still on the vacay wrap up: TREK

A huge focal point to our summer vacation was our trek to Martin's Cove Historic Mormon pioneer site north of Rawlins WY and outside of Muddy Gap. The visitors center at the site plays host to about 4000 visitors a   week (yes that number was 4000) who honor the Mormon pioneers by participating  in Handcart Re-enactments.

See in the 1850s Brigham Young had an idea that instead  of coming to Utah in wagons, companies could cross the plains faster and cheaper by pulling a handcart and allowing 17 lbs per person to go in that handcart.  After quite a bit of research and prayer the first handcart companies tried it and proved it a successful way to gather to Utah. Many of these people were coming from the British Isles and Europe and had no experience with livestock and had no possessions when they came to America anyway, so it worked really well.

In 1856, 2 companies, however, the Willie and Martin companies so named after their captains, had a tragic experience. They got started from Iowa City late in the summer. They were unable to stock up on supplies along the way since the trading posts were closed for the season and they got stuck by a freak early snow storm high on the Wyoming prairie. About 1000 people between these two handcart companies, and two wagon companies travelling with them were stranded with nothing more to eat than 1/4 cup of flour per person and water for rations.

A single rider, Franklin D. Richards, bound for Salt Lake came upon them and rushed ahead to tell Brigham Young that his people were stranded and in dire need.  Immediately, on the first weekend in October, men from the Salt Lake valley loaded up wagons and horses and hurried to their rescue.  They were not in time to save them all, but no one would have made it without their rescue.

The stories that came from those both in the companies and from the rescuers are faith inspiring tales of miracles,compassion, and love.

Last year JaDee's sister CaMee decided to organize a trek for our family reunion.  This was a huge undertaking. EmRee was enlisted to partner up for this event. They went to a training weekend at the visitors center for Trek leaders. They researched, emailed, made phone calls and cooked. On July 7, 8, 9, we had 56 members of JaDee's extended family on the prairie in WY and all dressed in pioneer garb.  We had 24 children ages 1-12,10 teenagers 13-15, and 22 adults.  We pulled 8 handcarts for 3 days over a course of 10 miles.  We crossed a river, sang songs, square danced, played games, shared pioneer stories, ate, made pioneer toys, helped one another, and felt the Love of our Heavenly Father both for us and for the people who died along the very trails we walked, so many years ago.


I cannot fully convey the feelings of faith and love I felt on the trek in this post.  The stories and music moved me to tears of joy and hope.  I am posting a video of a song that our girls sang on our opening day, the pictures aren't from our trek but the music is so sweet and we looked a lot like this group :)

Yup. Here I am in my pioneer clothes at the entrance to the visitors center. Even if you aren't doing an organized trek like we did, people can stop in and tour the site. There are always trekkers getting ready to go out, so you almost guaranteed a chance to see some "pioneers" on the prairie. There is a blacksmith shop, a fort, and other buildings to visit that all give you more information about the Willie and Martin Handcart Company experiences.

We had to "name" each of our handcarts and make a flag with our cart's "name" on it.  I made this one because given the group that we were with and the track record the Moncur/McNiven's have for health and injury issue, I thought it was appropriate!

Olivia singing Somewhere There's a Mountain with all the girl cousins.
PS- I made Olivia's dress and pinafore at my mom's house the week before and I French Braided her hair all by myself!

Olivia with cousin S. He was Olivia's best buddy!

Carter and cousin J. She is one of JaDee's cousin's daughters. The teenagers all hung out together so well! They helped with the little kids (there were 24 of those remember) and were such troopers and good friends. Not one  complaint from any of these guys or gals.  All of them are such awesome young men and women. I just want to squeeze them!

Camp:  Oh were we blessed with the Army tents.  We had 4 for sleeping,2 HUGE ones for eating and cooking and if you know anything about the Wyoming wind you know why we were glad to have these!

Ethan and cousin C. They were part of the "Little Middles."  All around 9 or 10 these guys were so fun! They too, loved each other and could be found hanging with the teenagers or playing with the Little Kids.  They had fun in everything! They were also Most Likely to Get Bitten by a Rattlesnake since they were constantly off the trail, peeing in the bushes, or forgetting to tell us where they were.  Just boys on an adventure!

Mom M  and CaMee.  Oh how I love these women! They are the hardest workers I have ever met.  We nicknamed CaMee, Cinderella, since she was always cooking and cleaning. She literally cooked ALL. THE. FOOD. for 56 people for day ahead of time.  She had baskets of cornbread muffins that she made, and chili and bbq beef and biscuits for breakfast  and oh I could go on.  Mom was the re-heater and camp cook. She just followed CaMee's orders and  kept us fed!

There are my little pioneers!

The beautiful prairie looking out from the actual Cove that Martin's company took refuge in the storm of October 1856. It was -11 and the blizzard dropped 18 inches of snow one night.  15 people died that night.  As they buried the dead the best they could, the wolves dug up the graves and loved ones watched as the bodies were eaten. One sweet girl lost her fiance and instead of letting the wolves eat her betrothed, she dragged his body up a tree and tied him there; hoping that come spring, another traveler would cut him down  and give him a proper,deeper burial

There's our kiddos playing games while we break for lunch.

We had a photographer who took other pictures too. 1500 other pictures in fact.  My kids loved this.  They felt the power of the Spirit that dwells along these prairies. We had a theme for our reunion: SEE the goodnes of God in the face of Adversity.  To "SEE" we learned we need to Sacrafice, Exert effort, and Endure to the end.  This experience taught us that in all things, in all trials we have the love and Goodness of God to see us through it.  We have our families, who are the most important.  We have our pioneer heritage to stand upon and give us encouragement through the stories they left behind.

And it is awesome!