to arrive. Days later Brigham and others arrived. Brigham saw a vision of the future of the valley – the glory of Zion. He said, It is enough. It is the right place.

There is a statue of Brigham Young in the Hall of Fame where he is called the Father of Irrigation.

They arrived on a Saturday. On Sunday they worshipped. Brigham said it would become an ensign to the nations. 100 years later the National Geographic compared the similarities between Israel and Utah – both were considered to be a promised land, both populated to escape persecution, both have a large body of salt water, both have a river Jordan, both are very dry, have the same plants, watered with irrigation, both have caves with ancient artifacts, Utah lake is like the Sea of Galilea President Monson said there are no coincidences..