Latter-Day Saints In Alaska Recreate 19th Century Mormon Treks Across The Great Plains, Focusing On The Handcart Expeditions

The Anchorage Daily News has published a gallery of 44 photos depicting a group of Alaska Mormons re-creating the Mormon treks across the Great Plains during the 19th century, specifically the handcart treks. The group of 220 youth between the ages of 12 and 18 and 50 adults began the re-enactment at Jim Creek near the Knik River on Tuesday May 28th and pulled handcarts up the Jim Creek Trail about 10 miles and set up camp within sight of the Knik Glacier. Over the next three days they made their way back, camping along the way. They returned to the Jim Creek trail head on Friday May 31st, where a scrumptious barbecue awaited them.

This is not the first time Alaska Saints have done this. In 2007, Mormons from the Kenai Peninsula and Homer held a three-day handcart trek reenactment in the shadow of the Ring of Fire volcanoes. They traveled three hours by ferry, two hours by car, and another hour and a half by bus just to get to the trailhead. The most dramatic event occurred on the third day, when the group awoke to a terrible storm with winds blowing more than 50 miles per hour. Pegs pulled loose, tents collapsed, the rain pounded down, and dark clouds covered the entire sky. Fearing that the weather would stop the trek, the leaders knelt in prayer. Soldotna Stake President Randy Eberline asked the Lord to calm the storm. Throughout the camp, trek families also knelt and prayed for relief from the weather. Suddenly, the clouds parted and a bowl of warm sunlight shone down.

According to the LDS Gospel Library, ten companies of handcart pioneers walked the 1,300 miles from Iowa City (the end of the rail line) to Salt Lake City between 1856 and 1860, pulling and pushing all that they owned. Of the total of 2,962 handcart immigrants, about 250 died along the way. The most tragic were companies four and five, the now-infamous Willie and Martin companies of 1856, in which 220 Saints lost their lives. These two companies, consisting of 980 people and 233 handcarts, began their journeys across the plains too late in the year due to a series of mishaps. The majority of the 220 who lost their lives froze to death in early snowstorms near the Continental Divide in central Wyoming. Many others suffered trailside amputations of fingers, toes, and legs due to frostbite. When Brigham Young heard about it, he was horrified, and promptly dispatched rescue parties from Salt Lake City to avert further tragedy.

The reenactment was designed to convey a sense of this history to the next generation of Alaska Mormons. Yet some anti-Mormon trolls spewed their filth in the Anchorage Daily News comments section. Anti-Mormon trolls not only falsely claim that the LDS Church pretends the Mountain Meadows Massacre didn't happen (there's a memorial on the site maintained by the LDS Church), but they continue to insist that the LDS Church is antigay, ignoring the fact that the LDS Church accepted the recent decision by the Boy Scouts to accept all Scouts who agree to the Scouts' code of behavior. I have no obligation to respect anti-Mormon trolls who lie about the Church; those who want respect must earn it by acting respectably.

I define "anti-Mormon" not merely as someone who disagrees with Mormonism, but someone who expresses that disagreement by deliberately misrepresenting and lying about Mormonism. Such people are unworthy of civil discourse; one does not cast pearls before swine.

Did You Know That Gordon Hinckley's Daughter Helps Run The Missionary Training Center In Preston, United Kingdom?

It's true, according to a lengthy and detailed article entitled "When the saints go marching in: How a tiny town in Lancashire saved Mormonism from extinction" published July 29th, 2012 in the Independent.

Richard and Kathleen Walker were called to relocate from Utah to Chorley, which is just outside Preston in the United Kingdom, and run the LDS Missionary Training Centre located within the Preston Temple's 15-acre estate. They were well-prepared, since they had previously run the Salt Lake Temple. However, Kathleen Walker also happens to be one of the children of the late President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gordon B. Hinckley. President Hinckley himself served as a missionary in Britain from 1933 to 1934. The Walkers were reportedly ecstatic when they received the call. Regarding her famous father, the 73-year-old Sister Walker shared the following:

"[My father] used to stand at the pulpit, and I could almost see when that Spirit kicked in and he began to speak with power. That is a form of revelation; there is no question in my mind the prophet is inspired. But we all have a sense of that in life, when we get thoughts we need to respond to: that is a Spirit whispering to us."

The Preston MTC, one of 15 worldwide, is primarily for British members of the Church who are called to serve missions. The young men and women travel to Chorley to study for three intense weeks on how to invite people to their faith. During the first week, they are taken to Manchester and turned loose to proselytize. There are a reported 900 missionaries assigned to the U.K. at any given time, but they face a few restrictions which don't exist in the U.S.; namely, they're asked not to proselyte while riding aboard public transport. The 75-year-old Richard Walker had this to say about the missionaries:

"The missionaries here are pure, clean, worthy, loving young people. We love them dearly. We believe that every one of us are spirit children of our heavenly father, that He created the world for the purpose of giving us a place where we can receive a physical body and learn how to walk in His paths. We believe that a person can become a god – but we will never be equal with God."

