Trek Willie & Martin Handcart Companies

Trek 2016 Willie & Martin Handcart Companies

How Firm a Foundation #85 1. How firm a foundation, ye Saints of the Lord, 4. When through the deep waters I call thee to go, Is laid for your faith in his excellent word! The rivers of sorrow shall not thee o'erflow, What more can he say than to you he hath said, For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless, Who unto the Savior, who unto the Savior, And sanctify to thee, and sanctify to thee, Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled? And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress. 3. Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed, 7. The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose For I am thy God and will still give thee aid. I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes; I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, Upheld by my righteous, upheld by my righteous, I'll never, no never, I'll never, no never, Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand. I'll never, no never, no never forsake! Text: Attr. to Robert Keen, ca. 1787. Included in the first LDS hymnbook, 1835. Music: Attr. to J. Ellis, ca. 1889

Trek Announcements Youth/Parents, please turn in youth Medical Forms now (today) Adults called to serve on Trek also need to turn in Registration and Medical Forms Get forms from us (today) or on the website (trek2016.weebly.com) Stake Practice Hike June 11, 2016, Tres Piedras 10am 2pm Lunch Provided More details coming from Stake Youth Committee

The URL for the website is in your trek journal. Click on EXPERIENCES And you can add who you picked to honor AND something you found to go with our On Fire theme Plus more!

Click on PREPARE and you can find information about clothing, supplies, and music to learn!

IDEAS FOR TREK FROM THE TRAINING IN WYOMING You can make a cushion for your bucket that you will get about 1 month Before trek.

Mas and Pas could make pockets for water bottles to put on the back of their carts.

Possibles bag You can use a back pack

Young Women please wear something made of cotton that is loose under your skirt to protect you from the mosquitos! Pantaloons bonnets Skirts or dresses

This is what happens if you don t protect your legs under your skirt! She was only wearing shorts.

This is the list from the display table notfrom our trek journal (all in black are the same as our list) Men: Women: Wide brimmed hat with hurricane strap Bonnet or large hat with straps shade the face Neck cooler (provided by the stake) and cover back of neck Bandana (not provided) Neck Cooler (provided by stake), bandana (not provided) Loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirt Long-sleeved shirt can roll up sleeves T-shirt (with no logo) can be worn Skirt mid calf length is best so no one trips underneath a button up shirt Apron with pockets Vest (optional not on our list) Jacket Pantaloons that are loose they protect Khaki pants no levis (chaffing) you from mosquitos, bugs, etc Belt or Suspenders Socks, thick, athletic Socks thick, athletic (no cotton) Shoes or boots well broken in!! Shoes or boots well broken in!! Water shoes if desired for a river crossing Water shoes if desired for river crossing Jacket Possibles bag Possibles Bag Possibles bag: Tissue, sunscreen Chapstick Rain poncho Gloves Water bottle Extra socks Camera Journal pen or pencil First aid kit Treats granola bar, applet, etc Any needed medications such as an inhaler What not to wear or bring: Any tight fitting clothing tops or bottoms DON T NEED A MESS KIT No biking shorts, leggings, tights (too tight and form fitting) Pantaloons work much better! No hiking up dresses and skirts for river crossings pioneers didn t do it they will dry No ELECTRONICS: Nothing with headphones No Cell Phones, No Ipods, etc.

BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL MADE OF COTTON! COTTON SOAKS UP SWEAT AND RUBS YOUR FEET AND CAUSES BLISTERS! THE SHORT SOCKS WILL ALSO LET IN A LOT OF DIRT AND SAND. NOT OK, WHY?

OK, WHY? A good price is $5 a pair Sams, Costco, and Big 5 carry them. Wool, Bamboo Or Synthetic Wicks away Moisture! No BLISTERS!!!! Merino Wool Idea: Go barefoot in June to toughen up souls of feet.

NOT OK, WHY? The mesh will let in sand. Not enough support For 15 miles!

OK, WHY? We recently found nice hiking shoes Like above at Big 5 for $30. No mesh good support

WATER SHOES You want a top on the shoe so you don t get stuck in the mud.

Flip Flops will get stuck in the mud.

Walking with bare feet in the mud. They all got cuts from rocks and other things.

Faith of Obedience Program Not too late to start today! How many are working toward the award?

Trek 2016 Itinerary July 3 rd Sunday meet at the Santa Fe Stake Building at 9pm July 4 th Monday travel to Wyoming by bus. (midnight to 1pm) The rest of our adventure is detailed in map and pictures:

1 Handcarts came this way. Monday visit here

1 Monday night camp here at Sage Creek Campground Handcarts came this way. Monday visit here

1 Monday night camp here Handcarts came this way. Monday visit here Tues. hike Rocky Ridge to Rock Creek Hollow 15 miles!

We will cross small rivers And walk some more.

