The Handcart Pioneers
July 19, 2015
Newark 3rd
Ward
Doug Ridge
On March 27, 1856, the ship Enoch Train sailed from
Liverpool, England bound for Boston, Massachusetts, under the command of
captain Henry P. Rich. On board,
according to the April 5 number of the Millennial
Star of that year, were “534 souls of the Saints,” including “19 from the
Swiss, 4 from the Cape of Good Hope and 2 from the East India Missions.” The
saints from The Cape of Good Hope and India were the result of short-lived
missionary efforts in South Africa and India that began in 1852. The Millennial Star reported that “all things
connected with the clearing of this company seemed peculiarly auspicious. Her Majesty’s Officers had a word of
admiration to express at the excellence of the arrangements….the whole was
rendered particularly pleasing and cheerful by the performances of the Band
that goes out from Birmingham…”
The Enoch Train saints were the first in a series of LDS
emigrant companies that left England with the intention of taking the railroad
from Boston to Iowa City where they would be outfitted with handcarts to first
cross Iowa to Florence, Nebraska, a distance of some 275 to 300 miles. There they would pick up additional supplies
for the trek of 1000 miles across Nebraska and Wyoming into the Salt Lake
Valley.
The call to gather to Zion had been a part of the gospel
message since the organization of the Church in 1830. The prophet Joseph Smith promised (as
recorded in D&C 57:2) “The glory of the Lord shall be there, and it shall
be called Zion…The righteous shall be gathered from among all nations, and
shall come to zion, singing songs of everlasting joy.” The location of the gathering place was
originally intended to be in Missouri, but persecution and difficulties that
faced the early saints in preparing a place that could provide a home to saints
in large numbers forced changes. Early
on as these troubles vexed the Saints the Prophet Joseph Smith envisioned a
gathering in the Rocky Mountains where the saints could establish Zion and live
in peace.
Joseph would not live to see the fulfillment of his vision, but
after the martyrdom of the Prophet and his brother the saints persevered and
ultimately under the leadership of Brigham Young established a settlement in
the Great Salt Lake Valley. The first
party of saints arrived in the Valley in July of 1847. Brigham Young travelling with the party
looked over the valley and pronounced that “This is the place.” On July the 24th we celebrate that
occasion and the beginning of the establishment of Zion in tops of the mountain
where all nations would flow unto it.
In addition to sending missionaries to many parts of the
United States and Canada and the western frontier, as early as 1837
missionaries departed for England. There they found so many prepared for the
gospel message that within 8 months the Church had grown to some 2000
members. By 1840 nearly 7000 had been
baptized in Britain, of whom some 5000 emigrated to Illinois where the Church
had found respite from persecutions in Missouri and established a promising,
prosperous city. It was hoped that
Nauvoo would be a central stake of Zion and a home to the thousands gathering
from near and far. But the troubles of
the Saints were far from over.
Persecution, violent attacks, appropriation of property, and a host of
wrongs continued. Appeal to President of
the United States, Martin van Buren, drew only the very discouraging response,
‘Your cause is just, but I can do nothing for you.”
In 1844, the prophet, his brother Hyrum and others were
unjustly imprisoned on a pretext and murdered by a mob disguised as Indians
while under the promised protection of the state of Illinois. Finally in the winter of 1846 the saints
abandoned Illinois, many crossing the frozen Mississippi under the most
perilous conditions.
It was then that the exodus to the West became the only open
path to establishing Zion as commanded by the revelations and promises received
by the Prophet. After arriving in the Valley
the Saints rapidly built up a city and cultivated crops, virtually inventing
the science of irrigation to bring water from the surrounding mountains into
the farms in the valley. A steady flow
of immigrant converts produced a rapidly growing city and commonwealth.
Missionaries and messengers from the valley brought
encouragements to British emmigrants.
Published in the Millennial Star
magazine, these messages brought hope to British converts. Letters to missionaries from the leadership
in Salt Lake City published in Times and
Seasons instructed the missionaries to “tell them to flee to Zion…should
any ask ‘where is Zion?’ tell them in
America, and if any ask ‘what is Zion?’ tell them the pure in heart….”
Unfortunately many of the saints suffered from the
unemployment, poverty and deprivation that were an unfortunate side effect of
the process of the industrialization of Britain. They lacked the means to emigrate to
Zion. To address this problem, Brigham
Young established a fund from which a British saint could borrow to finance the
emigration of his family to the Valley, the loan to be repaid as soon as the
saint could establish himself in the valley and where public work would be
provided. This fund was called the
Perpetual Emigration Fund. Established
in 1850 with $5000 contributed by the Saints, it functioned for 40 years and
assisted in the removal of 50,000 individuals over land and sea to Utah.
