Mormon Pioneer Trail - Halfway to Zion
N 41° 44.645 W 103° 19.456
13T E 639337 N 4622719
Quick Description: Chimney Rock was the psychological halfway on the long trek to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake. From this site, you will have a grand view of Chimney Rock and the North Platte River Valley on the Mormon and Oregon Trails.
Location: Nebraska, United States
Date Posted: 5/13/2008 10:30:19 AM
Waymark Code: WM3T1Z
Views: 38
Long Description:
Fleeing heated religious and political hostility and persecution,
many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints (widely known as Mormons) abruptly feld their homes
in Nauvoo, Illinois in February 1846.
Unprepared for the cold of winter, these pioneers traveled 265
agonizing miles in four months. Heavy spring rains that year turned
the rolling plains of southern Iowa into a quagmire of axle-deep
mud. Sheer exhaustion and a lack of provisions continually hampered
their efforts triggering the decisions to stop and winter over near
the banks of the Missouri River.
In the spring of 1847, after a respite and an opportunity to make
better travel plans, 143 men, three women and two boys started
across Nebraska for the new Zion on the western slopes of the Rocky
Mountains.
Following a rouigh trace blazed by earlier explorers, fur traders
and missionaries, this pioneering group begun laying out a route to
the West that would later be used by thousands of other mormons and
Forty-niners. These first pioneers established ferries, campsites,
bridges, and supply depots -- improvements that earned the route
its name "The Mormon Trail."
Marker Name: Mormon Pioneer Trail - Halfway to Zion
Roadside: yes
City: Not Listed
Other: Not Listed
Web Address if available:: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Post Pictures:
1. Close up of historical marker
2. Picture of surrounding area (would prefer to have the marker in
the picture also). Thanks!
