Church History Trip- Winter Quarters

My Mom had a wonderful idea to take a trip to visit some of the major church history sites and end up in beautiful Nauvoo.  She was so sweet for letting us join her and what a wonderful trip we had.  I learned so much about our church and my testimony of it’s truthfulness grew so much.  The spirit that we felt at all of these historic church sites was just overwhelming.   It was amazing.  So so grateful for this experience and that I could share it with my little family and my wonderful Mom. 

We started off our trip visiting the Historic Winter Quarters in Omaha, Nebraska and then headed to the Kanesville Tabernacle in Council Bluffs, Iowa.   I’m going to give just a brief history of our church during this time and the significance of Winter Quarters. 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also referred to as the Mormon Church) was formally established on April 6, 1830 in upstate New York by Joseph Smith, Jr. There were just 6 original members of the church – and the membership is now numbered in the millions and extends around the globe.  Unfortunately, the rapid growth of the church gave rise to tensions between early members of the church and the surrounding communities in which they resided. Minor disagreements soon escalated into full-blown conflicts accompanied by physical violence. Eventually these early saints felt compelled, and in some cases were forced to relocate to more hospitable environments.  Their Prophet, Joseph Smith was eventually murdered on June 27th, 1844 and this seemed to embolden the enemies of the church who began to systematically threaten and terrorize the citizens of Nauvoo. Overwhelmed by the mounting threats and escalating violence and lacking the strong leadership of their fallen prophet, the beleaguered Latter-day Saints once again were compelled to leave behind, homes, properties, and the newly constructed Nauvoo Temple. Carrying what modest provisions they could reasonably load onto wagons and handcarts, they crossed the frozen Mississippi and headed yet further west toward the Rocky Mountains.

The historic Winter Quarters encampment represents one of the most famous and enduring staging points for the westward migration of the early Latter-day Saints.  In the early 1850’s, as Latter-day Saint pioneers migrated west to the Salt Lake Valley, they settled temporarily on both the Nebraska and the Iowa sides of the Missouri River – in the vicinity of what is now Omaha, Nebraska. The place became known as Winter Quarters and became a prominent stopover for Latter-day Saints and other pioneers as they made preparations to face the harsh realities of a severe overland trek west across the Rocky Mountains to the Salt Lake Valley and beyond. Enduring a harsh Midwest winter with minimal supplies and very rough shelters, Winter Quarters was at once a place of refuge and indescribable suffering for those early pioneers. Many did not survive that first winter. The winter was harsh, and despite their best preparations, many of the saints found themselves ill prepared to survive the season. Due to the arrival of many of the saints so late in the season, coupled with a lack of adequate resources, a good number of the shelters that were constructed were incapable of affording adequate protection from the elements. Hundreds of Latter-day Saints perished from a combination of harsh weather, hunger, and disease. A modest cemetery was constructed on a hill overlooking the valley. The very young and the elderly were disproportionately numbered among those occupying spots in the new cemetery. While no exact data exists, it is estimated that as many as 300 – 400 people were buried in and around the Winter Quarters area by the end of that first cruel winter.

I can’t even begin to describe the feelings I had and the spirit that was felt on the grounds of the Winter Quarters Temple and Cemetery.  So many Saints gave their lives for the work of the Lord.  I can’t even imagine the sufferings that they endured and the sacrifices that they made.  There was such an overwhelming beautiful feeling there.  I am so thankful for them!

 

I think it is very special to note that when President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Winter Quarters Temple, he also dedicated the cemetery as part of the temple grounds. 

The cemetery has no gravestones intact from the time of the early Saints, but thanks to the  records and work from researchers, exact spots of graves have been found. Families can use maps available at the Mormon Trail Center to find graves of their ancestors who died at Winter Quarters.  Paul’s direct ancestor, Robert Dowdle was buried at the Winter Quarters Cemetery.  The center offered a plastic headstone with a name plaque that we could put by the actual location that he was buried. 

They also had copper rods that if held parrellel to the ground would cross when held over disruption on the soil consistency.  This was so neat because it allowed us to find the exact location of Robert Dowdle.  Here’s Paul and my Mom trying it out.   

The big plaque in the front is a list of the names of the people that are buried at the Winter Quarters Cemetery.. and Robert Dowdle’s name right in the middle.

We also toured the Mormon Trail Center at Winter Quarters.  It included a lot of fascinating information about the Mormon migration west with excellent interpretive exhibits.  Here is Porter pulling a pioneer handcart.

We ended out trip to Winter Quarters with a picnic on the beautiful grounds. 

After Winter Quarters we headed to the Kanesville Tabernacle in Council Bluffs Iowa.  After the prophet Joseph Smith was murdered and the Saints were driven from their homes in Nauvoo, many saints settled in Iowa so they could prepare for their trek to Utah.  The Kanesville Tabernacle was built by 200 men and they completed the log structure in just two and a half weeks. On December 27, 1847 members of the Church crowded into the Tabernacle with over 1,000 members were present to sustain the new prophet, Brigham Young and the apostles Heber C. Kimball and Willard Richards were called as first and second counselors. The newly organized First Presidency was presented to the members. Members were then asked to sustain them, or give their approval of the new First Presidency. This event is significant in the history of the Church because it was the first time that members sustained a new Prophet and First Presidency, and because it established the process that was to be followed when calling a new Prophet and First Presidency.