There will be 3 bathroom stops on the Rocky Ridge Day hike.

There are places the carts are Required to go by BLM (bureau of land management)

This is what it looks like when you are almost to Rock Creek Hollow.

1 Tues. night camp here Monday night camp here Handcarts came this way. Monday visit here Tues. hike Rocky Ridge

1 Monday night camp here Tues. night camp here Wed & Thurs. night camp here at River Campground Wed hike here at 6 th Crossing Handcarts came this way. Monday visit here Tues. hike Rocky Ridge

This is the new visitor s center at Sixth Crossings Below is River Campground.

It can be very wet and muddy if the rivers are high. Bring good water shoes that will stay on your feet!

The Women s Pull is a great experience!

Willie s Meadow (inside the bushes at the 6 th crossing of the Sweetwater River) where Willie s company waited for rescue with no food Oct 20-21 in a blizzard.

1 Tues. night camp here Monday night camp here Wed & Thurs. night camp here Wed hike here Thursday hike here Handcarts came this way. Monday visit here Tues. hike Rocky Ridge

Martin s Cove Silent walk in the cove

Coming out of the cove looking towards the west.

These saints had to draw from their deepest reservoirs of faith as they faced grueling hardships harsh winter storms; inadequate clothing and shelter; insufficient food rations; illness; and death. Clinging to their faith in God, their vision of Zion, and their hope for rescue, they pressed forward through the most daunting conditions. Selected Handcart Stories for Youth Treks

Martin s Cove in winter from the top of the horseshoe looking west. All the slides up until the maps are made to go with the preface of the book Fire of the Covenant by Gerald Lund. He experienced the cold of Martin s Cove in January and the sudden storms on Rocky Ridge in July. He says it was a miracle that anyone survived the hardships of these pioneers It was apparent that God sustained them.

Selections from the Preface of Fire of the Covenant by Gerald Lund It was the middle of January. The sun was shining from a cloudless sky of incredible blue. It had been a dry month thus far, and there was only an inch or two of snow amidst the grass and the sagebrush. I was standing at the top of the great sand hill that sits squarely in the middle of Martin s Cove, not far from Devil s Gate in central Wyoming. All around me in a great half circle loomed the red-brown granite faces of what the locals call the Sweetwater Rocks, a part of the Rattlesnake Range. It was here, in this natural cove formed by the granite ridges, that about five hundred people of the Edward Martin Handcart Company and another four hundred people from two independent wagon companies took shelter in early November 1856. Low on food, desperately cold, they huddled together in misery, waiting out yet another winter storm.

From the top of the sand ridge, I could see down into the cove itself. There was dry, brittle grass, scattered cedar trees, clumps of sage.

I could close my eyes and picture the scene as it must have looked back then: round canvas tents, their whiteness almost invisible in the snow; the trails that ran from tent to tent and to the small spring and to the burial ground. There some fifty-six people had finally escaped the cold and found rest. On that day I was there, the temperature was hovering somewhere around ten or twelve degrees Fahrenheit. I was grateful. It could have been much worse. On the sixth day of November 1856, the thermometer registered eleven degrees below zero! Ten above in January was pure luxury.

I stood there in the wind, shivering violently, stamping my feet up and down, anxiously waiting for the signal to get back into the four-by-fours so we could crank up the heaters full blast. And I marveled.

As that first October storm ripped down upon them, their clothes were tattered and heavily worn. Shoes and boots were falling apart. Some had no shoes at all and wrapped their feet in burlap. Many had only a single blanket or quilt for bedding. Thin canvas tents provided their only shelter. They were living on four ounces of flour per day barely enough to make one normal-sized biscuit.

And with all of that, they were forced to pull their handcarts through heavy snow an exhausting task for even the healthy and the strong. I no longer wondered why so many died. Another question now pressed in heavily upon me. How did anyone survive?

Of the five hundred people who started west from Iowa City with the Willie Handcart Company, sixty-seven would perish before they reached the Valley. Fifteen of those, or about 25 percent of the total deaths, occurred in one day! This was the day after they fought their way in a ground blizzard over a place known as Rocky Ridge. They had no choice. They were out of food, and the wagons from the Valley were waiting for them some sixteen miles to the west.

I have been privileged to pull a handcart over Rocky Ridge. That was on another trip and it was summer then, late in July. It had been hot when we started at the base of the long climb, so I was in Levis, a light summer shirt, and a baseball cap. Then, about two-thirds of the way up, a brief afternoon thunderstorm raced over us. The temperature plummeted fifteen or twenty degrees. It rained for no more than three or four minutes, but enough that we were soaked.

The wind was blowing at thirty or thirty-five miles an hour and probably gusting to fifty. In a matter of minutes my teeth were chattering and I was shivering so violently I could hardly walk. I knew that if I stopped I was in danger of suffering a mild case of hypothermia. And that was in July!

