Belated Emigrants of 1856

IOWA CITY From an old, rare photograph

Belated- Emigrants of 1856

BY SOLOMON F. KIMBALL

II

After traveling thirteen hundred miles in a little less than thrity-nine days, Franklin D. Richards' party reached Salt Lake City, October 4, 1856, having been absent from home about three years. Before they had fairly time to wash the dust from their sunburnt faces, they reported to President Brigham Young the precarious condition in which they found the Willie company when they passed them on the plains, three weeks before, on their journey from Iowa City to the Great Salt Lake Valley.

As soon as these facts leaked out, the news spread like wildfire, and when the Monday conference convened, President Young said :

"There are a number of our people on the plains who have started to come to Zion with handcarts, and they need help. We want twenty teams by tomorrow morning to go to their relief. It will be necessary to send two experienced men with each wagon. I will fur- nish three teams loaded with provisions, and send good men witli them, and Brother Heber C. Kimball will do the same. If there are any brethren present who have suitable outfits for such a journey they will please make it known at once, so we will know what to depend upon."

President Young then adjourned conference until 10 o'clock the next morning, so as to give all a chance to help get things ready.

Such a spirit of brotherly love as was shown forth by the Latter-day Saints on that occasion was perhaps never before wit-

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nessed in a religious community. It seemed that every man, woman and child within the limits of Salt Lake was alive to the situation. While the men were going in every direction gathering up supplies, the women were making quilts, mending underwear, knitting mittens, darning socks, patching trousers, and even tak- . ing clothes from their own backs to send to the shivering pil- grims hundreds of miles out on the plains.

The evening before the start was made, the twenty-seven young men who composed the relief party were called together by the authorities of the Church and given their final instruc- tions, after which all of them received blessings that fairly made

OLD FORT BRIDGER AS IT LOOKED IN PIOXEER DAYS

From a sketch by George M. Ottinger

them quake. After an affectionate parting, the boys returned to their homes for a good night's rest.

About, 9 o'clock next morning, sixteen first-class four-mule teams were seen wending their way towards Emigration Canyon, headed for ,the east. They were under the supervision of such men as George D. Grant, William H. Kimball, Joseph A. Young, Cyrus H. Wheelock, James Furguson and Chauncey G. Webb. With them were such noted scouts as Robert T. Burton, Charles F. Decker, Benjamin Hampton, Heber P. Kimball, Harvey H. Guff, Thomas Alexander, Reddick N. Allred, Ira Nebeker, Thomas Ricks, Edward Peck, William Broomhead, Abel Garr, C. Allen Huntington, George W. Grant, David P. Kimball, Stephen Taylor, Joel Parish, Charles Grey, Amos Fairbanks, Daniel W. lones and Thomas Bankhead.

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ASCENDING SOUTH PASS, GOING EAST From a sketch by George M. Ottinger

The first night out they camped at the foot of Big Mountain, and by unanimous vote George D. Grant was elected captain of the company, and William H. Kimball and Robert T. Burton his assistants, Cyrus H. Wheelock, chaplain, and Charles F. Decker, guide.

At daylight next morning they continued on their way, driv- ing as far as possible each day, not even stopping for the noon hour. Stormy weather soon set in, making the roads well-nigh impassable. Fort Bridger was reached on the 12th, but not a word from the emigrants had reached that place. Three days later they arrived at Green River, and still no word from them.

By this time the boys became somewhat alarmed, as they were expecting to meet the Willie company in the neighborhood of Fort Bridger, and here they were fifty-eight miles beyond. When last heard from, the Martin company was more than one hundred miles in the rear of the Willie company, and the wagon trains still behind them.

After discussing matters from various standpoints, Joseph A. Young and Cyrus H. Wheelock were sent ahead to let the emigrants know that relief was at hand, and to urge them to push on towards the Valley, as rapidly as possible, no matter what the sacrifice might be. There were more than 1,500 pilgrims to be rescued, and sixteen loads of provisions divided among such a number would not last many days.

Before the expressmen were fairly out of sight, their com- panions were again moving. They were anxious to cross the divide between the Wind River and Green River Mountains be- fore the threatening storms overtook them. They fully realized

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what it meant for hundreds of worn-out emigrants to be caught in the early storms of a severe winter, hundreds of miles out in the wilderness, without food and shelter.

After traveling thirty-five or forty miles in a northeasterly direction, winter broke in upon them in all its fury. It snowed for three days and nights almost incessantly, with a cold wind con- stantly blowing from the north. The roads became so blocked with snow that the boys were compelled to double teams before they were able to reach the summit of the Continental Divide. Reddick N. Allred's team was so run down that he was unable to continue the journey. The snow was so deep at South Pass that the best teams in the outfit could hardly draw their loads on a down-hill pull.

On the evening of the 20th, they turned down to a sheltered

SEEKING FOR HELP From a sketch by George M. Ottinger

place on the Sweetwater, and camped for the night, for men and animals were completely exhausted. Just as they were located, here came Captain Willie and Joseph B. Elder, on two worn-out mules, with news that their company, east of Rocky Ridge, was in a freezing, starving condition, and would perish unless immediate relief was given.