The British saints were enthusiastic about the fund and in
1854 contributed 1200 pounds. In that
year 1075 of the 3167 saints who emigrated from Britain received aid from the
Fund. But still many more wanted to come
than could be accommodated. Church
leaders sought ways to decrease the costs of travelling from Europe to Salt Lake
City. In 1855 a plan was formulated to
have the emigrants cross the plains using handcarts rather than wagons drawn by
oxen. While limiting the luggage that
the Saints could bring, the handcarts could actually make the journey in less
time and cost less. Grateful British
saints committed to the plan in large numbers.
The Saints on the Enoch Train were to be the first of the
hand cart companies. They landed in
Boston April 30, 1856. The crossing had
taken 5 weeks. There had been 4 births
and 2 deaths among the company during the voyage. The fares had been 4 pounds 5 shillings for
adults and 3 and 5 for children (about $21.25 and $16.25). The emigrants had provided their own beds,
bedding and cooking utensils. Their
organization and cleanliness made a good impression on the crew and travel
officials. A 5 am bugle call waked the
men to begin cleaning the decks. Meals
were prepared in rotating shifts organized by wards under the leadership of
returning missionaries. A 6 pm bugle
call gathered the saints for meetings and prayers. Evenings until bedtime were spent singing the
songs of Zion. The captain of the Enoch
Train wrote to the company’s leaders thanking them for “the spirit of kindness
manifested by you all during the present voyage, tending to the health and
comfort of the passengers under your charge.
If such rules and regulations could be followed by all emigrant ships,
we should have less, far less sickness and distress at sea. Cleanliness is part of your religion, and
nobly you have carried it out.”
On the second day after landing in Boston the company
entrained for the railroad trip to Iowa.
The fares were $11 for adults 14 and up, half fare for children 6 to
13. Children under 6 were free. The trip to Iowa City took 10 days so they
arrived May 12, 1856.
There were some delays in Iowa City in getting the handcarts
and provisions together. Some of the
handcarts had been built with improperly seasoned wood that would lead to
problems once they were on the plains.
In Iowa City the Saints were housed in tents, twenty persons to a tent
during the month-long delay contributing to some tensions. Finally, most of the Enoch Train saints were
in the first two hand cart companies that left in early June. The first company left June 9 under Captain
Edmund Ellsworth, 37, who had joined the Church in New York in 1840. He was returning from a mission in Britain to
his two wives and six children in Salt Lake City. The second company left two days later on
June 11 and was under the leadership of Captain Daniel D. McArthur, age
36. He too was from New York having
joined the Church there when he was 18 and was returning from a British mission
to his family in Salt Lake City.
The first company had 274 members and the second had 221
members. Each member was allotted 17
pounds of baggage including clothing, bedding and cooking utensils. Pioneer diaries note that some members of the
company wore several layers of clothes when the baggage was weighed to try to
include more of their belongings. Once
on the company left and had to push the carts some of this extra weight was
discarded, but one older sister was said to have carried a teapot and colander
on her apron string all the way to Salt Lake.
The companies walked as much as 20 miles a day when the
weather and condition of the company allowed.
Other days they covered only a mile or two when there were storms or
carts needed repairs. They rested
Sundays except for repairing carts. Camping
at night they were again assigned about 20 persons to a tent. Food rations were Spartan. Diaries mention rations of ¾ pounds of flour
a day per person plus 3 oz of sugar and ½ pound of bacon a week. The walking and rations took a toll on some. A few dropped out staying in settlements along
the way waiting for easier transport. One diarist, a carpenter, notes making several
coffins for children and others who died along the way. Still after some 5 weeks of walking the
companies arrived in Florence in quite good spirits.
One diarist said of the arrival of the first two companies
in Florence: “The first and second companies of emigrants by handcarts arrived
in Camp on the 17th of July, in fine health, and spirits, singing as
they came along, Elder J. D. G McAllister’s noted hand cart song – ‘Some must
push and some must pull’ etc. One would
not think they had come from Iowa City, a long and rough journey of from 275 to
300 miles, except by their dust-stained garments and sunburned faces.” This diarist also notes that, “the first company had among its number the
Birmingham Band, and though but young performers, they played really very well
–far superior to anything to be found this far west.” The Birmingham band were part of the Enoch
Train company. I did not find any
indication of whether their instruments were part of their allotted 17 pounds
of luggage.