As I plodded along, feeling like my legs were useless stumps and that someone had poured acid down into my chest, I thought of exhausted, starving emigrants, starting out in the dead of winter, with snow providing treacherous footing in many places. When we reached the top of Rocky Ridge, our four-by-fours were waiting for us.

When the Willie Company reached the top, they had another eleven miles to pull! We took approximately two hours that day. The last of the Willie Company did not straggle in until some twenty-two hours after their departure! I stood in awe of what they had done.

I, along with many others, had wondered why this had happened. These people were faithful. Many of them had sacrificed everything to come to Utah. So why hadn t God tempered the weather? Why was that early storm so vicious and so unrelenting?

Had God forsaken them because they had foolishly come on so late in the season? That conclusion, which a few writers hinted at, had always troubled me. I did not believe that a loving and merciful Father dealt with His children in that manner.

I went back to the journals again, this time reading with new eyes, this time searching for new insights.

There was evidence of the marvelous sustaining power of God. The storms were not turned aside, nor did manna rain down from heaven, but neither were those hapless emigrants forgotten by the Lord. Collectively and individually, they were not forsaken. Gradually I came to realize that there was an incredible miracle taking place here, a miracle largely unseen and passed over without comment by those who experienced it. It was not only that the marvelous sustaining power of God was there, but that these exhausted, starving, freezing emigrants never lost faith in that power, not even in the hour of their greatest extremity. I realized then that they fully understood the words to one of the popular hymns of Zion, which they sang as they came westward.

hen through the deep waters I call thee to go, he rivers of sorrow shall not thee o erflow, For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,

I found the fire of faith burning in the hearts of those people so brightly that no amount of cold, no amount of hunger, no amount of suffering could extinguish it. In like manner, it burned in the hearts of those who left their homes and mounted one of the most amazing rescue efforts in American history.

Whether in the stifling heat of July or the frigid days of January,

the sites along the Mormon Trail still echo with the voices of those men, women, and children who crossed them so many years before.

The rest of the slides tell part of the story of the Willie Company that isn t covered very well in your trek journal. The Sixth Crossing of the Sweetwater that we will visit on Wednesday, is a very significant place. So this is an attempt to help you understand its significance:

W = Willie s Company M = Martin s Company R = Rescue Company Should be here by July 4th

Fort Bridger

The Rowleys wanted to emigrate, but William died in 1849, and the family struggled to save enough money. "I knew that our parting was only temporary and that viewed from the eternities, this was but a fleeting moment," Ann wrote. "I also knew that no matter how fleeting a moment it was, I had to make the best of it. I had a very real job to do. The children had to be fed and clothed, but the big task and the one I must accomplish, is to get us all to Zion. I must be among the people of my faith and I must get the Temple work done for us." So urgent was Ann Rowley's desire to gather to Zion that after her husband died, all of her children who could earn money were put to work. Louisa and Elizabeth, ages 11 and 10 at the time, worked late into the night making gloves and doing needlework. John and Samuel, ages 8 and 6, worked in a brickyard tramping mud to be used for bricks. Finally, seven years after William Rowley's death, and with assistance from the Perpetual Emigration Fund, the family was ready to emigrate. In 1856 Ann boarded the ship Thornton with her seven children and her stepdaughter Eliza Rowley. Ann said she would have liked to take many keepsakes on her journey, but there was no room or ability to pay the freight. God knows about our trials and the details Of our lives. He waits for us to ask Him. Miracles can and do happen in our lives. By mid-october the Willie company s food supply was running dangerously low, and flour rations were reduced twice. Ann again thought of Jesus and determined to trust God: "It hurt me to see my children go hungry. I watched as they cut the loose rawhide from the cart wheels, roasted off the hair, and chewed the hide. There came a time when there seemed to be no food at all.... Night was coming and there was no food for the evening meal. I asked God s help as I always did. I got on my knees, remembering two hard sea biscuits that were still in my trunk. They had been left over from the sea voyage. They were not large and were so hard they couldn t be broken. Surely that was not enough to feed 8 people, but 5 loaves and 2 fishes were not enough to feed 5,000 people either, but through a miracle, Jesus had done it. So, with God s help, nothing is impossible. I found the biscuits and put them in a dutch oven and covered them with water and asked for God s blessing. Then I put the lid on the pan and set it on the coals. When I took off the lid a little later, I found the pan filled with food. I kneeled with my family and thanked God for his goodness. That night my family had sufficient food."

The Willie Company started out on Oct 19 th having just crossed the Sweetwater River for the 5 th time and the blizzard began. They had to stop briefly for the brunt of the storm to pass. Upon starting up again heading for the sixth crossing about 10 miles more...

They saw 4 riders coming towards them.

They were the express rider sent ahead of the rescue team to locate the handcart companies and inform them the supply wagons were behind them a day or 2. They brought no food but much hope.

