Mormon Emigration
Pictures the ship Ellen Maria leaving
Painting by Ken Baxter – copyright LDS (Mormon Church
).
Bronze Statue of Emigrants at the Pier Head
This statue was
erected August 2001 in recognition of the epic journey to
The bronze statue, weighing a ton, was unveiled at the
The sculpture features a family group with a child stepping forward to symbolise the migration.
The work was made by Mark DeGraffenried
at a studio 4,000 miles away in
A twin statue was installed at the
Liverpool was the
European HQ for the transportation of Mormon emigrants to the US,
up to 1868.
Of 333 ships chartered to sail to
between 1840 and 1890.
During the period 1847-1853, at least 59 emigrant ships sank during their Atlantic crossing.
As noted in Seven Trails West, "the Mormon Trail of those years stretched all the way
from Liverpool to Salt Lake City, making it by far the longest of any trail west"
John
Taylor, born in Liverpool in 1808, was converted to Mormonism in Canada, and
quickly became a key leader, active in organizing the astonishing successful
Mormon mission to Great Britain. He was present at all the crises of Mormonism:
the financial ruin in Kirtland, Ohio; the ugly expulsion from Missouri; the mob
murder of Joseph Smith (Taylor took four musket balls in his own body trying to
protect his prophet); the exodus west; the coming of the federal army to Utah;
the death of Brigham Young;
More
than that, he was an intellectual, an able editor, as well as a missionary
organizer, and was respected by Brigham Young as "a mighty man."
Before that period, the Mormon Hall was situated at 15 Wilton Street Liverpool
during the years up to 1857, then relocated to 42 Islington Liverpool. ( seen here on the right )
The Music Hall in Bold
Street
Elder John
Taylor was the first Mormon missionary to preach in
Following Elder
Today
the Music Hall is Bar called Edward’s Bar - a commercial business. It is on the
corner of
The Mormon European headquarters at Islington in Liverpool ( seen here on the right ) was the place where the journey began. Everything for the journey to Utah was bought here, the payment for the transatlantic ship journey, provisions, and even payment of £75 for four Oxen and the special wagons, known as the Conestoga Wagon for the 1300 mile trek across the plains from Nauvoo Illinois through Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming to the Rocky Mountains and eventually, to Salt Lake City, Utah.
Conestoga Wagon or Prairie Schooner as it was sometimes called, was one of the main vehicles used to transport people, and all they would need to begin a new life in the wilderness of the American West.
An account by a group
of Danish Mormons travelling to
‘It was wonderful to see so many ships in the
English Channel. In Hull we were three
hours.
We went the same evening by train to Liverpool. There are ships here in the harbour by the 1,000. It was bad we went through England in the night, as we passed many trains and cities and through tunnels and over rivers and lakes. We rode the 44 miles in 7 hours and arrived in Liverpool 8 o'clock a.m. 19th of January. Here we got beds; the first we have had since we left Copenhagen. We have had to lay on straw, on boards and boxes, and have had many trials. Many are sick, but my wife and children are well. We are furnished here our food coffee and white bread for breakfast, soup with beef and potatoes for dinner, cakes and coffee and white bread for supper: as much as we want and good grub.
Here cotton goods are cheap, so are lemons and citrons, porcelain and glassware, but eating is dear. There is no end to see in Liverpool. It has 500,000 inhabitants and is several miles in circumference. It has many large stores and factories and buildings not equalled in Denmark but the most wonderful is the shipping. I think there are 100 harbours and 1000 ships in each. I cannot describe all there is to see . We lay in Liverpool 15 days before setting sail for New York’.
Pioneer wagons on the journey
West.
The Mormon Trail is 1,032 miles from Winter Quarters (near Florence, Nebraska) to Salt Lake City, Utah The first leg of the journey was from Nauvoo, Illinois, another 265 miles.
The Mormon Trail was used for 23
years, from 1846 to 1869. The trail was not a narrow path, but rather a
corridor, depending on the river, on available grass, on the terrain, events of
the year and other factors. It was a two-way road. The Mormon Trail is not an
original trail but followed territorial and Indian trails. It followed trails
blazed by trappers and traders. It followed part of the Ox-Box Trail, the
Mormon wagon companies were highly organized. There were captains for groups of hundreds, fifties and tens. Everyone was expected to follow their leader and to obey the rules. They had a daily routine. There was discipline, hard work, mutual assistance and devotional practices. As a rule they did not travel on Sunday.
Knowing that others would follow, pioneers improved the trail and built support facilities. Some of the ferries they built helped finance the movement. They planted crops; they recorded pertinent information such as the topography, latitude, longitude, distances, flora and fauna.
Six thousand people died on the trail. The greatest threats to life were illness and accidents. They suffered from poor nutrition and exposure to the elements.
After 1849 The Perpetual Emigration Fund was established to assist Latter-day Saints coming from the eastern United States and Europe. Church and private contributions were used for these loans. Emigrants signed a note promising to repay as soon as they were able.
Handcarts were used from 1856-1860. Nearly 3,000 migrants used this method of transportation. They could make 25-30 miles a day (a wagon would travel 10-15 miles a day). There were ten handcart companies.
As the Mormons
were preparing to go west, they were approached by the United States
government for help in the war against Mexico. The Mormon Battalion was
formed with over 500 members near
In the 21st century, Salt Lake City is the State Capital of Utah.
Mining of iron ore and silver, and the construction of the first transcontinental railroad, initially brought economic growth, and the city became nicknamed the Crossroads of the West. In the 21st century the city has developed a strong outdoor recreation tourism industry (skiing and biking), it has become the industrial banking centre of the USA, and achieved international recognition when Salt Lake area served as host to the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Information :
http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk
Updated