Pioneer History

The History of the Handcart Pioneers

More than 90% of the Mormon pioneers who crossed the 1,300 miles of wilderness to Salt Lake City, Utah did so with the aid of covered wagons pulled by oxen or horses. However, thousands of immigrants from England and Wales who joined the Church and the trek west took on a new form of transportation to Salt Lake City. They couldn't afford wagons after leaving their homeland, so they pulled handcarts. The human-powered handcarts, which were envisioned by Brigham Young, proved to be one of the most brilliant—and tragic—experiments in all western migration.


Ten companies of handcart pioneers walked the 1,300 miles from Iowa City to Salt Lake City between 1856 and 1860, pulling and pushing all that they owned. Of the total of 2,962 handcart immigrants, about 250 died along the way, 220 of them were from two handcart companies made of poor European immigrants who started on the journey across the plains late in the year due to a series of mishaps. Eventually, nearly 220 members of the Willie and Martin companies died on the high plains, the majority freezing to death in early snowstorms near the Continental Divide in central Wyoming. Many others suffered trail-side amputations of fingers, toes, and legs due to frostbite. Rescue parties from Salt Lake City averted further tragedy.


Although less than 10% of pioneers pulled handcarts, these saints inspire us today because of their devotion and perseverance to their faith and family. We honor these great men, women and children by reflecting on their experiences and remembering their sacrifice. The Trek provides an opportunity for us to gain some insight into their experiences. Your Trek experience will be wonderful and life changing. Incorporating the spirit of an actual pioneer will amplify your experience. Please spend some time prior to the Trek learning about these ordinary people who did amazing things. Hearing their stories will give you a glimpse into their ordeals, empathize with their struggles, and rejoice in their triumphs.


“I have a desire to leave a record of those scenes and events through which I have passed, that my children, down to my latest posterity, may read what their ancestors were willing to suffer, and did suffer, patiently for the gospel’s sake. And I wish them to understand too, that what I now word is the history of hundreds of others who have passed through like scenes for the same cause. I also, too, desire them to know that it was in obedience to the commands of the true and living God, and with the assurance of an eternal reward – an exaltation in His kingdom – that we suffered these things. I hope, too, that it will inspire my posterity with fortitude to stand firm and faithful to the truth, and be willing to suffer and sacrifice all things that they may be required to pass through for the sake of the Kingdom of God.”            -Elizabeth Horrocks Jackson Kingsford