The TREK - Monday Day 1

Setting the scene




Between 1847 and 1869, some 70,000 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came to Utah by the 1,300 mile overland trail. Most of them traveled in wagon companies, but approximately 3,000 - 4% of the total- came by handcart.

In all, ten companies of handcart pioneers made the journey to Utah between 1856 and 1860. Although pulling handcarts was arduous even in the best conditions, eight of these companies made the journey more quickly and with fewer deaths than the typical wagon company. In 1856 there were five handcart companies to make the trek, of which the last two were the Willie and Martin companies.

These two handcart companies - the Willie and Martin companies - suffered a tragedy that President Gordon B. Hinckley described as "without parallel in the western migration of our people. They paid what he called "a terrible, terrible price."

This price included some 200 deaths, numerous amputations of frozen limbs, the widowing of many women, and the orphaning of many children. It included broken hearts and broken dreams of families who had left Europe with the hope of living together in Zion.

Most of the handcart emigrants were from Europe. Many were poor and had sold all their land and possessions or saved for years to afford passage to America by ship. Most of the emigrants traveled on eight ships, with the size of the groups ranging from 146 to 856. Rather than have the emigrants travel on their own, the church highly encouraged the saints to travel in companies.

Nearly half of those who emigrated in 1856 needed assistance from the Perpetual Emigration Fund. Many of the wealthy were asked that rather than purchase an expensive wagon and team, that they make the journey by handcart and with the money they save, provide funds for several other poorer families to travel by handcart. Many did so without hesitation.


Brigham Young said that "After they get accustomed to it, they will travel 20, 25, and even 30 miles with all ease, and no danger of giving out, but will continue to get stronger and stronger: the little ones and sick, if there are any, can be carried on the carts, but there will be none sick in a little time after they get started.

The Willie handcart company, a group of about 500 saints, left Ohio City on July 15, 1856 under the leadership of Captain James G. Willie. Delays in travel and in the construction of the handcarts put them far behind their intended schedule. Those were some of the circumstances which precipitated the following events.



Excerpts from the Willie Company journal




John Chislett's First Hand Account

 “We reached Laramie about the 1st or 2d of September, but the provisions, etc., which we expected were not there for us. Captain Willie called a meeting to take into consideration our circumstances, condition, and prospects, and to see what could be done. It was ascertained that at our present rate of travel and consumption of flour, the latter would be exhausted when we were about three hundred and fifty miles from our destination! It was resolved to reduce our allowance from one pound to three-quarters of a pound per day, and at the same time to make every effort in our power to travel faster. We continued this rate of rations from Laramie to Independence Rock.”




Oct 4:


Traveled 3 miles
Deaths: Benjamin Culley, age 61; George Ingra, age 68; Daniel Gadd, age 2

Levi Savage reported that this was the first day of the reduced rations and that some of the people had been stealing provisions. Consequently, the food was all placed into three of the four remaining wagons and a guard was posted. He indicated that the rations had been reduced from a pound of flour per day to 12 ounces.

On October 4th, President Richards arrived in the Valley. President Brigham Young called an evening meeting of the First Presidency and of the missionaries who had just arrived. Although sketchy, minutes were kept of the meeting. President Richards reported meeting John Smith on September 24th near Independence Rock. Smith was hauling 600 lbs. of flour intended to resupply the Saints. In the minutes President Richards optimistically stated, “They will not need flour until they come to the Sandy.” Clearly, he believed that the Willie Company had enough flour to get to the Little Sandy River, which was about 60 miles west of the Sixth Crossing of the Sweetwater River, where they actually ran out of food.

Because of the underestimated need of the saints, the flour from wagons was cached 15 miles from Pacific Springs, about 120 miles from where the saints of the Willie company were located.


Oct 5:

Traveled 15 miles
Deaths: None reported

Forded the North Platte River

(The following is a report from the Martin handcart company when they forded the Platte River)

Mary Goble (13); We traveled on till we got to the Platte River. That was the last walk I ever had with my mother. We watched them cross the river….It was bitter cold. The next morning there were fourteen dead in camp through the cold. We went back to camp and went to prayers. We sang the song “Come, Come, Ye Saints, No Toil Nor Labor Fear.”

Oct 6:

Traveled 16 miles
Deaths: None reported

Margaret Caldwell had earlier traded trinkets with the Indians for dried meat. On a cold night, which may have been around October 6th, she stewed the meat and thickened the broth with some flour. She gave a half pint of the thickened broth to two men who were serving as guards. They declared that it saved their lives

Oct 7:

Traveled 15 miles
Deaths: None reported

Forded the North Platte River again, this time to the south side.

“Father George P. Waugh, then between 65 and 70 years of age would be seen and heard calling between tents for his company muster between 7 and 7:30 AM. These consisted of all the aged who were not required to pull at the carts…. Away they would start ahead of us, singing and talking and cheering each other. As the day progressed, those who tired out would fall back to be taken up by some young man and carried to camp on his handcart”.

Oct 8:


Traveled 15 miles
Deaths: None reported

Levi Savage repeated that the old people were failing fast.

Jenetta (16) and Heber (13) McBride give this story of their handcart experience. “Mother being sick and nothing for her comfort, she failed very fast. She would start out in the morning and walk as far as she could. Then she would give out and lie down and wait until we came along. …Father also began to fail very rapidly and got so reduced that he could not pull any more at the handcart. Sometimes we would find Mother lying by the side of the road first. Then we would get her on the cart and haul her along until we would find father lying as if he was dead. Then Mother would be rested a little and she would try and walk and father would get on and ride.”

Oct 9:

Traveled 16 1/2 miles
Death: Samuel Gadd, age 42 (His son Daniel Gadd, age 2, had died on Oct 4)

Comments

The James and Amy Loader Family; The Loaders expected to travel the first part of the overland journey by train and the last part by wagon. After arriving in New York they were asked to travel by handcart instead and donate the money they would save to the Perpetual Emmigration Fund to help less fortunate purchase handcarts.
Patience Loader “Father and mother think this cannot be done, and I am sure I think the same, for mother cannot walk day after day, and I do not think that any of us will ever be able to continue walking every day….Mother, I am sure, can never go that way. She says herself that she cannot do it”. “Mother says that she must have a revelation before she can see this right”.
James Loader “Mother, I am going to Utah. I will pull the handcart if I die on the road.”

The Loader family traveled with the Martin Company. James Loader and one of his sons died on the trail. His widow Amy Loader (Mother) who had been so sure she could not make the journey would become one of the stalwart examples of strength, leading and literally cheering on even her adult children through untellable difficulties.

Oct 10:

Traveled 12 miles
Death: None reported

John Jaques called it a cornet; John Southwell called it a bugle. It would be blown to call to breakfast, take down the tents, break camp and start on the trail. It was blown again in like manner at noon and then at days end. “Each cornet call was some well known air or tune. How hateful those tunes did become! I verily believe….that eventually they were abhorrent to every ear in camp. It was a shame to use good and innocent tunes in that way and render them forever after repulsive.”
One of the Saint’s favorite songs was “The Handcart Song.”



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