6 th crossing of the Sweetwater River Sweetwater River Where we will camp on Wednesday & Thursday night Willie s Meadow Where Willie s Company waited to be rescued. Trail we will take to Willie s Meadow Trail the handcarts traveled

The Willie Company was still 10 miles east of their next camp site (Sixth Crossing of the Sweetwater) and they didn t know how far away Captain Grant and the rescue party were. By the time they reached the camp at Sixth Crossing a full scale Wyoming blizzard was in progress and the situation had become as desperate as it had ever been (perhaps more so because they knew that help was so close and they might never reach it). According to John Chislett: The morning before the storm, or rather, the morning of the day on which it came [the 19th], we had issued the last ration of flour. On this fatal morning [the 20th], therefore, we had none to issue. We had, however, a barrel or two of hard bread which Captain Willie had procured a Fort Laramie in view of our destitution. This was equally and fairly divided among all the company [about 500 people]. Twoof our poor broken-down cattle were killed and their carcasses issued for beef. With this we were informed that we w to subsist until the coming supplies reach us. (We do get to visit this sacred site.)

Br. and Sis. Dahl visited the Willie Meadow at their Training in Sept 2015.

Joseph Elder, 21 years old, puts others before himself. Joseph Elder was supposed to ride with Pres. Richards in horse and buggy quickly to SLC. Instead, he was asked to stay with the Willie Company to help them on their way. He was the one that Captain Willie picked to accompany him to find the rescue wagons. We can choose to be dependable and ready to help like Joseph Elder.

Harvey Cluff was a member of the Rescue Party. They had gone off the trail to find shelter during the storm. He felt prompted to put up a sign on the main trail to say where they were. Within a short time of returning, Willie and Elder came into camp. Without Harvey Cluff s willingness and worthiness to listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, there is little doubt that Willie and Elder would have ridden past the rescue party and perished in the blizzard that night. It is also unlikely that the rescue party would have found the 500 people waiting for them only 25 miles to the east in time to have prevented hundreds more from perishing. Because Harvey Cluff listening to the promptings of the Holy Ghost though, the situation was dramatically changed. Captain Grant and his men immediately hitched up the wagons and started east. Toward evening of the next day (two days after Willie and Elder had left in desperation), Grant s company arrived at Sixth Crossing. We should always follow the Promptings of the spirit no matter How small they may seem! Harvey Cluff 20 years old Followed the Spirit

They must keep going to meet more supply wagons. There were not enough supplies to last long. Six of the supply wagons stay with the Willie Company and eight go to find the Martin Company.

Trek 2011 on the top of Rocky Ridge

11 more miles after Rocky Ridge to Rock Creek Hollow

Some give up when it is hard, lose faith, or blame God for their trials. Another choice is to have hope through Christ, forgive, and be better for it. 23 And Christ truly said unto our fathers: If ye have faith ye can do all things which are expedient unto me. Moroni 10:23 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Phillipians 4:13 Story of Jens and Elsie Nielsen Son Neils & Bodil Mortensen October 23 was a day of heartbreak for Jens and Elsie. A blizzard and the long trek over Rocky Ridge challenged them every step of the way. Tragically, both young Niels Nielson and Bodil Mortensen died that day. Jens wrote of the excruciating circumstances at their camp in Rock Creek Hollow, where Niels and Bodil were buried: We had to dig a hole and bury [13] bodies of our number, and my only son was among them, and a girl who I had along for Brother Mortensen. Jens was also becoming weaker, and it seems that he was prepared to die. Elsie was reportedly less than five feet tall, but she had a spiritual stature and courage that matched Jens s frame of over six feet. One of their descendants, Jay P. Nielson, told of Elsie s courageous strength when Jens could no longer walk: The end appeared to be near and certain for Jens. His feet became so frozen he could not walk another step, which caused his right foot to be at right angles the rest of his life. At this point Jens said to Elsie, Leave me by the trail in the snow to die, and you go ahead and try to keep up with the company and save your life. If you believe men have a monopoly on strength and courage, then pay heed to Elsie s immortal words when she said, Ride. I can t leave you. I can pull the cart. It is not known how long Elsie pulled Jens in the handcart. One family history suggests that it was at least a day. Jens did not record the incident in his history. Instead, he recalled a covenant he made with God at that time. It was a covenant that Jens and Elsie were united in keeping for the rest of their lives: I remember my prayers as distinctly today as I did then. If [the Lord] would let me live to come to Salt Lake City,... all my days should be spent in usefulness under the direction of his Holy Priesthood.

There is a spirit out there that lifts the heart and renews one s determination to be better, to try harder, to strive to be more faithful. That is the legacy those wonderful Saints have handed to us. We look forward to sharing a great adventure on trek 2016! Let Christ change your heart as you prepare.