Mormon Grove
The City that Disappeared
The campground, really a temporary village covering about 150 acres, consisted of the grove, a large pasture fenced by native sod and a ditch, and a burial ground located on the elevated ridge between the grove and the farm. Though one or two permanent structures were erected, most residents lived in tents, wagon boxes or make-shift dwellings.
During the peak year of emigration at Mormon Grove in 1855, nearly 2,000 Latter-Day Saints with 337 wagons left here for the Salt Lake Valley. It was also a tragic year for the U.S., British, and European Mormons at the little way station, many dying in a cholera epidemic.
In 1856, Iowa City, Iowa, became the major jump-off point for Latter-Day Saint westward travel, and Mormon Grove became a forgotten gathering place.
Erected by Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints and Kansas Historical Society. (Marker Number 117.)
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Location. 39° 33.432′ N, 95° 11.895′ W. Marker is near Atchison, Kansas, in Atchison County. It is at the intersection of U.S. 73 and Osage Road, on the right when traveling east on U.S. 73. Marker is on the southeast corner in a small pull out. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Atchison KS 66002, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Kansas. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, in the Corn Belt, on the prairies, and on the Southern Plains. 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 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Atchison (approx. 2.8 miles away); Frank R. Firth (approx. 3.1 miles
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on May 14, 2012, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. This page has been viewed 2,061 times since then and 86 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 14, 2012, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