After two weeks rest in Florence, the carts were repaired
and supplies replenished the first two companies were ready to leave for Salt
Lake. The first company left on July 20
(159 years ago tomorrow) and the second on the 24th. Typically they were able to cover 15 to 20
miles a day most of the way. They met
Buffalo herds so large “it looked like the whole prairie was moving.” They had to wait over an hour for the herd
to cross the road so they could continue.
They were accosted by Indians demanding food. They were frequently on short rations. There were illnesses of various kinds. Purging (or diarrhea) was a problem. The British saints were not used to diets that
sometimes included raw buffalo. The
purity of water from creeks and hastily dug wells might also have been
problematic. There was little wood
available on the treeless plains.
Buffalo chips were burned for cooking fires. The dead had to be buried without
coffins.
On August 8th an old Brother Sanderson was lost
in the evening. “Many went in all
directions but could not find him,” notes a diarist. The next day they “found the old Brother
Sanderson on a hill …. [and] brought him safely into camp.” However, he was not to reach the valley. On September 2 Brother Walter Sanderson aged
56 died.
This same diarist in the first company notes that on August
24th they rested as usual except for repairing the carts as needed
since it was the Sunday. At the
sacrament meeting that night, Brother Ellsworth (the captain of the company)
“spoke some time and said we had made great improvement. That last week there had been less quarreling
and those that had robbed the handcarts, or wagons, unless they repent their
flesh would rot from their bones and go to Hell.”
They were grateful to get to Fort Laramie where they were
able to get wood to repair carts and for cooking fires. They were also able to trade for bacon and
meal. On September 1 the Ellsworth
company met wagons from the valley with flour and other provisions. On September 18 the company met a group of
missionaries from the Valley bound for Britain.
One of the missionaries, Elder Thomas Bullock, later reported to the Millennial Star his impression of
meeting the handcart train.
“We were very agreeably surprised by suddenly coming upon
the advance train of handcarts, composed of about 300 persons, travelling
gently up the hill west of Green River, led by Elder Edmund Ellsworth. As the two companies approached each other,
the camp of missionaries formed in line, and gave three loud Hosannahs with the
waving of hats, which was heartily led of Elder P. P. Pratt, responded to by
loud greetings from the Saints of the handcart train, who unitedly made the
hills and valleys resound with shouts of gladness; the memory of this scene
will never be forgotten by any person present…. They were very cheerful and
happy, and we blessed them in the name of the Lord, and they went on their way
rejoicing.”
The first two companies arrived together in the Valley on
September 26th about nine weeks after leaving Florence, Nebraska. According to Wilford Woodruff of the First
Presidency, “President Young and Kimball, and many citizens, with a detachment
of the Lancers, and the brass bands, went out to meet and escort them into the
city….I must say my feelings were inexpressible to behold a company of men,
women, and children, many of them aged and infirm, enter the city of the Great
Salt Lake, drawing 100 handcarts….As I gazed upon the scene…it looked to me
like the first hoisting of the floodgate of deliverance to the oppressed
millions. We can now say to the poor and
honest in heart, come home to Zion, for the way is prepared…..”
Indeed this first experiment resulted in less mortality and
faster travel than was typical of the travel by oxen drawn wagons. The future of the enterprise looked bright,
and a third handcart company arrived safely on October 2, 1856.
Meanwhile, however, difficulties had arisen with later
companies of British emigrants. It had
been difficult to obtain ships to contract for the voyage and departures kept
getting delayed. In the meantime many
Saints had given up employment and sold many of their goods in anticipation of
leaving and were in danger of destitution and confinement in poor houses if
they had to wait another year to depart.
So two more companies left Liverpool in May, arriving in Iowa City in
late June and early July. It was clear
that they might not reach the valley before November or even later if
difficulties arose. Early winter storms
might well prove fatal at that season.
Nonetheless there were also difficulties with that many Saints trying to
winter in Iowa so two hand cart companies were formed and started across Iowa
and then on across Nebraska.
The fourth and fifth hand cart companies were under the
command of James Grey Willie and Edward Martin.
