Mormon Handcart Tragedy of 1856
“Let them come on foot with handcarts or wheelbarrows; let them gird up their loins and walk through, and nothing shall hinder or stay them.”
These words, imbued with a sense of determination and faith, encapsulate the spirit of the Mormon handcart pioneers. These individuals, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, embarked on a grueling journey to Salt Lake City, Utah, between 1856 and 1860, utilizing two-wheeled handcarts as their primary means of transporting their worldly possessions. This ambitious undertaking, born from a desire to gather to Zion, would ultimately be marred by tragedy, forever etching the Mormon Handcart Tragedy of 1856 into the annals of American history.
The impetus for the handcart migration stemmed from a confluence of factors. In the 1850s, a series of unfavorable harvests had depleted the Church’s financial resources, leaving a limited fund available to assist incoming converts with the purchase of wagons and oxen. Faced with this economic constraint, Church leaders, spearheaded by Brigham Young, sought a more cost-effective solution for transporting impoverished immigrants to the Salt Lake Valley.
On October 29, 1855, Brigham Young unveiled the handcart system. The plan envisioned the Church providing handcarts that would be manually pulled across the vast expanse of the Mormon Trail. Young optimistically projected that with their carts and a supply of rations sufficient for 90 days, the travelers could complete the arduous journey to the Utah Territory within approximately 70 days, averaging about 18 miles per day. This, he believed, was a faster alternative to the traditional covered wagon, which typically required around 73 days for the same distance.
Over the four years that the handcart system was in operation, ten handcart companies traversed the plains. These migrations involved roughly 3,000 Mormon converts hailing from England, Wales, Scotland, and Scandinavia, utilizing approximately 650 handcarts. The starting points for these journeys were Iowa City, Iowa, a distance of 1,300 miles from Salt Lake City, and Florence (Omaha), Nebraska, which was 1,030 miles away. Each handcart was designed to carry between 400 and 500 pounds of essential provisions, including foodstuffs, bedding, clothing, and cooking utensils, necessitating the combined effort of two able-bodied individuals to pull it. A standard allocation of five people was assigned to each cart. Adults were restricted to a baggage allowance of only 17 pounds, while children were permitted a mere 10 pounds each. Families with young children often utilized covered handcarts or sturdier family carts equipped with iron axles to accommodate the added weight and provide protection from the elements.
The handcart companies were led by experienced men who possessed leadership qualities and familiarity with the trail. Each company incorporated a small number of ox-drawn commissary and baggage wagons, typically one wagon for every 20 handcarts. These wagons transported large public tents, one for every 20 individuals. Captains overseeing groups of 100 people were responsible for managing five tent groups.
However, the seemingly well-organized plan was soon to be tested by unforeseen circumstances, culminating in the Mormon Handcart Tragedy of 1856.
The ill-fated journey took a turn for the worse for two companies that commenced their westward trek dangerously late in the season. These companies were subsequently caught in the unforgiving grip of heavy snow and plummeting temperatures in central Wyoming. Despite a valiant rescue effort launched from Salt Lake City, more than 210 of the 980 pioneers in these two companies perished along the trail.
One of these companies, under the leadership of James G. Willie, departed Iowa City on July 15th and proceeded across Iowa to Florence, Nebraska. Prior to their departure from Nebraska, a debate ensued among the members of the Willie Company regarding the prudence of initiating such a late journey. Unfamiliar with the intricacies of the trail and the region’s climate, they ultimately deferred to the counsel of Church elders. Levi Savage, a missionary and sub-captain within the Willie Company, vehemently urged the pioneers to spend the winter in Nebraska, warning that a late departure would inevitably lead to suffering, sickness, and even death. However, the other Church elders present countered his arguments, asserting that the company would be shielded by divine intervention and that the journey should proceed as planned. While approximately 100 pioneers opted to heed Savage’s warning and remain in Nebraska or Iowa for the winter, the majority, including Levi Savage himself, resolved to continue westward. They embarked on their journey on August 17th.
The final handcart company, led by Edward Martin, departed Florence on August 25th. Two ox-wagon trains, commanded by captains W.B. Hodgett and John A. Hunt, followed closely behind the Martin Company.
In the autumn of 1856, a group of missionaries returning to Salt Lake City from Europe, known as the Richards party, overtook the Willie and Martin companies. On October 4th, the Richards party arrived in Salt Lake City and promptly informed President Brigham Young and other Church leaders that the two large handcart parties were still en route.
The following day, Church leaders issued an urgent appeal to Church members, requesting them to provide wagons, mules, supplies, and teamsters to locate and assist the delayed handcart pioneers. On the morning of October 7th, the first rescue party departed Salt Lake City, equipped with 16 wagon loads of food and supplies, pulled by four-mule teams and manned by 27 young men serving as teamsters and rescuers. Throughout the month of October, additional wagon trains were assembled, ultimately resulting in a total of 250 relief wagons being dispatched to aid the struggling pioneers.
