Heritage Gateways

 Official Sesquicentennial K-12 Education Project
sponsored by the Utah State Board of Education, the BYU-Public School Partnership and the Utah Education Network

Pioneer 1847 Companies

Intermediate 1841-1850: Immigration, Great Britain
Summary of Church organization to bring converts from the Great Britain to Nauvoo, then to Salt Lake City

Intermediate 1847: April 5 Monday - Six Wagons Slowly Began Epic Journey
Monday. Five wagons begin the trek west after much religious persecution.

Intermediate 1847: April 6 Tuesday - The Trek West Paused for Annual Conference.
Seventeenth Annual Conference of the church where Brigham Young is sustained as President of the church.

Intermediate 1847: April 7 Wednesday - One by One, Four Small Groups of Wagons Headed for the Prairie.
Small groups of wagons begin the trek west, many leaving behind sick families.

Intermediate 1847: April 8 Thursday - Several Small Parties Join on Prairie to Form Large Group.
Small groups of wagons band together. Brigham Young visits with Parley P. Pratt.

Intermediate 1847: April 9 Friday - Largest Group Waited for Brigham Young
A group of 64 pioneer wagons finally head through a swampy area towards the Elkhorn river.

Intermediate 1847: April 10 Saturday - Food was Scarce and Any Creek an Obstacle.
The Pioneers cross the Elkhorn river. Wood from trees is sparse, so campfires are hard to come by.

Intermediate 1847: April 11 Sunday - By Late Afternoon, 72 Wagons had Ferried "The Horn"
The rest of the wagons cross the river and then stop to observe the Sabbath.

Intermediate 1847: April 12 Monday - Brigham and Seven Apostles Left the Company
The main group travels 14 miles to reach the banks of the Platte river and set up camp. They will send scouts ahead on the prarie.

Intermediate 1847: April 14 Wednesday - Four yelling Indians were cause for delay
William Clayton added to the group at the last minute. A rain storm soaks the groups.

Intermediate 1847: April 15 Thursday - Now it was time to face west with a single objective
Brigham says to cease from all music, dance, and light-mindedness. Nine rules are set. Groups of fifty set for sentry duty.

Intermediate 1847: April 16 Friday - Company organized, and rule are reviewed
Group reminded of the rules and organized into groups of ten. Started out at 3:00 p.m.

Intermediate 1847: April 17 Saturday - Pioneers awoke to ice oil water buckets, traveled only 7 miles
Stopped at noon and enjoyed violin music after dinner.

Intermediate 1847: April 18 Sunday - A welcome rest day, and an opportunity to send mail back
A light snow fell. Reading time. Livestock rested. Ox injured.

Intermediate 1847: April 19 Monday - Wagons on the move down all easy corridor
Rockwell brings fishooks, fishing line, and three pencils. Fishing by boat during the evening.

Intermediate 1847: April 20 Tuesday - Chase for deer failed, but fishermen succeeded
More than 200 fish caught. Clayton's bad tooth yanked out.

Intermediate 1847: April 21 Wednesday - Pawnees paid visit to collect tribute, handshakes for all
Gifts of tobacco, fishooks, flour, and salt to the Pawnees. Extra guards. Heavy rain - bad weather.

Intermediate 1847: April 22 Thursday - Sleeping guards were taught lesson by a joke
Sentries posted. Beaver Creek forded. Ropes with 12 men needed for the steep creek bank.

Intermediate 1847: April 23 Friday - He found a way to recoup his final paycheck
Pulling wagons by rope. Two rafts built. Six men stranded in wet clothes.

Intermediate 1847: April 24 Saturday - Fording Loup Fork was a tiring endeavor
Unloaded half the baggage in each wagon to ford the Loup. Saw Jupiter's rings through a telescope.

Intermediate 1847: April 25 Sunday - These Sunday rests actually gained time
No travel this Sunday to rest oxen.

Intermediate 1847: April 26 Monday - Alert guards prevented Indian raid on horses
Sherwood elected as "chief grumbler." Two more horses lost.

Intermediate 1847: April 27 Tuesday - It was slow traveling over dry sand ridges
Left Loup River. Animals suffer from lack of water. Loaded guns are dangerous. Horse theft.

Intermediate 1847: April 28 Wednesday - Some were up early, preparing trail for company
Forded Prairie Creek. Neared Platte River. Trail very dusty.

Intermediate 1847: April 29 Thursday - The bugler roused the camp for an early morning start
Need to find feed for livestock. Horses sick from lack of water. Dust everywhere.

Intermediate 1847: April 30 Friday - Travel was easy this day, but weather caused suffering
Level prairie with buffalo grass. Cooking with buffalo chips. Wind and dust. Dancing to keep warm.

Intermediate 1847: May 1 Saturday - And finally, the first buffalo were sighted
Buffalo are sighted. Eleven hunters chosen for a 3 hour chase. Companies of 10 get the meat divided among them.

Intermediate 1847: May 2 Sunday - Missing "Nimrod" returned safely in morning
Hancock, who is lame and missing after the hunt, returns unharmed. Indians set fire to the grass ahead.

