Far Away in the West: Reflections on the Mo rmon Pioneer Trail

The story of the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo to a new mountain home "far away in the west" still stirs the imagination of writers, artists, historians, and musicians. Letters, diaries, and other manuscript sources continue to be discovered that recount this thrilling chapter in Mormon history. An entire believing people came to trust that they would find their place to worship without fear of persecution if they followed their God. This book is divided into three sections of the Mormon pioneers' experiences. Even readers who have followed this history will discover new and inspiring facts about this enduring story. Part I. Farewell to the City of Joseph Cartographic representations of the American west on the eve of the Mormon exodus / Douglas Seefeldt John C. Fremont's 1843-44 western expedition into Utah and the Mormons in Illinois The economic sacrifice of the Nauvoo exodus / Susan Easton Black "The poorest of the poor and the sickest of the sick": the Luman Andros Shurtliff Poor Camp rescue / Wendy Top Part II. Westward to Zion "The place which god for us prepared": presettlement Wasatch Range environment / Terry B. Ball and Spencer Snyder The Mormon exodus as seen through the Horace K. Whitney journals / Richard E. Bennett The Mississippi saints: a unique odyssey of southern pioneers / David F. Boone Cache Cave: Utah's first register / Henry "Hank" R. Smith Part III. Protecting, developing, and revisiting the trail Utah's role in protecting emigrant trails during the Civil War / Kenneth L. Alford The pioneer trail and routes of the iron horse and the horseless carriage Wilford wood's twentieth-century crossing and recrossing of the plains: a collector, his church, and the mid-century rise in Latter-Day Saint historic site consciousness / J. B. Haws "Lest thou forget": memorializing and marking the Mormon pioneer trail / Scott C. Esplin.