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Transcribed
by
Ann Selvig, from:
Allerton, Iowa Centennial, MORMON
TRAIL
ACROSS WAYNE COUNTY Taken
from
“The Iowa Trek of 1846” By Brother
Stanley
B. Kimball
In February, 1846, about 5000 men, women and
children left Nauvoo, Ill. on their trek across
Iowa. They
left with 500 ox drawn covered wagons and their
livestock. An
Anti-Mormon violence and rumors of Federal Troops
coming up the Mississippi River, forced the Saints
to leave then instead of in the spring as had been
planned.
They left behind an unsold Church and private
property. All
across Iowa they had a special courier system in
order to keep in communication with various
companies and Nauvoo.
The successful trip of such a triumph was
derived from the emigration of these people who
endured such hardships as deaths and various and
numerous tragedies.
Many of the deaths resulted from “Black
scurvy,” colera morbus, typhoid fever, quick
consumption (tuberculosis) and weakness of human
beings under stress.
In the early months of the trek, they endured
-12 degree weather, snow, hail and extreme cold.
Although many people died and were buried
along the Iowa trail, basic skills of emigrating and
colonizing were learned here. On the
second trek from winter headquarters to the Valley
of the Great Salt Lake (April to July 1847) there
was no suffering or death of one person or animal.
They followed territorial “roads” that came
as far west as Bloomfield, Davis Co., then slopes,
ridges, rivers, etc. that were the best grades for
their heavy wagons.
They needed water from the rivers for
themselves and stock and sometimes followed Indian
trails.
Along the territorial roads they followed
landmarks and when camping for a day or so, would
play concerts for the people who were already
settled here. Some
stayed behind and got jobs, making their homes there
while the others pushed on.
By the time they reached the Chariton River,
many had turned back, bad weather and roads
scattered others.
They had been averaging about 3 or 4 miles a
day. Here
they regrouped into 3 companies of 100 families
each, then sub-divided into fifties and tens. Each unit
was led by a captain.
The most important of these was Brigham
Young.
The first blessing of sick animals took place
at a camp site Feb. 14 – William Hall‘s sick horse –
sometime after the blessing, the horse recovered.
They pushed southward now – but at that time,
the dispute over the border area caused some of the
companies to be what was then called Putman County,
Mo. For
this reason, they started bearing northward across
Wayne Co. There
were eight camp sites across Wayne County No. 12
through No 19.
12. Hickory Grove Camp (April 3-). This camp
was about one mile east of the east fork of Locust
Creek.
13. Locust Creek Camp Number 1 (April 6-12).
This camp was on the middle fork of Locust Creek,
and because of bad weather Brigham Young remained
there a week. On
April 6, the sixteenth anniversary of the
organization of the Church was observed. It was
here also that the important decision to build a
more permanent camp on the Grand River (that is, at
Garden Grove) was made.
14. Locust Creek Camp Number 2 (April 13-15). On April
13 the camp moved one-half mile west. It was
here on April 15 that William Clayton wrote the
words of the hymn “Come, Come, Ye Saints.” In his
journal for that day all Clayton recorded was, “This
morning I composed a new song – ‘All is Well’.” Despite a
persistent rumor to the contrary, there is no
evidence that Brigham Young commissioned this hymn
to buoy up the suffering people.
At the present time it is impossible to
pinpoint exactly where this hymn was composed,
because the border of Iowa and Missouri was changed
and disputed from 1816 to 1895. Much
evidence, however, suggests it was probably composed
about five miles southeast of Sewal, south of where
county road J54 crosses Locust Creek.
15. Rolling
Prairie Camp (April 16). This camp
was one-half day’s journey from the previous one.
16. Pleasant
Point Camp (April 17-20) approximate latitude 40
deg. 44 min. 7 sec – now Allerton.
17. Camp
Creek Camp (April 21).
18. Pleasant
Grove Camp (April 22).
19. Muddy
Creek Camp (April 23).
The camp moved on to Garden Grove Camp April
24, 1846 which was about half way across Iowa. This was a
permanent camp and a community still remains on the
camp site “Garden Grove.”
Another camp site was Mt. Pisgah on the fork
of Grand River in Pottawatomi Indian land. (Iowa was
frequently referred to as the “Pottawattamie
lands.”) The
Mormon Battalion was also mustered here, to help in
the Mexican War.
In Oct. 1848, Brigham Young became Pres. of
the Church.
At this time the Kanesville Camp (Council
Bluffs) had the largest number of Mormons in the
U.S., Canada, England and the Society Islands. By the end
of 1848, there were about 50,000 Latter-Day Saints.
The completed history of this Trek was
compiled and written in 1971 by Brother Stanley B.
Kimball, a high councilor in the St Louis Stake and
Historian for the Mormon Pioneer Trail Foundation. The new
signs marking the trail across Iowa were made by the
Iowa State Highway Commission.
The old original wooden Mormon Trail sign
here at Allerton, stood by the railroad tracks and
Hwy. 40, for over 100 years. Just a few
years ago it was broken off and disappeared. Margaret
Aselmeyer purchased the new sign and presented it to
the town of Allerton, to be placed at the site of
the original.
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