Hi! A few weekends ago we went to a historical visitor's center all about the Mormon Trail. The Mormon pioneers stopped near Council Bluffs, Iowa, to spend the winter while they were traveling to Utah in the 1800s.
This statue shows a typical Mormon pioneer family. Did you know that a lot of men pulled wagons themselves instead of with oxen?
Girls brought their dolls - we saw one in the covered wagon inside!
Here's a reproduction handcart, like the one we saw outside.
Close-up
Later, Mormons from all over the world came to Utah. Some took trains.
This reminds me of when Kit was riding the rails...
Others came on boats. This is a reproduction of the type of ship they would take.
The pioneers were poor, so they stayed in the lowest deck. Here are Colleen and I by a reproduction bunk they would sleep on! Isn't it tiny?
Here's a reproduction covered wagon... I couldn't get a picture with it because we weren't allowed to touch it.
The oxen
Here I am at the temple at Nauvoo, IL. The Mormons started their journey from Nauvoo because they were being persecuted. The temple wasn't finished it, but they didn't want the people persecuting them to destroy it or use it for unholy purposes, so they destroyed it and buried the ruins! Eventually, another group of Mormons rebuilt the temple. Our tour guide said that the soldiers who were persecuting the Mormons just marched right over what used to be the foundation of the temple. Isn't that sad?
Here is the inscription on the temple. They had a temple outside, but we couldn't go in because we aren't Mormon. Isn't it pretty though? Thanks for reading!
