The Mormon Battalion at Larned, Kansas
The Mormon Battalion camped here on 8 September 1846. The more than 500 volunteers in this little army were enlisted to fight in the war with Mexico. They had been recruited from among the Mormon pioneers (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) who were camping for the winter near Council Bluffs, Iowa, during their famous trek to the Rocky Mountains.
At this campsite the soldiers found plenty of wood for their fires, but it was useless in the midst of the downpour that day, which drenched the army "like so many drowned rats." The fowl weather also hampered the next day's crossing of the rain-swollen Pawnee River, making it necessary for wagons and gear to be pulled by ropes on the opposite bank. This was only one of many fatiguing experiences the Mormon Battalion endured during its 2,000-mile march across the American Southwest to San Diego, California.
Erected 1982 by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the Kansas State Historical Society.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Religion & Religious Structures • War, Mexican-American.
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Location. 38° 11.297′ N, 99° 8.485′ W. Marker is near Larned, Kansas, in Pawnee County. It is on State Highway 156, on the left when traveling west. Marker is on the grounds of the Santa Fe Trail Association. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1349 Kansas Highway 156, Larned KS 67550, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Kansas. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, on the prairies, on the Southern Plains, and on the Santa Fe Trail Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Comancherνa, the Dust Bowl, and the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Ak'a Onikashin ga People of the Southwind (a few steps from this marker); Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.6 miles away); Pawnee County Area All Veterans Memorial (approx. 2 miles
Also see . . . The Mormon Battalion March, 1846-47. (Submitted on July 15, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 8, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 15, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 570 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 15, 2016, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
