Today’s Mormons look back on their exodus in biblical terms. Brigham was their Moses. Their new home in the Great Basin was the Promised Land. When a cold snap froze the Mississippi River, the Mormons pictured themselves crossing the Red Sea. During that cold winter, one hungry band of Mormons feasted on what seemed like a gift from heaven. The food came in the form of flocks of quail.
By May 1846, thousands of Mormons were rolling westward. They spread out across hundreds of miles of prairie. Brigham set up camps along the route. Farmers planted crops to feed those who would follow later. Kanesville grew up on the east bank of the Missouri River. On the west bank, a camp blossomed near what is now Omaha, Nebraska. The Mormons called it Winter Quarters.
In June, Captain James Allen rode into the Kanesville camp. The United States, he told Brigham, was at war with Mexico. He asked for a force of five hundred men to serve under General Stephen Kearny. Their task would be to help Kearny secure California for the Union. Brigham told Allen, “You shall have your Battalion, Sir.” The act helped prove the church’s loyalty. The $21,000 that the army paid to the men’s families also factored into Brigham’s decision.
Mormons looked up to Brigham as their religious leader. As the weeks passed, he proved his worth in other areas. As a builder, he pushed for the construction of log and sod houses. The crude dwellings sheltered nearly 3,500 people that winter. As a statesman, he made peace with the local American Indians. He also assured President James Polk that the Mormons were good Americans. As a leader, he could be stern. Men who broke the rules were whipped. But he also showed a softer side. To brighten the long days, he encouraged people to worship with music and dance.
Winter brought new hardships. Construction of much-needed wagons slowed to a snail’s pace. Six hundred people died of illness and disease. Among the dead were two of Brigham’s wives. Worn down by long, hard workdays, Brigham, too, fell ill.
Brigham Young needed a place where his people could live and worship freely. He solved the problem by picking an unsettled area in the Great Basin. The trek west was long and difficult. This illustration shows the Winter Quarters that Brigham set up near present-day Omaha, Nebraska.
In April 1847, healthy once more, Brigham led an advance party toward the Great Basin. The party included three women, two children, and 143 men. Each day started with a 5:00 A.M. wake-up call. After prayer and breakfast, the column moved out. All of the men carried rifles or pistols. At night, the men drew the wagons into a circle. By 9:00 P.M., all but the guards were asleep.
Pawnee war parties tracked the group. Brigham wooed them with gifts, but the warriors wanted more. One day, they set a prairie fire to frighten the Mormons. A wind shift drove the wall of flames away from the wagon train. When food supplies ran low, hunters spotted a herd of buffalo. That night, the women grilled buffalo steaks over buffalo chip fires.
At Fort Laramie, the Mormons picked up the Oregon Trail. The trail climbed through country that produced little grass. As supplies ran low, Brigham sent a crew ahead with a leather boat. The men ferried other settlers across the Platte River in return for food. The Mormons crossed the Platte on June 13. Ten days later, they sighted the Rocky Mountains.
The party had to endure dust, thin air, and a heavy workload. Many fell ill. Brigham was put to bed with Colorado tick fever. An advance party went ahead to blaze a trail. The main group followed. Brigham jolted along in the back of a wagon.
On July 21, the advance party let out a “shout of joy.” Ahead lay the valley of the Great Salt Lake. Two days later, the men were plowing their first furrows. The sight of the “Promised Land” seemed to restore Brigham’s strength. Newly energized, he plunged into the task of planning a new Zion.