Meanwhile, the Willie and Martin companies had reached Fort Laramie, Wyoming, where they anticipated replenishing their dwindling provisions. However, to their dismay, no supplies had been pre-stocked for them. In response to this unexpected setback, the companies drastically reduced their food rations in the hope that their remaining supplies would last until assistance arrived from Salt Lake City. Additionally, they were forced to lighten their loads by further reducing individual baggage allowances, resulting in the discarding of clothing and blankets that would later prove to be desperately needed for survival. This decision would contribute to the Mormon Handcart Tragedy of 1856.
As the companies continued their westward progress, they gradually exhausted their food supplies and were increasingly exposed to bitterly cold temperatures. On October 19th, a severe blizzard descended upon the region, bringing the two companies and the relief party to a standstill. The Willie Company was discovered along the Sweetwater River, nearing the Continental Divide. A scouting party, dispatched ahead of the main rescue party, encountered the emigrants, providing them with a small quantity of flour and assuring them that rescue was imminent. The scouting party then pressed onward in an attempt to locate the Martin Company.
At that time, the Martin Company was situated approximately 110 miles further east, making its final crossing of the North Platte River near present-day Casper, Wyoming. Shortly after completing the crossing, the blizzard struck, causing widespread hypothermia and frostbite among the company members who had waded through the frigid river. The company established a temporary camp at Red Bluffs, unable to proceed further through the snow. Patience Loader, an emigrant within the Martin Company, later recounted:
“We had to travel in our wet clothes until we got to camp, and our clothing was frozen on us, and when we got to camp… it was too late to go for wood and water; the wood was too far away that night the ground was frozen too hard we were unable to drive any tent pins in… we stretched it open the best we could and got under it until morning.”
The members of the Willie Company soon exhausted their remaining flour supplies and resorted to slaughtering some of their remaining cattle for sustenance. On October 20th, Captain Willie and Joseph Elder ventured ahead of the pioneers on mules in an effort to locate the supply train and inform them of the company’s dire situation. That evening, the pair arrived at the rescue party’s campsite near South Pass, Wyoming. By the following evening, the rescue party reached the Willie Company and provided them with food and assistance. Half of the rescue party remained to assist the Willie Company, while the other half continued onward to assist the Martin Company.
Two days later, on October 23rd, the Willie Company faced the most challenging segment of the trail: the ascent of Rocky Ridge. The climb took place amidst a howling snowstorm and through knee-deep snow. That night, thirteen emigrants succumbed to the elements and perished. The Mormon Handcart Tragedy of 1856 was unfolding with brutal reality.
Meanwhile, the Martin Company remained stranded at Red Bluffs for nine days until three scouts finally arrived on October 28th. By this time, 56 members of the company had already died.
The scouts implored the emigrants to resume their journey. Ephraim Hanks, one of the first rescuers from Salt Lake City, soon arrived and provided the starving party with buffalo meat.
Hanks continued to hunt and provide buffalo meat to the company. He also administered blessings and assisted in amputations to halt the progression of frostbite and gangrene, which would have otherwise claimed even more lives. Three days later, the main rescue party encountered the Martin Company and the Hodgett and Hunt wagon companies, assisting them to Devil’s Gate, Wyoming.
At Devil’s Gate, the rescue party unloaded the baggage carried in the Hodgett and Hunt wagon companies, lightening the load of the Martin Company and enabling the wagons to transport the weakest emigrants.
The Martin Company continued its arduous journey, but severe weather forced them to halt at Martin’s Cove, where they remained for five days. After they resumed their progress, a backup relief party consisting of 77 teams and wagons was dispatched eastward to provide additional assistance. However, after passing Fort Bridger, the leaders of the backup party concluded that the Martin Company must have wintered east of the Rockies and made the fateful decision to turn back.
When word of the returning backup relief party reached Brigham Young, he immediately dispatched a courier with orders to turn the party around and continue eastward until they located the handcart company. However, several valuable days had already been lost.
The Willie Company arrived in Salt Lake City on November 9th. Of the 404 individuals who remained with the company, 68 had died, and many others suffered from severe frostbite and near starvation.
On November 18th, the backup party finally met the Martin Company, providing them with the desperately needed supplies. The 104 wagons carrying the Martin Company arrived in Salt Lake City on November 30th. At least 145 members of the company had perished during the journey. Many of the survivors required amputations of fingers, toes, or limbs due to severe frostbite. The impact of the Mormon Handcart Tragedy of 1856 was devastating.
Following the arrival of the companies in Utah, the residents of Salt Lake City generously opened their homes to the arriving emigrants, providing them with food, shelter, and care throughout the winter months. The emigrants eventually dispersed to various Latter-day Saint settlements throughout Utah and the West.
Despite the tragic events of 1856, the Mormon Church did not abandon the handcart plan entirely. In early 1857, it sent a missionary company eastward with handcarts and sponsored five more westbound handcart companies by 1860. Eventually, as the Church’s financial situation improved, Young’s followers reverted to the use of conventional wagons.
Although less than ten percent of the Latter-day Saint emigrants between 1846 and 1868 utilized handcarts for their westward journey, the handcart pioneers have become a significant symbol in Mormon culture, representing the faith, sacrifice, and resilience of the pioneer generation. The Mormon Handcart Tragedy of 1856 serves as a somber reminder of the hardships endured by these early settlers and the unwavering determination that drove them to seek a new life in the American West.