In the years 1856-1860, a series of 10 companies of Mormon handcart pioneers embarked from Iowa City to cross the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains to the Great Salt Lake Valley. The handcarts were manned by families of recent converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as Mormons). They came to the Salt Lake Valley to gather with their fellow Saints (members) to build “Zion” and worship their Father in Heaven in peace.
These brave handcart pioneers came mostly from England and Europe. The handcart project was devised by Brigham Young to reduce the expense of traveling west for these families, many of whom were poor, and who had already incurred the expense of an ocean voyage. Two of the 10 companies, the Willie and Martin companies, left on their journey late in the season in 1856 and suffered severe loss of life due to hunger and exposure when early winter storms hit along the Continental Divide. The suffering, sacrifice, faith and rescue of these two companies are a hallmark in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Just weeks ago, from June 6-9, I joined a group of 97 Latter-day Saint youth from Southeast Alaska, along with their adult leaders, in a reenactment of a handcart trek. With Pioneer Peak, the Knik Glacier, and surrounding mountains as stunning backdrops, these faithful youth, along with another 150 youth from Palmer, pulled wooden handcarts up the Knik River Valley. Our theme was “Faith over Fear.”
Experiencing a portion of what the original handcart companies went through deepened our relationship with our Father in Heaven and our connection to our pioneer heritage. Each youth travelled in honor of one of their own pioneer ancestors, some of whom made the actual trek to the Salt Lake Valley and some who joined the faith later.
We travelled in four companies of seven to eight “families” apiece. Each “family” included a married couple called “Ma and Pa,” and seven to nine youth, with families purposefully composed of youth who, for the most part, did not know each other at the outset. Dressed in pioneer garb, we left electronics behind and learned to manage freezing river crossings and start fires with flint and steel. We tried to maintain hygiene without running water, and slept on the hard ground. We enjoyed our own Dutch oven cooking, and participated in pioneer-era games and lively folk dancing accompanied by a fiddle. Informal discussions around campfires provided opportunities for the youth to share what they learned.
Beyond the adventure of the reenactment, we learned to work as a team, bonded as a “family,” and overcame some of the obstacles and challenges faced by our pioneer predecessors. These enthusiastic youth learned Faith over Fear by stretching beyond themselves, sacrificing for others, and accomplishing challenging new tasks.
Daily devotionals in the “families” included prayer, scripture study, time for personal reflection, and discussing the eternal truths they were learning. Larger camp wide devotionals focused on spiritual values and eternal principles tied to the early pioneer experience. Adult leaders watched these exuberant youth grow in character as they learned to sacrifice for their “family” and others around them. They learned to overcome challenges as they supported each other in loading and pulling the cumbersome handcarts over rocky, muddy, and hilly ground, helped each other cook, and worked together to make and break camp. They shared stories of sacrifice and faith from their family histories and their own lives. They patterned their faith after that of their pioneer forebears. They found parallels between the dramatic rescue of the Willie and Martin handcart companies to their own spiritual rescue by their Savior, Jesus Christ.
I was privileged to witness the transformation of these youth from nearly strangers on embarkation to closely knit “families” and loving friends as they pulled their handcarts to their final destination. To me, however, the greater miracle was to witness the youth conquer through Faith over Fear as they exercised faith in the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
• Mark H. Stauffer is a counselor in the Stake Presidency, Juneau Alaska Stake, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
