Pioneer Trails Workshop, Day 3

Avenue of Rocks. Just another landmark that was cool to me because Jean liked it (but she called it Devil's Backbone).Bessemer Bend. Another spot that looks like a nice field by a bend in the Platte River, but to me this ground is sacred.
To me, October 19th will never be the same again. That's the day "the big storm" hit. An early winter hit hard in 1856 and two hardcart companies and two wagon companies were still out on the plains. My maiden name is Oldham. John and Sarah Oldham were my ancestors that came across the plains with the Martin Handcart Company, which suffered too much for me to even comprehend.



I'm sure no one is still reading at this point, but here is just a brief explanation about the Martin Handcart company. In 1856, many of the Saints overseas didn’t have the money to come to Utah, but desperately wanted to come. The perpetual emigration fund was developed to help the impoverished members pay for the trek with financial assistance, which they agreed to repay after they were able to earn the money in Utah. The cheapest way to migrate was by handcart. It also turned out to be the fastest. They didn’t have to worry about hitching up teams of oxen, or finding places for them to graze. 3 Handcart companies crossed the plains and entered the Valley earlier than expected and in even better shape than expected. Unfortunately, one of the greatest tragedies in the history of Western migration took place in the Fall and Winter of 1856. When the last group of Saints arrived in Florence, the handcarts they were expecting to find there were not ready. They waited in terrible, rainy, muddy, muggy lean-to’s, and couldn’t bear to stay there through the winter, so they decided to leave after the handcarts were finished. That was in late July, which is when they should have been close to entering the Valley. There were 2 wagon trains and 2 handcart companies to leave that late season. The Willey Company left first, and the Martin Company left shortly after them. Of the 576 members to begin the trek to UT, somewhere between 135-150 died along the way.



Their late start was compounded by other problems. The handcarts were made from unseasoned wood, and they were constantly breaking. Then they would have to take more time to wait for those handcarts to be fixed. And that brings me to October 19th, which was the date we were here to remember. All handcart and wagon teams had to cross the wide Platte river a number of times, and the last crossing generally took place here, at Bessemer Bend. The last handcart company, the Martin Company, had no sooner crossed this river on October 19th, when an early, frigid, winter storm hit. The wind, swirling with snow, was blinding, their clothes were freezing to their skin, and they knew they had to wait out the storm. So, they went up into these hills, to try to seek some shelter, and wait it out.



They ended up waiting here for 9 days, hoping for a rescue, which did come. But their food supplies were so low, they had to cut their rations down to four ounces per person per day. We were handed a little sack of flour to see what four ounces looks like. I had to ask myself what in the world I would do with this little flour to try to sustain the lives of my children through the most physically exerting thing they'd ever done in their lives.



Alright, shake it off, Johnson. Anyway, that's what the above (now VERY above) picture is about.

This night we camped at the base of Independence Rock, which is pretty high up there on the list of most-frequently-mentioned-landmarks.

There are a few names engraved on this rock that we know for sure are Mormon pioneers. (This name is J.W. Crosby).

You can climb up to a cave that William Clayton described in full detail. Another place we know church leaders in that first 1847 company hung out in.




There is a spot that Wilford Woodruff described in his pioneer journal, where they offered prayers. We climbed all over this little mountain hoping to find it (it actually was very specific), but no. A few people came with us and we realized there are just too many rocks like the one he described on the top to know where they were.

But we gave it a valiant effort. :)And now to one of my big highlights of the trip: Martin's Cove.
Another place the Martin Handcart Company took refuge from a terrible storm. Many died here, it's another sacred place for me. This is also where they were rescued by rescue companies that Brigham Young had sent from the Valley, looking for them at the beginning of October (before the storm had hit).





