Casper in Natrona County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)

The Road to Zion

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, September 17, 2015

1. The Road to Zion Marker

Captions: (top, right) Many Mormon emigrants wrote diaries to describe their experiences. Appleton Harmon wrote his journal in 1847.; (central illustration) After arriving, the Mormon pioneers set up communities and ferry crossings along the trail to assist later wagon trains going to and from Utah.; (bottom, right) From 1856-60, many European converts walked more than 1,200 miles to Salt Lake City pushing and pulling handcarts loaded with 500 pounds of supplies. After 1860, the Mormon church sponsored oxen-drawn wagons to bring emigrants to the “New Zion.”; (Map of the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail on the bottom, left.)

Inscription. From the late 1840s through the 1860s, an exodus of more than 70,000 Mormons passed by here on their way to their “New Zion” in Utah. Starting from Nauvoo, Illinois in February 1846, the first group of at least 13,000 Mormons crossed into Iowa to escape religious persecution, then spent the next winter in the area of present-day Council Bluffs, Iowa and Omaha, Nebraska.
In 1847, Brigham Young led an advance party of 143 men and 2 women, and 3 children along the Platte River. At Fort Bridger, Wyoming they departed from the Oregon Trail to head southwest to the Great Salt Lake. Thousands of other Mormons soon followed. Today, a marked 1,624-mile auto tour closely parallels their historic trek.

Erected by U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Mormon Pioneer Trail series list.

Location. 42° 50.26′ N, 106° 22.291′ W. Marker is in Casper, Wyoming, in Natrona County. It can be reached from Fort Caspar Road near Southwest Wyoming Boulevard (Wyoming Highway 258), on the right when traveling west. Touch for map.

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Marker is at or near this postal address: 4001 Fort Caspar Road, Casper WY 82604, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Wyoming’s Westward Expansion Trails Region.

It is also in the American Mountain West.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Mormon Ferry (here, next to this marker); The Upper Crossing (here, next to this marker); Site of Old Platte Bridge (a few steps from this marker); Guinard Bridge (a few steps from this marker); Reconstructed Fort Caspar (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Battle at Platte Bridge (about 300 feet away); The Battle of Red Buttes (about 400 feet away); Old Fort Caspar (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Casper.

More about this marker. This marker is located near the reconstructions of Fort Caspar and Platte Bridge.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, September 17, 2015

2. The Road to Zion Marker

Ferry reconstruction by members of the
Casper Stake
of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on December 19, 2015, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 502 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 19, 2015, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.