Intermediate 1847: May 3 Monday - Indian scare alarmed pioneer hunting party
Scouts ride ahead to find best path. Mule gets away. Cannon shot to warn Indians.

Intermediate 1847: May 4 Tuesday - Brigham counseled camp on discipline
Wagons travel 5 abreast. Vote to stay on north bank of river.

Intermediate 1847: May 5 Wednesday - Platte island provided safety from fires that devastated area
Five more buffalo shot. Move to island to avoid fire.

Intermediate 1847: May 6 Thursday - A timely light shower dampened prairie fires
Rain. Grass hard to find. Slow travel. Brigham loses spyglass.

Intermediate 1847: May 7 Friday - Brigham grouchy over spyglass loss
Stop the train to retrieve missing glass. Slow travel; animals suffering from lack of food.

Intermediate 1847: May 8 Saturday - The awesome sight of Buffalo blackening the prairie on all sides
Buffalo are somewhat tame. Don't kill what isn't needed. Some buffalo have died of starvation. One wheel revolution is 1/360 of a mile.

Intermediate 1847: May 9 Sunday - Just keeping clean provided some difficulty
Travel for 4 miles on Sabbath because the buffalo had eaten nearly everything. Harriet Young is sick from the smell of dead buffalo.

Intermediate 1847: May 10 Monday - They left a letter for those still to come
Letter left on top of a post. Journal keeping is important. Setting fire to old grass. Ground is soft and wet.

Intermediate 1847: May 11 Tuesday - Captured wolf pups provided caps for men
Wolf pups killed. Water not good from dead buffalos rotting in the stream. Wells provided cold, clean water.

Intermediate 1847: May 12 Wednesday - Vast buffalo herds had just melted away
Valley of dried bones. Dust with a salt taste that looks like dirty flour. Abandoned Sioux Indian camp.

Easy 1847: May 13 Thursday - Some took time out to visit Indian village
Cold called for overcoats. Aaron Farr is too loud during prayer. Grass is getting better. Sand is hardest to travel in.

Intermediate 1847: April 05-09 The Great Exodus had a Modest Beginning.
Summary of April 5 - 9, 1897 as pioneers gathered before the first wagon train was to leave for the west.

Intermediate 1847: April 10-16 Ferrying Elkhorn River a Difficult Project Summary of April 10 - 16 1847 where pioneers encountered the first river on the trek from Winter Quarters.

Intermediate 1847: April 17-23 Good Progress Over the Flat Nebraska Plain
Each day they pause for an hour's lunch break.

Intermediate 1847: April 24-30 It was a Struggle to Cross the Loup River
Buffalo chips fuel. Lack of water hard on livestock. Staying close to the river.

Intermediate 1847: May 01-07 - Prairie Fires Make Livestock Feed Scarce
First buffalo sightings. Prairie fires and rain.

Intermediate 1847: May 8-14 - Thousands of Buffalo Consumed the Grass
An ocean of buffalo.

Easy Black Pioneers, 1847
With the Pioneer Company were three Blacks, Oscar Crosby, Hark Lay, and Green Flake.

Intermediate Brigham Young Description

Intermediate Brooklyn - Sea Emigration, 1846
Brooklyn - Sea Emigration, 1846. Sam Brannan chartered the ship "Brooklyn" and led over 200 Mormons to California.

Intermediate Brown, John, 1846-47 Journal Entries.
John Brown helped lead the Mississippi Saints to Grand Island, NE, Ft. Laramie, and Pueblo. He returned home, took 4 blacks to Winter Quarters (1947), two of which died on the way. He and the other two came with Brigham Young's "Pioneer Company" in 1847. He returned to Missssippi and brought his family to Utah in 1848.

Intermediate Bullock, Thomas, 1847, Return to Winter Quarters
107 men, 36 wagons, 71 horses and 49 mules, left the Valley and returned to Winter Quarters in the fall of 1847.

Intermediate Burton (Coray), Melissa, Mormon Battalion Wife
One of four women that accompanied the Mormon Battalion all the way to California. Newly married. Was 18 when she walked to California. Walked back to Salt Lake City in 1848. Husband died 3 months later. Married William H. Kimball, Heber's oldest son and managed the stage station at Kimball's Junction (by Park City).

Intermediate Canal Boats, Lake Boats, and Riverboats
Making the trek sometimes involved using boats.

Intermediate Council Bluffs Reached
Council Bluffs is east of Winter Quarters.

Intermediate Decker (Little) (Hanks), Harriet Amelia , 1846 (age 20), Iowa
Harriet married Edwin S. Little, son of Brigham Young's sister. Edwin ended up in the frozen Mississippi River while helping move some of his uncle Brigham's wagons across. He became sick as a result and died at Richardson's Point, Iowa.

Intermediate Emmett Company, 1844-1847 (Disobedient Group, sort of)
This group left Nauvoo after the death of Joseph Smith (against the wishes of Church leadership). The group ended up on the Missouri River above Council Bluffs and was persuaded to return to the main group in 1847.

