Today - November 4, 2014

TODAY - NOVEMBER 4, 2014

Crossing the Sweetwater River

 

Each year on November 4, the Winter Missionaries from Mormon Handcart Historic Sites, along with many friends and guests, participate in a commemorative crossing of the Sweetwater River.

 

We got all excited when we awoke on November 3, to see snow on the ground, but it melted off in the afternoon leaving us to cross only in the cold and the wind.

 

We began at the Homestead . . .

. . . and then headed west along the Mormon Trail which is also the Oregon Trail, the California Trail, and the Pony Express Trail through this part of the country.

Elder Moench led the way, pulling the beautiful oak handcart made for him by Elder Madsen, a Martin's Cove missionary who served here during the summer of 2013.

Some were pulled by their friends!

 

After traveling along the trail for two miles we stopped to take a cold and windy group picture . . .

. . . and then we headed down to the banks of the Sweetwater River . . .

. . . and into the water.

This year there was no ice in the river,

but it was deeper than it was in 2013.

The river bottom was muddy and slippery . . .

. . . and it was tricky not to lose your balance in the rushing, freezing water.

 But everyone made it safely across . . .





 . . . and back again.

This is the second time we have been privileged to commemorate this event, however . . .

. . . when the pioneers from the Martin Handcart Company completed their river crossing, they went up into Martin's Cove for 5 days and continued to starve and freeze and about 50 of them died there.

 

We did the complete opposite!  We went back to the Gathering Room at the Homestead and ate a hearty lunch.

There were 11 crock pots full of hot, delicious soup (two are not visible in this picture) plus endless breads and other goodies.

One of our sayings at Martin's Cove is,

"Since 1856
we have not let anyone starve here,"

and we certainly upheld that policy today!