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Show The Hermans Settled In The Rocky Mountains EDITOR'S NOTE Following is the winning essay of the Sunday School class of Mrs. Madeline Horrocks in the Duchesne LDS ward. It was written by Betty Jorden, 13-year old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Earl F. Jorden. "The Mormons Settled In The Rocky Mountains" Mobs or' groups of people who hated the Mormons were persecuting them s'o much that the Mormons decided decid-ed they would have to leave Nau-voo. Nau-voo. They asked the mobs and Governor if they would give them till' late spring when the grass was tall so they could have feed for their cattle' and have time to get ready to go themselves. During Dur-ing this time the temple was being finished. Day and night ordinance work in the temple was commenced com-menced so all the saints could receive' their endowments'. Also during this time every available building in Nauvoo had been converted con-verted into a shop where wagons, harnesses and other articles necessary ne-cessary for the westward journey could be made. They sold their homes and other properties to non-mormons for animals and supplies' of every kind. At the very last, after most of the Saints were on their way westward the temple was dedicated in the' presence pres-ence of around 300 people. I think there has never been anyone with so much faith as the' Saints in the history of the world. In February 1846 the ice on the Mississippi was' sufficiently thick to hold an ever moving covered wagon train. Day after day the wagons went across the river. After the ice broke and floated away the wagons were ferried across on rafts. They were some-time's some-time's robbed by mobs of some of the most precious' things they had. For months preparation had been going on for this exodus. Temporary organizations had been made also. There was order and discipline in their movement. Colonel Kane' says of one of these camps: "Sheltered only by darknes without roof between them and the sky, I came upon a crowd ot several hundred human creatures. . . . Dreadful' indeed was the' suffering of those fore-saken fore-saken , beings. They were' there because they had no homes, nor hospitals, nor friends to offer them any help. .They had no bread to quiet the' hungry cries of the children. Mothers and babes, daughters and grandparents, all. of them alike." The historian, Tullidge, says this: "On the first night of the encampment at Sugar Creek nine infants were born. The weather was inclement and extremely cold, and the people were without proper prop-er shelter." Children were born under every condition imaginable along the way. While still in sight of Nauvoo some' of the Saints saw flames reaching heavenwards burning the beautiful, temple to the ground. The Saints had many camps along the way. They had three in Iowa. They were' Deuteronomy, Garden Grove and Mt. Pisgah. At these camps' ground was plowed and planted, land was cleared and houses were made by the first pioneers, then those who came next could enjoy the crops. President Presi-dent Polk sent Captain James Allen to Council Bluffs to ask Brigham Young for five hundred men. Soon the quota was' filled by volunteers who could all read and write, only one out of three of their Missourian persecutors could do this. These' were called the Mormon Battalion, who marched march-ed through dessert, who blazed a new trail through Sante Fe to California digging wells for water as they went. The Mormon Battalion Batta-lion wa.s a blessing in disguise. It supplied much needed funds. Winter Quarters was established as a main gathering place. They began to plan fflr the winter. Crude houses of logs were built, food was stored, schools were started and wards were organized and regular services were held. The Mormons' were' obedient and had much teamwork, rarely' to be seen in such large bodies. During the winter at Winter Quarters over 300 Saints died. Early in the Spring of 1847 President Young ana nis associates prepared ror the westward march. The company com-pany consisted of 143 men, 3 women and 2 children. They had 73 wagons, 93 horses, 52 mules', 66 oxen, 19 cows, 17 dogs, and some chickens. Eight of the men were apostles. They traveled on the north side of the Platte River to Fort Laramie in Wyoming. From Laramie to Green River they followed the Oregon Trail, and from then on they followed the dim footsteps of the Donner Party through Echo and Emigration Emigra-tion Canyons to Salt Lake. Of the first view of the valley, Wilford Woodruff has written: "When we came out of the canyon can-yon in full view of the Valley, I turned my carriage around open to the west, and President Young (who was sick) arose from his bed and took survey of the country'. coun-try'. While gazing on the scene before us he was enrapt in vision for several minutes. He had seen the' valley before in vision, and upon this ocassion he saw future glory of Zion and of Israel as they would be in the valleys of these monutains. When the vision had passed, he said. 'It is enough. This is the Place. Drive on." Jim Bridger believed the seasons were too short to raise corn. Some were broken hearted because there were no tree's. The ground was covered with black crickets which the Indians were harvesting harvest-ing for their winter food. Some said they were' joyfully disappointed. disappoint-ed. The first day they got there they planted potatoes and irrigated' them. This was the first irrigation irriga-tion in the West. At harvesting time the potatoes had grown the size of marbles and were' used for seed the following season. |