Our last stop on our Mormon history trip across the country was in Martin's Cove Wyoming. When we arrived in this area, we truly felt that this was sacred ground, as a result of the events that took place here. On July 28th, 1856, 500 pioneers left Nebraska dangerously late in the season, to try to make it to Salt Lake City before the winter snow began to fall. An early winter storm slowed them down in October and again in early November. After meeting a rescue party that was sent out by Brigham Young, they camped for five days against the mountain in harsh conditions. By the time the pioneers finally reached the Salt Lake Valley, more than 150 members of this party had died and the remaining 350 were in dire conditions. When we arrived at the Cove, we were able to pull our own hand cart, just as these pioneers did.
We then walked to the spot where the Handcart Company camped. Along the way, we passed huge bronze statues depicting the pioneers and the rescuers, historical markers and, our children's favorite, missionaries telling stories about the pioneers who camped here during that fateful November.
This stop, which is only a few hours from Salt Lake, was one of our favorite stops on our journey. We couldn't believe that we hadn't visited here before!
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