The latter statement shows that even if we're ordained to Godhood in the far distant future, we will always honor our Father as our God. He will never cease to be our Heavenly Father, so we won't try to supersede Him.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar Designates The Mountain Meadows Massacre Site As A National Historical Monument At The Behest Of The LDS Church

On June 30th, 2011, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the site of the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre is among 14 new sites designated national historical monuments. The inclusion of the Mountain Meadows site, owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was with the active blessing of the Church; LDS Church officials actually nominated it for inclusion, beginning their efforts back in March 2008. The designation imposes no additional regulatory requirements on the Church. The site was already on the National Register of Historic Places.

The St. George News lists all 14 new sites designated for inclusion. Access a complete list of all national historical landmarks HERE.

Secretary Salazar issued a statement: “Each of these landmarks represents a chapter in the story of America, from archaeological sites dating back more than two millennia to historic train depots, homes of famous artists, and buildings designed by some of our greatest architects. By designating these sites as national landmarks, we help meet the goals of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to establish a conservation ethic for the 21st century and reconnect people, especially young people, to our nation’s historic, cultural, and natural heritage.”

Assistant Church Historian and Recorder Richard E. Turley Jr., told KTVX Channel 4 that the historical designation is a good thing. "This is the result of a multi-year collaboration between the Church, the Mountain Meadows associations and the federal government," said Turley. "We have nothing but appreciation for all those whose efforts made this possible." He further explained that it's important to remember what happened at the site, even for members of the Church, condemning the massacre as a terrible and significant thing that happened in U.S. and Church history.

The LDS Church has been criticized for many years for allegedly failing to memorialize the site sufficiently. In 1999, the LDS Church and the Mountain Meadows Association collaborated to construct a memorial on the site. The national historical designation represents the final step sought by many.

LDS Church Working To Secure National Historic Landmark Status For Mountain Meadows Massacre Site In Southwest Utah, Near Cedar City

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is continuing to work proactively to secure National Historic Landmark status for the site of the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre in southwest Utah, near Cedar City. Two media stories reflect the different perspectives, one from the Provo Daily Herald, and the other from the Pine Bluff (AR) Commercial. Most of the victims in the Mountain Meadows Massacre came from Arkansas.

According to assistance LDS Church historial Richard Turley, the National Park Service staff has given positive feedback on the proposal. "We're very optimistic about getting National Historic Landmark status. We haven't had anybody so far tell us, 'No way,'" Turley said. "Most people have said this sounds like a promising thing."

But the process can be complicated. "The two key things that we look for in a potential National Historic Landmark are the national significance and the high level of physical integrity of the site," said Lysa Wegman-French, a historian for the National Park Service's Intermountain Regional Office in Denver who has provided feedback on the initial proposal. It takes about nine months from the date of submission to get a decision.

The 2,500-acre Mountain Meadows site is already on the National Register of Historic Places. The grassy valley includes several mass grave sites and two monuments. A rock cairn marks the spot where the siege erupted, and a memorial wall inscribed with the names of the dead overlooks the valley. Most of the land is owned by the church, although some is federal forest land and a few parcels are privately owned.

Nearly a decade ago, some descendants began pushing for landmark status, believing that the site should not be controlled by the church. Landmark status would guarantee public access and federal oversight that includes public input on any construction or development. As a result, the LDS church announced its plans to seek landmark status in March 2008.

Despite the passage of time, the Mountain Meadows Massacre does remain somewhat tender in the memories of some. There is considerable disagreement on the extent of the Church's involvement, whether Brigham Young could have done more to avert the attack, and whether or not the Church originally did all it could to punish the perpetrators. The latter question is fueled by the fact that only one person, John D. Lee, was ever tried and convicted for the attack, although several others were indicted.

Nevertheless, what all parties agree upon is that on September 11th, 1857, 120 men, women and children from the Baker-Fancher wagon train were attacked and murdered at Mountain Meadows by Cedar City-area church and militia leaders, along with some American Indians. The wagon train was bound for California when their stopover in the meadows turned deadly. Only 17 children survived the attack; they were initially taken into local homes and cared for, then ultimately returned to their own extended family members.

Elder Turley and other church officials will meet with the three descendant organizations - Mountain Meadows Association, Mountain Meadows Descendants and the Mountain Meadows Massacre Foundation - on May 29th to update them on the proposal's progress. "There's a definite common purpose here. We've basically started a friendship," said Phil Bolinger, the president of the MMM Foundation, who lives in Hindsville, Ark. "It's taking longer than we expected, but I just feel like the church has the power and the influence to get it done."