They were accompanied by two wagon companies commanded by Brothers Hunt
and Blodgett. The companies left Florence, Nebraska, in late
August and were still on the trail when vicious early snow storms struck on the
plains. Short of supplies and woefully
inadequately equipped to deal with winter weather, the companies woke each
morning to find that several of their number and succumbed to the cold. The Willie company would lose 67 of their 500
members and the Martin company would lose upwards of 135 of their 576
members. The Saints in the Valley did
not even know that additional companies were on the plain, let alone the
desperation of their circumstances. Word
of their predicament finally reached the Valley by Franklin D. Richards
returning from a British mission travelling by horse team and carriage.
Elder Richards arrived in the Valley and reported on the
situation on October 2. President Young
immediately called for a caravan of relief wagons and by October 7 the caravan
of some 40 wagons had begun to leave.
The supplies, wagons and teams were donated or loaned by the Saints
through the bishops of the wards up and down the Valley. This was a considerable sacrifice for many
since drought and insect infestation and significantly reduced the crops that
year, and few had much beyond their needs.
Nevertheless, none complained and the rescue effort was launched with enthusiasm
and determination
Selfless heroism became the ordinary thing as the rescue
proceeded. On one occasion, it became
necessary for a party of handcart emigrants to cross the Sweetwater River at
Devil’s Gate to find shelter on the other side.
Many were simply unable to move any further. The river at that point was only a foot or
two deep, but it was 100 feet across and filled with ice. Five young rescuers spent the day carrying
the emigrants and pulling their handcarts across the ice filled water of the river.
My grandmother Amy Ridge gives the following account of her
grandfather James Dunn’s participation in the rescue efforts:
“Grandfather [15 years old at the time] left Salt Lake City
on this [rescue] mission the next day after the call was made Oct. 7th
and proceeded on the journey to Fort Bridger.
At the Fort he was assigned to take supplies and transportation to
Captain Hodgett’s and Captain Hunt’s companies at Pacific Springs, as they
could travel no further without assistance.
Upon arriving at the camp in a blinding snowstorm and with great
difficulty keeping to the road, he found the company singing songs and praying
to the Lord for deliverance. There were so overjoyed at receiving the aid he
had brought and the transportation, that one large portly woman, the Widow
Scott (who later married a Mr. Lewis of St. George, Washington county),
actually picked up Grandfather, who was small for his age, and carried him
bodily into camp, crying, “Halleluya, Halleluya! See the child they have sent us;”—much to his
consternation and chagrin, for he thought he was quite a man and did not relish
being carried about in that fashion by a woman.”
Ultimately all the survivors of the companies were found and
given warm clothes and food and brought back to the Valley in wagons. Although the experience of the first hand
cart companies demonstrated the usefulness of handcart travel, the tragedy of
the fourth and fifth companies dampened the Saints enthusiasm for it and its
further use was quite limited.
Nonetheless the gathering continued to build up Zion.
Much has changed since the days of the handcart
pioneers. Our circumstances are very
different. As a church we are prosperous
and established throughout most of the world.
This is very much the result of the foundation provided by the faithful
and courageous saints who walked across the plains to build up Zion.
On the other hand much is the same. In many ways we as a people and our mission
are very much like our pioneer forebears.
We still love to make music and sing the songs of Zion. We are still planners and organizers as we
work with the leaders the Lord has chosen for us to carry out his
purposes. We still send out many in all
directions to find one who is lost and bring him back safely into the
camp. We still fall well short of
perfection and need occasionally some reproof.
We still learn from our past and make changes as needed without
recriminations or complaint. We still
joyfully bear one another’s burdens unselfishly and sometimes heroically. At least that has been our family’s
experience as the frequent and fortunate recipient of kindnesses large and
small. Although we now gather to the
Stakes of Zion throughout the world rather than gathering to the mountains of
Utah, in the words of Wilford Woodruff:
“We say to the poor and honest in heart, come home to Zion, for the way
is prepared.” May it ever be so and may
we ever be worthy of our pioneer heritage.
References:
I have borrowed heavily from “Handcarts to Zion, the Story
of a Unique Western Migration, 1856-1860” by LeRoy R. Hafen and Ann W. Hafen,
University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln and London, and Arthur H. Clark Company,
Spokane, 1960. Reprint, Bison Book,
1992.
Also most useful was:
“Rescue of the 1856 Handcart Companies” by Rebecca Bartholomew and
Leonard Arrington,” Charles Redd Monographs in Western History) Reprint
Edition, 1993.
Any typos and/or untrue facts are entirely my fault.
In giving the talk about half a page of material was omitted
in the interest of time.
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