The boys soon hitched their teams again and continued on their way as long as their animals could stand it. At daylight the next morning another start was made, and they continued going until the Willie camp was reached. Before they had time to alight from their wagons they witnessed sights that were

MEMBERS OF THE RELIEF PARTY

lm> row: \ illiam H. Kimball, James Furguson; second row: Thomas E. Ricks,

Rcddick N. Allred; bottom row: Harvey H. Cluff, and Benjamin Hampton.

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enough to move the hardest heart. These poor unfortunates, numbering a little less than five hundred, were caught in a place where there was neither wood nor shelter. They had not had anything to eat for forty-eight hours, and were literally freezing and starving to death.

The Salt Lake boys were soon mounted on harnessed mules, with axes in hand, and in a short time dragged from the distant hills several cords of wood to the Willie camp below. Bonfires were soon made, and the cooking began in earnest, every available person taking a hand. This was kept up until every member of the Willie company had enough to eat and to spare. Soon there was an improvement in camp, but the relief came too late for some, and nine deaths occurred that night.

This is what Brother John Chislett, a member of that ill- fated company, had to say about that portion of the journey:

"We traveled on in misery and sorrow, day after day, sometimes going quite a distance, and at other times we were only able to walk a few miles. We were finally overtaken by a snowstorm which the fierce winds blew furiously about our ears, but we dare not stop, as we had sixteen miles to make that day in order to reach wood and water.

"As we were resting at noon, a light wagon from the west drove into camp, and its occupants were Joseph A. Young and Cyrus H. Wheelock. Messengers more welcome than these young men were to us never came from the courts of glory. After encouraging us all they could, they drove on to convey the glad tidings to the members of the Martin company which, it was feared, were even worse off than we. As they went from our midst many a hearty 'God bless you' fol- lowed them.

"Just as the sun was sinking behind the distant cliffs west of our camp, several covered wagons were seen coming towards us. The news spread through the camp like wildfire, and all who were able turned out en masse. Shouts of joy rent the air, strong men wept, and children danced with gladness. As the brethren entered our camp the sisters fell upon them and deluged them with their tears and kisses. Our rescuers were so overcome that they could hardly speak, but in choking sdence attempted to repress the emotions that evidently mastered them. Soon, however, the ieeling was somewhat abated, and such a shaking of hands, such words of comfort, and such invocations of God's blessings were never before witnessed. Among the brethren who came to our rescue were Elders William H. Kimball and George D. Grant. They had remained in the Valley but two days before start- ing back to our relief. May God ever bless them for their generous, unselfish kindness, and their manly fortitude. How nobly, how faith- fully, how bravely they worKed to bring us to the Zion of our God."

The next morning, agreeable to plans adopted by the relief party, at a meeting held the evening before, Captain George D. Grant, with seventeen men and nine teams, pushed on to the relief of the Martin, Hodgett and Hunt companies, taking most of the provisions with him, while William H. Kimball, with the re- mainder of the outfit, started back to Salt Lake in charge of the

MEMBERS OF THE WILLIE COMPANY Top row: Captain James Y. Willie, Assistant Captain Millen M. Atwood; bottom row: Joseph B. Elder and Margaret D. Cowan.

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Willie company. It was late in the day before Elder Kimball got the handcart people started, as they were in such a weakened condition. About forty of their number had already perished, and others were dying.

While crossing Rocky Ridge, many of the Saints frosted their hands, feet and faces, the weather was so extremely cold. The next morning they pushed on as rapidly as possible, as they were anxious to get the benefit of the newly-broken road, before the drifting snow filled it ; but were sadly disappointed, as a fearful blizzard raged throughout the whole day. They were nearly out of provisions again, and had to travel at least twenty miles before they could renew their supplies. This was the most disastrous day of the journey, and fifteen of their number died that day.

On the 24th, after a hard day's climb, they reached South Pass, where flour and plenty of wood, at the Allred camp, were found. The next day they met five Valley teams, but it was deemed advisable to have them go to the relief of the Martin company, which was at least one hundred miles in the rear. These wagons had made a well-beaten track which proved of much benefit to the handcart folks, enabling them to reach Green River by the last of the month. The next day they met seven teams from Fort Supply, and three from Salt Lake. From there on they met teams every day, but most of them went to the relief of the other parties.

When they arrived at Fort Bridger, on the 2nd of Novem- ber, they were filled with joy to find about fifty teams that had been sent from the settlements, north and south of Salt Lake, to haul them the remainder of the way. Up to this time about one- sixth of their number had died, since leaving Iowa City, on the morning of July 15.

About noon on the 9th of November, William H. Kimball halted his sixty wagon loads of suffering humanity in front of the Old Tithing Office building, where Hotel Utah now stands. The company was greeted by hundreds of Salt Lake citizens who were anxiously awaiting their coming. The scene that followed would be hard to describe. In less than an hour from the time that ill-fated company reached its destination, every man, woman and child that belonged to it, was being tenderly cared for in a manner that brought tears of joy to their bloodshot eyes.

(to be continued)