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Author: Deseret News
In April of 1847, after spring had finally freed Winter Quarters of winter's deadly grip and it was safe to travel, a group of 143 men, six women, and two children left by wagon train for the Rocky Mountains. Led by Brigham Young, they had a vision of where the persecuted members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints could build a home safe from their enemies. They were the first of hundreds of wagon trains and thousands of people, whose epic treks became part of the folklore of a nation.
In April of 1997, 150 years later, another wagon train left the suburbs of Omaha, Nebraska, on its way to Utah. It traveled along the route of the original train to commemorate its historic journey. Unlike a century and a half ago, its departure was widely noted and covered extensively by newspaper and television reporters. Although this journey could not relive the hardships of the pioneers, it was nevertheless an arduous and difficult trip. It quickly fired the imagination of thousands of people and world wide media coverage. Thousands turned out to cheer them on, and a host of commemorative celebrations were held along their route. They were welcomed to Salt Lake City by a cheering crowd of 51,000.
Amazingly, an estimated 10,000 people joined the trek, spending a day, a week or more hoping to touch the spirit that settled the west.
This book, a special presentation by Deseret News, itself a pioneer newspaper, captures the feeling of both treks. Starting a year earlier in Nauvoo, Ill., Deseret News photographers and writers recorded the highlights of the commemorative events with stunning photorgraphs, some never before published, and special essays on the significance of the trek.
This is the story of what may be the last big wagon train to travel the old Mormon Trail from beginning to end.