Our Martin's Cove experience was memorable, for sure. We got a SMALL TASTE of the crazy weather conditions that can happen here in Wyoming. It gave me some perspective. And no, I'm not trying to be blasphemous when I say SMALL TASTE, and SOME perspective - I already know that I have NO IDEA what those pioneers suffered! (just a disclaimer)



SO, as you can see, it was a hot day. After not too long pulling the handcart (which was going from the Visitor's Center to the Cove) a couple girls and I gave in and let the boys pull us. Can I just say that handcarts are heavy in the first place, WITHOUT baggage, WITH adequate food and rest, and WITHOUT blinding SNOW in your face.

Within just minutes the sky started to darken and storm clouds rolled in.

It started raining a little and we had to decide if we wanted to go where we had planned, which was fording the Sweetwater River, or if we wanted to just turn around and go back to the Visitor's Center. We were at about the middle of the loop we were taking, so we figured we might as well keep going toward the river, which would take us back around the Visitor's Center.

Then it started to HAIL! BIG HAIL! The OUCH!!!-HOW-LONG-AM-I-GOING-TO-HAVE-THESE-WELTS-ON-MY-ARM?-HAIL!

Ok, I know I'm a wimp, but SERIOUSLY, this hail really HURT!



I can also see what kind of pioneer wife I'd be. I DITCHED the cart and left it for the guys and ran beneath a friend's cart a little further down the path for some shelter.



This is where I learned first-hand that those stupid handcarts provide NO SHELTER. One more time: OUCH!!! Ok, I sort of get the importance of a Cove.

After the hail let up a little we started again towards the river. But lightening started to strike. We got through the river, with the COLD water up past my waist. Then as soon as we got out, the lightening started to strike way way way way way way too close for comfort. I know I sound dramatic, but it was actually kind of scary. So we ditched the carts just after the river and ran through the rain to a little outpost where a couple sweet missionaries squeezed us in with them. Too bad I don't have any pictures fording the river - but we were kind of in a hurry.

I took these pics after the hail, before the river. It's a monument honoring the Aaronic Priesthood and the rescuers of the Martin Handcart Company. These statues depict three young men who carried many of the pioneers across the sweetwater river - which was freezing with floating chunks of ice throughout.

Our "rescuer" came in the form of a missionary on a golf cart who eventually made it out where we were, brought us chocolate, and drove us back to the Visitor's Center.

Where we were given blankets! Although truthfully, I never really warmed up. In fact, I think I didn't get warm again until the next day. Which again (I KNOW it's not the SAME), just made me think of my ancestors in that company. Most likely without adequate clothing also, just one blanket from a rescuer not making enough of a difference, and it was JULY, not NOVEMBER - and by the way, that is one of the coldest Novembers Wyoming has on record.



And here are our names!!!
I love you John Oldham (33), Sarah Oldham (23), Jane Elizabeth (4), and Louis William (six months)!!!

To wrap up the Martin's Cove history, the company waited in the cove for 5 days (November 4-9), left the cove, crossed the Sweetwater for the last time (with the help of the rescue company), and arrived in Salt Lake on November 30th. Although the Oldham's actually entered the Valley on December 5.

More pictures at the cove:

It's hard to see, but in the middle-right section of this picture there is a tree stump. It is really old, and you'll see these old tree stumps all over the cove. Obviously, we can't know for sure, but I have to wonder if these trees were chopped down for firewood by my ancestors. Four hundred and something pioneers here in this cove needing firewood...just sayin....

We made a lot of great friends on the trek. It was nice to be with CES employees from all over the Country. Just this last year I have started becoming really comfortable with our situation of being uprooted from Utah Valley and transplanted in Arizona. Actually, more than comfortable. I feel incredibly blessed and thankful for the opportunity we've had to learn and grow here. It was nice to be able to talk to others who have also found the great blessings that have come to them from working and serving throughout the country, and "blooming where they are planted."

Oh, and by the way, we are standing in a depression caused by the wagons.

Along this depression you will find rust on a lot of the rocks. That rust is from the wagon wheels making contact with those rocks.