Mormon Pioneer Trail - Halfway to Zion
N 41° 44.645 W 103° 19.456
13T E 639337 N 4622719
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.
Waymark Code: WM3T1Z
Location: Nebraska, United States
Date Posted: 05/13/2008
Views: 48
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
City: no
Roadside: yes
Other: no
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!