A number of sources provide further information on the Massacre. There's an official Mountain Meadows Massacre site HERE. Richard Turley published a detailed article in the September 2007 issue of Ensign Magazine. Wikipedia account HERE. Also of interest is a conference at Utah Valley University on March 5th of this year, when UVU hosted a panel discussion on the Mountain Meadows Massacre featuring Rick Turley, Will Bagley, and Forrest Cuch and was moderated by Alex Caldiero, which can be read at the Juvenile Instructor.

In contrast, Frank Kirkman's website, although packed with information, has an anti-Mormon cast to it. Kirkman strongly believes that Brigham Young was involved in the Massacre, although the bulk of records from that time indicate he was not involved. Kirkman fails to understand that Brigham Young was preoccupied with preparing for a possible invasion and attack of the Salt Lake Valley by a Federal army, and could not supervise Utah Territory as much as he would have liked. It is questionable whether or not Utah Territorial officials prosecuted the crime as vigorously as they should; it took nearly two decades, and only one person was executed. But complaining about it now won't bring back the dead.

The Church and most Fancher descendants seem to be working well together to memorialize this event appropriately, and the Frank Kirkmans are the exception rather than the rule.

Mountain Meadows Massacre: Descendants Of Victims And Perpetrators Working Together In Arkansas On Two Friendship Quilts To Memorialize Victims

Although the Mountain Meadows Massacre occurred in 1857, some hard feelings remain even today, although most of the fuel is generally applied by anti-Mormons who have an axe to grind against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

But descendants of both the victims and the perpetrators are working together to erase any lingering hard feelings. Their latest project is to create two friendship quilts - one destined for Cedar City, Utah, and the other for Northwest Arkansas. The fabric squares will pay tribute to emigrants who were slaughtered by Mormon militiamen and Paiute Indians as they passed through southern Utah in September 1857. Media story from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Barbara Jones Brown is a South Jordan, Utah, Mormon who helped edit the critically acclaimed "Massacre at Mountain Meadows". Her white fabric square states, "I am so sorry members of my church committed this crime. I believe earth has no sorrow that cannot be healed by the grace of God and the goodness of the human family".

Meanwhile, Diann Fancher of Green Forest, Arkansas is related by marriage to 28 of the people who died. Her squares state: "Love is from God" and "Vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord". According to Fancher, the friendship quilt is another opportunity for healing. "Hopefully, the quilt will show all the dreams we have and the forgiveness and the love and the opportunity we have to make a better tomorrow", Fancher said.

Also involved in this project, but in a different way, is Richard Turley, the Assistant Church Historian for the LDS Church. On Thursday February 26th, Turley, accompanied by Barbara Jones Brown, addressed members of Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education about the massacre as well as efforts to promote reconciliation, including the quilts. Turley co-authored "Massacre at Mountain Meadows", and said they did research in 31 states and the District of Columbia. It takes 100 feet of shelf space to hold all the documents, and those documents will be useful in helping to construct a second book about the massacre which will detail the 20-year effort to bring John D. Lee, considered the leader of the massacre, to justice. Turley recently signed a contract with Oxford University Press to write the new book.

A short summary of the massacre is in order. During the time period leading up to the massacre, the LDS community in Utah felt like they were under siege. A misguided President James Buchanan, led to believe the Utah Mormons were in rebellion, sent a military force commanded by future Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston to subjugate them in May 1857. This was occurring a mere 13 years after the Saints were driven from Nauvoo, Illinois, and before that, from Missouri and Ohio. In addition, one of their Apostles, Parley P. Pratt, had been murdered near Van Buren, Arkansas earlier in 1857. So when the Fancher-Baker Party arrived in Utah with their wagon train in late 1857, enroute to California, feelings were already at a fever pitch.

As the Fancher-Baker Party traveled south, some settlements refused to sell them provisions. This generated hard feelings on both sides, and a few of the hot-tempered young bloods in the party issued threats. That's all it took to light the match, and Mormons in the area organized with local Indians to attack the party. The attack took place in Mountain Meadows on September 11th, 1857 (what an auspicious date). Led by an estimated 50-60 Mormon militiamen, it resulted in the death of roughly 120 men, women and children; most of them from Arkansas and Missouri. Only 17 of the youngest emigrants were spared; they were farmed out to various families in the area (but later returned to their own relatives). As the bodies began to decay, militiamen divided up the spoils and tried to conceal their crimes. Initially, church members blamed Paiute Indians for the attack. Eventually, a lone militia leader, former Bishop John D. Lee, was convicted of the crime and executed.

In recent years, the church has acknowledged and expressed regret for the role its members played in the mass murder. Church officials have traveled to Arkansas repeatedly to meet with descendants of the Fancher-Baker party and officials with three organizations dedicated to keeping the massacre victims' memories alive.

Other information about the Massacre can be found on the Mountain Meadows Massacre website, which shows pictures and maps, an article from LDS Ensign Magazine, and a website dedicated to the victims of the massacre.