Sweetwater Crossing

Above: The carved stone honors the young men who on November 4, 1856 carried those too tired or cold across the Sweetwater River.

The Sweetwater crossing is one of the spiritual activities that takes place on Trek. When the rescuers arrived to bring the suffering members of the handcart companies to safety, they determined that they should move them from the intense cold and exposure of Fort Seminoe to the more sheltered place now named Martins Cove. When they arrived at the river, many of the company, remembering the earlier crossing of the freezing, ice filled North Platte River simply sat down, too tired and fearful to cross. Many who had crossed the North Platte had fallen ill and some had died from the wet and cold.

Young men from the rescue party including George W. Grant, C.A. Huntington, David P. Kimball and Stephen W. Taylor began to carry the women and children across the freezing river. They would make the journey may times before all had crossed to the other side.

Above, a view from the middle of the bridge over the Sweetwater River.

The place where trekkers cross is called the "silent" crossing (at the top of the image). At this place, Trekkers re-enact the crossing with the young men carrying the young women across the river. You may also pull your handcart across the river.

Our group is crossing the Sweetwater at the silent crossing. There is a great opportunity to strengthen your testimony and feel the spirit by considering the sacrifice and suffering experienced by the pioneers and the service performed by their rescuers.

Above: This is the view from the other side of the "Silent" crossing on the Sweetwater River. The river is approximately knee deep and provides a cool refresher from the heat of the day.

1855 Map

The map above was published in New York in 1855 the year before the Willie and Martin Companies began their long trek from England. Since the Martin Company sailed into the port of New York, it is likely that they had a map just like this one to follow as they embarked on their trek. I can imagine the days and nights spent studying the map, wondering "how much further" and what lay ahead.

While the map is not very detailed (click on it to see it larger), it does show points on which the pioneers could get their bearings. Places like "Court House Rock", "Chimney Rock", "Scotts Bluff" and the exotic "Fort Laramie" excite the imagination and give hope to weary travelers.

If you look on the right hand side up approximately one third from the bottom, you'll see Omaha City (Florence) right across from Council Bluffs. Follow the Nebraska or Platte River from just below Omaha City (right to left) continuing up the North Fork of Platte R. and you'll see the approximate route taken by the pioneers.

Just past Ft. Laramie, you'll see "Devils Gate" and the Sweetwater River that you follow to Ft. Bridger and on into the Salt Lake Valley. While there are lots of other maps, I find this one quaint because of the spelling of "Kanzas"

If you'd like to follow a "day by day" account of the journey taken from actual trek journals, you can click on http://handcart.byu.edu/ This site was set up in 2006 for the 150 year celebration of the Trek.

Martin Handcart Company

Edward Martin, leader of the Martin Handcart Company is on the far right, second row.

The Martin Company left Liverpool, England on May 25th, 1856 on the ship "Horizon" destined for Boston, Mass. After arriving in Boston they travelled by railroad to Iowa City, Iowa arriving on July 8th where they were outfitted with handcarts and other supplies.

They left Iowa City on July 28th bound for Florence, Nebraska (now Omaha) a journey of nearly 300 miles.  They began the 1,030 mile trek to Salt Lake City on August 27th with 576 individuals.

Tomorrow, August 27, 2009 will be the 153rd anniversary of the start of their trek.

Sandy Crescent Trek 2010

Next June, the youth of the Sandy Utah Crescent Stake and their leaders have the opportunity to retrace the footsteps of one of the most tragic and yet heroic migrations to the Zion.

Over the next nine months, thousands of hours of planning will go into creating a once in a lifetime experience for all of the those who choose to participate.

Beginning June 23rd 2010, more than 350 youth and adults will re-enact a famous moment in pioneer history as they spend three days pushing and pulling pioneer handcarts on the trail utilized by the Willie and Martin Handcart companies.

The Willie and Martin Handcart companies composed of emigrants bound for the Salt Lake Valley, were trapped in October of 1856 when they encountered an unexpected heavy snowstorm. Eventually help was sent from Salt Lake City to help rescue the pioneers, but not before the storm took a heavy toll in lives.

This blog provide a resource for those making the trek and any others interested in the journey, both physical and spiritual as preparrations are made for this journey.

We'll ask many to contribute their expertise in stories, images, and music creating the opoortunity for a truly rich experience understanding the sacrifices made in the 1800's and the lessons they offer us to this day. We'll document personal stories, both of the original pioneers and their families as well as those who particiapte in Trek 2010.

We've set up a Twitter site found at : http://twitter.com/Trek2010 where you can receive real time updates that will point you to this page and postings on YouTube and Facebook.

We're interested in your input and contributions in the form of images, stories, personal and family stories.