The first major setback occurred when a buffalo stampede ran off the cattle of the Willie company. There were not enough animals now to haul all the supply wagons. There were few horses, and it was impossible to round up the missing stock. The provisions in the wagons were transferred to the handcarts.

The farther west the companies marched the more problems they had with axles and wheel hubs. In the humid Midwest, the climate better preserved the green wood, but as the air became drier, the unseasoned material dried too quickly and cracked. Also, the Mormons unwittingly added grease to the wooden axles to stop the loud, irritating squeaking noise the wheels made. The grease collected dust, which became almost like sandpaper and severely eroded the axles and hubs. The extra weight from the abandoned supply wagons also contributed greatly to the many breakdowns.

Captain Willie soon realized there were not enough provisions to last the entire trip at their present rate of speed. At Chimney Rock, he decreased the ration of flour to 10 ounces and more stringently rationed other foods. About this same time, he received a letter from Elder Richards saying that there were no supplies available until they reached South Pass–still hundreds of miles away.

On October 1, the Willie party arrived at Fort Laramie, the halfway mark for the journey. There they found no flour to buy, so rations had to be cut again. Because of the abnormally warm Indian summer they were experiencing, many began discarding their heavy coats and bedding to make more space for provisions.

Again the Willie company struck out for the Great Basin. The Martin company was just over a week behind them and making good progress. However, the leaders of both groups were concerned about the rapidly disappearing supplies and the many hundreds of miles yet to travel. They also knew that a change in the weather could bring tragedy.

Ominously, the first snow of the season fell as the Willie company was trekking along the Sweetwater and the Martin group was just a few miles past Fort Laramie. The first snow did not seem formidable, but soon the freezing temperatures began to take a toll.

Each morning more and more people would be found dead, frozen in their sleep. The low rations, miserable cold, and constant struggle to make good progress each day were now taking their toll on the men in the party more often than on the women and children.

As the companies left the North Platte and worked their way up higher ground to the Sweetwater, the temperatures dropped markedly. John Chislett, a member of the Willie company, began to doubt the wisdom of the journey. He wrote his impressions of the Sweetwater, noting that it ‘was beautiful to the eye, as it rolled over its rocky bed as clear as crystal; but when we waded it time after time at each ford to get the carts, the women and the children over, the beautiful stream, with its romantic surroundings…lost to us its beauty, and the chill which it sent through our systems drove out from our minds all holy and devout aspirations, and left a void, a sadness….’

More snow made the road slushy, slowing travel to a near-crawl. The dwindling food supply, freezing temperatures, and the constant strain of pulling the carts through 6 to 8 inches of snow took a heavy toll. The morning prayer meeting became a morning funeral service as more and more dead were collected from the night before. The losses provided more food for the living but reduced manpower for the handcarts. Many of these contrivances were abandoned.

Finally, on October 18, the Willie company simply stopped, unwilling and unable to proceed any farther. Stranded on the Sweetwater by deep, new snow at Fifth Crossing, Willie ordered one of the few remaining animals butchered. The next morning 12 people were found dead and, after the burial, James Willie and Joseph Elder took the last mule and struggled west for help. Willie knew that by now the Mormons in Salt Lake had to know of his company’s dire condition. Ten days behind, the Martin company was fighting its way up the long ascents to the Sweetwater; it would be just a matter of days before they too would stop and await starvation and death.

As James Willie struck west, the rescue effort was already two weeks in progress; Brigham Young had acted quickly and dispatched a relief column.

On October 4, the day before the general conference, Apostle Franklin D. Richards had arrived in Great Salt Lake City. He had made a courtesy call on Brigham Young and reported on his mission to Britain. During the conversation, Richards mentioned that two handcart companies and two ox trains were on the Plains still en route to Zion. Young was aghast, knowing full well the hazards of such a journey so late in the year.

Pages: 1 2 3 4