North Omaha in Florence in Douglas County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
The Mormon Pioneer Trail / A Meeting House For The Saints
Photographed By Tom Bosse, September 8, 2015
1. The Mormon Pioneer Trail Marker
Inscription.
The Mormon Pioneer Trail, also, A Meeting House For The Saints. .
The Mormon Pioneer Trail. Fleeing heated religious and political hostility and persecution, many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (widely known as Mormons) abruptly fled their homes in Nauvoo, Illinois in February 1846. Unprepared for the cold of winter, these pioneers traveled 265 agonizing miles in four months. Heavy spring rains that year turned the rolling plains of southern Iowa into quagmire of axle-deep mud. Sheer exhaustion and a lack of provisions continually hampered their efforts triggering the decision to stop and winter over near the banks of the Missouri River. In the spring of 1847, after a respite and an opportunity to make better travel plans, 143 men, three women and two boys started across Nebraska for the new Zion on the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains., Following a rough trace blazed by earlier explorers, fur traders and missionaries, this pioneering group began laying out a route to the West that would later be used by thousands of other Mormons and Forty-niners. These first pioneers established ferries, campsites, bridges and supply depots - improvements that earned the route its name "The Mormon Trial.", The Pioneers of the Mormon Trail struggled across mid-America crossing the Iowa Prairie, traversing the Great Plains across Nebraska, climbing the backbone of the continental divide at South Pass, Wyoming and descending the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains to the Great Salt Lake Valley of Utah.,
A Meeting House For The Saints. Forced to leave their homes along the Mississippi, the Mormons began arriving in the Missouri River Valley in June of 1846. By September, nearly 4000 refugees had begun to settle in for the winter - laying out blocks and streets, building cabins for shelter, a grist mill (seen across the intersection to your right) and a town hall. "Winter Quarters, as it was called, had two main streets with 38 blocks, each containing 20 lots covered with crude shelters, tents, dugouts and log cabins. , The 22 by 32 foot town hall, or "Council House, was the social center of the refugee camp. Here, social gatherings, religious meetings and dances helped lighten the hearts of the Saints allowing them to temporarily forget the cold and misery of winter. The log structure was one-and-a-half stories high, with wooden floors, fireplaces, and windows. It was located in the area where the firehouse now stands. A nearby cemetery, containing the graves of several hundred emigrants, attest to the harshness of the winter and the crude living conditions they experienced while waiting for spring and the opportunity to continue the journey west.
The Mormon Pioneer Trail
Fleeing heated religious and political hostility and persecution, many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (widely known as Mormons) abruptly fled their homes in Nauvoo, Illinois in February 1846. Unprepared for the cold of winter, these pioneers traveled 265 agonizing miles in four months. Heavy spring rains that year turned the rolling plains of southern Iowa into quagmire of axle-deep mud. Sheer exhaustion and a lack of provisions continually hampered their efforts triggering the decision to stop and winter over near the banks of the Missouri River. In the spring of 1847, after a respite and an opportunity to make better travel plans, 143 men, three women and two boys started across Nebraska for the new Zion on the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
Following a rough trace blazed by earlier explorers, fur traders and missionaries, this pioneering group began laying out a route to the West that would later be used by thousands of other Mormons and Forty-niners. These first pioneers established ferries, campsites, bridges and supply depots - improvements that earned the route its name "The Mormon Trial."
The Pioneers of the Mormon Trail struggled across mid-America crossing the Iowa Prairie, traversing the Great Plains across
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Nebraska, climbing the backbone of the continental divide at South Pass, Wyoming and descending the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains to the Great Salt Lake Valley of Utah.
A Meeting House For The Saints
Forced to leave their homes along the Mississippi, the
Mormons began arriving in the Missouri River Valley in
June of 1846. By September, nearly 4000 refugees had
begun to settle in for the winter - laying out blocks and
streets, building cabins for shelter, a grist mill (seen across
the intersection to your right) and a town hall. "Winter
Quarters, as it was called, had two main streets with 38
blocks, each containing 20 lots covered with crude
shelters, tents, dugouts and log cabins.
The 22 by 32 foot town hall, or "Council House, was the
social center of the refugee camp. Here, social gatherings,
religious meetings and dances helped lighten the hearts of
the Saints allowing them to temporarily forget the cold and
misery of winter. The log structure was one-and-a-half
stories high, with wooden floors, fireplaces, and windows.
It was located in the area where the firehouse now stands.
A nearby cemetery, containing the graves of several hundred
emigrants, attest to the harshness of the winter and the
crude living conditions they experienced while waiting for
spring and the opportunity to continue
Photographed By Tom Bosse, September 8, 2015
2. The Mormon Pioneer Trail Marker
The Florence Mill can be seen in the background.
the journey west.
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. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1846.
Location. 41° 20.549′ N, 95° 57.734′ W. Marker is in Florence, Nebraska, in Douglas County. It is in North Omaha. Marker is on North 30th Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9090 N 30th St, Omaha NE 68112, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 4, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 12, 2015, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 641 times since then and 46 times this year. Last updated on November 14, 2015, by Keith S Smith of West Chester, Pennsylvania. Photos:1, 2. submitted on November 12, 2015, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
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