Covered Wagon - Mississippi Crossing - Nauvoo, IL
N 40° 32.586 W 091° 24.054
15T E 635413 N 4489267
A covered wagon on a 1840s wooden ferry at the Mississippi River crossing; the beginning of the Mormon Pioneer Trail in Nauvoo, Illinois.
Waymark Code: WMFA58
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 09/18/2012
Views: 8
This covered wagon is on display with a 1840s style ferry to show what the Mormon Pioneers crossing of the Mississippi River would have been using; assuming that they could afford such a luxury.
Nearby are two historical markers; one is titled, "The Road to Zion" and the other is titled, "Eyes Westward". They read as follows:
The Road to Zion
From the late 1840s through the 1860s, an exodus of more than 70,000 Mormons passed by here on their way to their "New Zion" in Utah. Starting from Nauvoo, Illinois in February 1846, the first group of at least 13,000 Mormons crossed into Iowa to escape religious persecution, then spent the next winter in the area of present-day Council Bluffs, Iowa and Omaha, Nebraska.
In 1847, Brigham Young led an advance party of 143 men, 2 women, and 3 children along the Platte River. At Fort Bridger, Wyoming they departed from the Oregon Trail to head southwest to the Great Salt Lake. Thousands of other Mormons soon followed. Today, a marked 1,624-mile auto tour route closely parallels their historic trek.
Many Mormon emigrants wrote diaries to describe their experiences. Appleton Harmon wrote his journal in 1847.
After arriving, the Mormon pioneers set up communities and ferry crossings along the trail to assist later wagon trains going to and from Utah.
From 1856-60, many European converts walked more than 1,200 miles to Salt Lake City pulling handcarts loaded with 500 pounds of supplies. Afer 1860, the Mormon church sponsored oxen-drawn wagons to bring emigrants to the "New Zion".
and
EYES WESTWARD
"To Your Tents O Isreal"
On the anniversary of the 200th year celebration of the birth of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and the 175th anniversary of the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, this monument of His prophets Joseph Smith and Brigham Young has been erected.
In Nauvoo the saints heard the rallying ancient cry, "To your tents, O Isreal", in sublime faith and trust, such as history scarcely records, they obeyed, ready to follow their leader where ever he might direct their pilgrim feet. The scenes of wagons, impossible to fully comprehend the hardships those sweet early saints endured.
The first wagons left Nauvoo on February 4, 1846. This early departure, brought on by increased mobocracy subjected them to gale-force winds, torrential rain, snow, subfreezing temperatures and axle-deep mud. Most of the Saints were poorly prepared for this epic journey. Many were city dwellers from the eastern United States and England, skilled in many crafts, but unaccostomed to the feeding and harnessing of horses, oxen and mules, driving wagons and herding livestock. Through much work, sacrifice and prayer and under the inspiration of Heaven and their inspired leaders, these faithful Saints completed their journey west and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847.
To those early pioneers whom we love, honor and cherish; may your names be forever remembered.
Visit Instructions:
This is left to the owner of each waymark.