Easy Food: Recommended for Trek
Food items recommended by the "Nauvoo Neighbor" newspaper in 1845

Intermediate Holt, James, 1844-1846, 1852, Emmett and other companies
James Holt was a member of the Emmett Company with 25-30 other families in 1844. He went to Council Bluffs in 1847 and to Utah in 1852. He wrote a about other persons, circumstances, and trail life.

Easy Hunter, Lydia, 1846-47, Mormon Battalion Wife
One of four women that accompanied the Mormon Battalion all the way to California

Intermediate Immigration, 1841-1850, Great Britain
Overview of Mormon Church organization for immigration from Great Britain, starting in 1841.

Intermediate Indian Relations in the Missouri Valley
Mormon pioneers had good relations with the Omahas Indian tribe.

Intermediate Kartchner, Wiliam Decatur, 1846-47 (Mississippi Saint, San Bernardino)
One of the Mississippi Saints. He also wmigrated to San Bernardino and back to Beaver, Utah. Interesting tidbits.

Intermediate Mormon Emigrants: 1848-1868 - Y.X. Company
Experienced pioneers contracted for a short time to carry mail.

Intermediate Moses (Davis), Susanna [Susan], 1846-7, Mormon Battalion Wife and son Daniel
One of four women that accompanied the Mormon Battalion all the way to California. Davis County was named after her husband. Daniel was the youngest person with the Battalion.

Easy Non-Mormons - Pioneer Company, 1847
Five non-Mormons came with Brigham Young in 1847 (2 Blacks and 3 Whites).

Intermediate Organization Improved
The pioneers needed to organize as a group to be successful. Their Iowa migration helped prepare them for the trek across the plains.

Intermediate Pioneer Company, 1847, Scientific Instuments and Observations Pioneers tried to be accurate in documenting where, when, and how far they traveled.

Intermediate Pioneer Company, 1847, Part I, Winter Quarters to Kearney, Nebraska
Pioneers hunted to find meat to eat.

Intermediate Pioneer Company, 1847, Establishing a Colony/Returning to Winter Quarters
Some pioneers were assigned to begin farming as soon as they got to the Great Salt Lake valley, while others were directed to return to help the families come west.

Intermediate Pioneer Company, 1847, Organization
The first company of mostly men had a great adventure travelling west.

Easy Pioneer Company, 1847, statistics
Pioneer Company Statistics (men, women, children, animals)

Intermediate Preparations for a "49er"
See what a "gold rush" company from New York went through to make the long journey to Calif. One of the members got sick and stayed in Salt Lake City to recuperate. He joined the Mormon Church and died in Utah. That is why we have this account.

Intermediate Sperry, Charles, 1846, Nauvoo and Iowa
Nauvoo and Mt. Pisgah period described from a young boy's point of view. His mother and brother died. He had fond memories of Mt. Pisgah.

Intermediate Sperry, Charles, 1847 (age 18), J.M. Grant Co., Life in Utah (1848)
His father joined the Church and took most of the family to Winter Quarters. Before dying there, he asked his family to go to Utah. Charles did, talked of lost or stampeding oxen, brick making the first year in the valley and the struggle for food.

Intermediate Stark, Daniel, 1846 (age 25) - Ship "Brooklyn" Emigrant
Helped build a large home for Sam Brannan, dug gold for Captain Sutter, emigrated to San Bernardino and back.

Intermediate The Pioneer Trek of 1847 - Part II, Kearney to Fort Laramie
In the second leg of the first trek, some of the pioneers were asked leave to run errands while others joined the trek.

Intermediate The Pioneer Trek of 1847 - Part III, Fort Laramie to Fort Bridger
During the third leg of the trek, the pioneers met Jim Bridger and quizzed him about the valley of the Great Salt Lake.

Intermediate The Pioneer Trek of 1847 - Part IV, Fort Bridger to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake
During the final leg of the first trek, the pioneers broke into 3 groups.

Intermediate The Pioneer Trek of 1847 - Preparation
Pioneers prepared by gathering things needed to begin new colonies in the west, stocking their wagons carefully.

Intermediate The Pioneer Trek of 1847 - Staging Ground
The original trek started in small bunches with pioneers hurrying back and forth from their homes and families to the wagon train.

Intermediate The Pioneer Trek of 1847 - Trail/Divisions and Topography
The Mormon trail can be divided into 4 main sections.

Intermediate The Pioneer Trek of 1847 - Trek Begins
Monday, April 19, 1847 was the official beginning date of the original company.

Intermediate Trek Commences - Difficulties - Skills Learned
Migrating an entire community took much careful planning, organization skills, and willing followers.

Intermediate Western Maps Consulted by the Mormons Pioneers studied maps very carefully before deciding which route to use as the Mormon trail.

Intermediate Western Travel Accounts Consulted by the Mormons
Mormon leaders did their homework before setting out for the west. The studied books written about the terrain and landmarks they would encounter along the way.

Intermediate Western Travelers Consulted by the Mormons
Mormon trail leaders consulted with mountain men including Jim Bridger as they made their way along the trail.

Intermediate Winter Quarters Abandoned
After the initial migration from Winter Quarters in 1847, the settlement was quickly abandoned.

Reading Level Key: Easy -Easy  Intermediate -Intermediate  Advanced-Advanced