Vanguard company of 1847 Mormon pioneers

winter quarters

in april 1847, young consulted members of quorum of twelve apostles had returned british mission. john taylor, parley p. pratt , orson hyde brought money contributed english saints, map based on john c. fremont’s recent western expedition, , instruments calculating latitude, elevation, temperature , barometric pressure. chosen members of vanguard group gathered together, final supplies packed, , group organized military companies. group consisted of 143 men, including 3 blacks , 8 members of quorum of twelve apostles, 3 women, , 2 children. train contained 73 wagons, 1 cannon, 93 horses, 52 mules, 66 oxen, 19 cows, 17 dogs , chickens, , carried enough supplies provision group 1 year. young divided group 14 companies, each designated captain. apprehensive of possible indian danger, militia , night guard formed under direction of stephen markham.

pioneers crossing plains of nebraska

on april 5, 1847, @ 2 p.m., wagon train moved west winter quarters toward great basin. afternoon start, made 3 miles (5 km) , camped in line few hundred yards stand of timber. journal records show young actively managed journey, supervising details , giving reprimands when evening , sunday recreation became rowdy or group members failed complete tasks. on 1 occasion, chastised camp s hunters being wasteful of flesh ... killing more needed. camp awakened bugle @ 5 a.m. , company expected prepared travel 7 a.m.. each day s travel ended @ 8:30 p.m. , camp in bed 9 p.m.. company traveled 6 days during week, stayed in camp on sunday observe sabbath.

some camp members assigned specific tasks. william clayton appointed company scribe , expected record accurate description of journey , distance traveled each day. after 3 weeks, clayton grew tired of counting revolutions of wagon wheel , computing day s distance multiplying count wheel s circumference. after consulting orson pratt, accomplished mathematician, designed mechanism consisting of set of wooden cog wheels attached hub of wagon wheel, mechanism counting or recording position revolutions of wheel. clayton s design, called roadometer, basis modern odometers. apparatus built clayton , pratt s specifications company s carpenter appleton milo harmon , first used on morning of may 12, 1847. roadometer showed company averaged between fourteen , twenty miles per day. apostle orson pratt named company s scientific observer. made regular readings on scientific instruments, took notes on geological formations , mineral resources, , described plants , animals. journals kept both clayton , pratt have become valuable resources historians of mormon trek west.

women of company performed vital tasks along way. while time spent on traditional activities such cooking, sewing, , tending children, several women served scribes , diary keepers. harriet page young, wife of lorenzo young, first woman selected company. in ill health , lorenzo young feared leave , young children behind. other original women of company, ellen sanders kimball, wife of heber c. kimball, , clarissa decker young, wife of brigham young, asked accompany group after harriet young , keep company. 3 women joined larger group of women church members mississippi merged main party @ laramie, wyoming.

entering great salt lake valley

the first segment of journey, winter quarters fort laramie took 6 weeks, company arriving @ fort on june 1. company halted repairs , reshoe draft animals. while @ fort laramie, vanguard company joined members of mormon battalion had been excused service due illness , sent winter in pueblo, colorado. traveling in new group church members mississippi had taken more southern route toward great basin. @ point, larger company took established oregon trail toward trading post @ ft. bridger. @ difficult crossing of platte, before encountering sweetwater river, company made use of portable boat , able cross comparative ease. seizing opportunity both future travelers , increase cash available migration, 9 men under direction of thomas grover left behind construct , operate ferry @ location. missourians , other travellers @ river paid saints $1.50 or more per wagon them cross.

during last week of june, sam brannan, leader of mormon emigrant ship brooklyn, met company near green river, wyoming. reported young group s successful journey , settlement in today san francisco, california. urged vanguard company continue on california unable shift leader’s focus away great basin. young met mountain man jim bridger on june 28. discussed possible routes salt lake valley, , feasibility of viable settlements in mountain valleys of great basin. bridger enthusiastic settlement near utah lake, reporting fish, wild fruit, timber , grazing. told young local indians raised crops, including corn , pumpkins, there ever-present danger of frost. company pushed on through south pass, rafted across green river , arrived @ fort bridger on july 7. same time, joined thirteen more members of sick detachment of mormon battalion.

the vanguard company faced more rugged , hazardous journey, , concerned negotiating passes of rocky mountains. had received conflicting advice, young chose follow trail used donner-reed party on journey california previous year. shortly after leaving fort bridger, group met trapper miles goodyear, owned trading post @ mouth of weber river. enthusiastic agricultural potential of large weber valley. during trip through rugged mountains, vanguard company divided 3 sections. since crossing green river, several members of party had suffered fever, accepted “mountain fever” induced wood ticks. young himself became ill after meeting goodyear. small sick detachment lagged behind larger group, , scouting division created move ahead on designated route.

in july 1847 first company reached salt lake valley, scouts erastus snow , orson pratt entering valley on july 21. pratt wrote: ...we not refrain shout of joy, involuntarily escaped our lips moment grand , lovely scenery within our view. 2 scouts undertook twelve-mile (19 km) exploratory circuit valley before returning larger party. next day, larger segments of valley explored, streams , hot springs investigated , first camp established in salt lake valley. on july 23, pratt offered prayer dedicating land lord. ground broken, irrigation ditches dug, , first fields of potatoes , turnips planted.

on july 24, young first saw valley “sick” wagon driven friend wilford woodruff. according woodruff, young expressed satisfaction in appearance of valley , declared right place, drive on. today monument stands in spot made declaration. young later reported had seen valley, including ensign peak, in vision , recognized spot.

on july 28, young established location future salt lake temple , presented city plan larger group approval. in august 1847, young , other selected members of vanguard company returned winter quarters. december 1847, more 2 thousand mormons had completed journey salt lake valley. several hundred, including young, returned east gather , organize companies scheduled following years. demographic estimates place 1,611 pioneers in valley of great salt lake during winter of 1847. adult labor force, however, quite small high percentage of group, 53.2 percent under age of nineteen. twenty 5 percent of total children under age of eight.

each year during mormon migration, people continued organized companies , each company bearing name of leader. company further divided groups of 10 , 50 authority , responsibility delegated downward.