Mormon Trail: Difference between revisions

[[Image:Pioneers Crossing the Plains of Nebraska by C-1-.C.A. Christensen.png|right|400px|Pioneers Crossing the Plains of Nebraska by C-1-.C.A. Christensen.png]]The original 1846-1847 '''Mormon Trail''' went from [[Nauvoo, Illinois|Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois]] to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha,_Nebraska Omaha, Douglas, Nebraska], to [[Salt Lake City, Utah|Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah]]. The length of the wagon trail from Nauvoo to Salt Lake City was about 1,300 mile (2,092 km).<ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Mormon Trail" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_Trail (accessed 6 July 2012).</ref><br><br>  

Nauvoo, Illinois from 1839 to 1845 was a gathering place for members of [http://lds.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] (sometimes called "Mormons"). In 1846 hostile neighbors forced an exodus of the main group out of Nauvoo across Iowa to the area near where Omaha, Nebraska would eventually be built. Most Mormon pioneers stayed there in "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Quarters_%28North_Omaha,_Nebraska%29 Winter Quarters]" and in 1847 completed the journey to Salt Lake City in Utah Territory, their new gathering place.<ref name="PioSto">"The Pioneer Story : The Mormon Pioneer Trail" in ''The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'' at http://lds.org/gospellibrary/pioneer/pioneerstory.htm (accessed 8 July 2011).</ref>  

In 1846 another group led by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Brannan Samuel Brannan] with 237 other Latter-day Saints sailed for six months on the first family passenger ship to [[California, United States Genealogy|California]], the [[Ship Brooklyn|''Ship Brooklyn'']], from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City New York City] around [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Horn Cape Horn] to [[Hawaii Genealogy|Hawaii]] to [[San Francisco County,California|San Francisco]]. Brannan published the Sutter's Mill gold strike to start the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Gold_Rush Gold Rush]. From [[California, United States Genealogy|California]] most of these pioneers found their way to [[Utah, United States Genealogy|Utah]] as individuals or in small groups. This included former soldiers hoping to reunite with the families they last saw in [[Iowa, United States Genealogy|Iowa]].<ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Mormon pioneers" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_pioneers (accessed 9 July 2011).</ref>  

The Mormon Trail usually followed the north side of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Platte_River North Platte River] west through [[Nebraska, United States Genealogy|Nebraska]] and [[Wyoming, United States Genealogy|Wyoming]] to follow the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetwater_River_%28Wyoming%29 Sweetwater River] farther west. The trail went over [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Pass South Pass], then worked its way through the mountains. Pioneers crossed the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_River_%28Utah%29 Green River] at [http://wyoshpo.state.wy.us/trailsdemo/lombard_ferry.htm Lombard Ferry], headed for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Bridger Fort Bridger], and forded the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_River_%28Utah%29 Bear River] before reaching [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Echo_Canyon.jpg Echo Canyon]. Their last camp on the trail was often near the Old Fort at Pioneer Park in Salt Lake City. The Mormon Trail overlapped parts of the [[Oregon Trail]] and [[California Trail]] which normally stayed on the south side of the North Platte River. The Oregon Trail took [http://www.nps.gov/cali/parkmgmt/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&pageid=542813 a more northerly route] after the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_River_%28Utah%29 Green River] into [[Idaho, United States Genealogy|Idaho]] and [[Oregon, United States Genealogy|Oregon]]. The California Trail [http://www.nps.gov/cali/parkmgmt/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&pageid=542813 continued west] from Salt Lake City (or from the Oregon Trail at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hall Fort Hall, Idaho])<ref>Wikipedia contributors, "California Trail" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Route (accessed 9 July 2011).</ref> into [[Nevada, United States Genealogy|Nevada]] and [[California, United States Genealogy|California]].  

:*[http://www.nps.gov/mopi/planyourvisit/auto_ut.htm Auto Tour Route - '''Utah''']

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'''Written Accounts of the Journey''' descriptions are found in order by year and pioneer company in Melvin L. Bashore, and Linda L. Haslam, ''Mormon Pioneer Companies Crossing the Plains 1847–1868. Narratives. 3rd rev. ed.'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Historical Dept., 1990). [http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/22010162 WorldCat entry]. {{FHL|594278|item|disp=FHL Film 1592752 item 6; Book 289.3016 B291m}}.  

*"Mormon Trail" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopeida'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_Trail (accessed 8 July 2011). History and relatively detailed list of sites along the trail with some images.  

*"The Pioneer Story: The Mormon Pioneer Trail" in ''The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'' at http://lds.org/gospellibrary/pioneer/pioneerstory.htm (accessed 11 July 2011). Brief local histories, trail diary entries, images, and portraits from 40 stops along the Mormon Trail.

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