Florence in Omaha in Douglas County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Mormon Pioneer Memorial Bridge

Photographed by McGhiever, November 18, 2024

1. Mormon Pioneer Memorial Bridge Marker

Inscription.

This bridge is on the Mormon Pioneer Trail from Nauvoo, Illinois, to the Rocky Mountains. Driven from their homes by mobs, many of the dispossessed Mormon people crossed the Mississippi River on the ice in February, 1846. From these refugees five hundred volunteers for the Mexican War left here on the longest infantry march in recorded history.

Winter Quarters was established on the west bank of the Missouri River, and a ferry was operated at this site. Six hundred of these people – Nebraska's first white settlers – died here that winter.

April 5, 1847, Brigham Young and one hundred forty-seven others resumed the journey to select the trail and locate the place where the Mormon people could worship God in accordance with their religious belief. They reached the valley of the Great Salt Lake July 24 and founded Salt Lake City "in the top of the mountains." Thousands followed. They instituted modern irrigation and built an empire in the West.

Erected 1953 by Utah Pioneer Trails and Landmarks Association. (Marker Number 131.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Religion & Religious Structures

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

• Settlements & Settlers • War, Mexican-American • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Mormon Pioneer Trail, and the Utah Pioneer Trails and Landmarks Association series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1846.

Location. 41° 20.707′ N, 95° 57.562′ W. Marker is in Omaha, Nebraska, in Douglas County. It is in Florence. It is at the intersection of John J. Pershing Drive and Dick Collins Road, on the left when traveling north on John J. Pershing Drive. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Omaha NE 68112, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Nebraska. It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

in the Corn Belt,

and on the prairies.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Crossroads to the West: (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Road to Zion (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Florence Mill

Mormon Pioneer Memorial Bridge Marker under the west abutment of the I-680 bridge image. Click for full size.

Photographed by McGhiever, November 18, 2024

2. Mormon Pioneer Memorial Bridge Marker under the west abutment of the I-680 bridge

(approx. 0.2 miles away); A Meeting House for the Saints (approx. ¼ mile away); The Mormon Pioneer Trail / A Meeting House For The Saints (approx. ¼ mile away); From Indian Lands to the Golden Gate (approx. half a mile away); A Little Town That Dreamed of Greatness (approx. half a mile away); The Bank of Florence (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Omaha.

Another marker is no longer nearby. The Florence Mill (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. Marker 130 with identical text, now missing.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 20, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 20, 2024, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 301 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 20, 2024, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota.