The Handcart Pioneer Memorial

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Early members of the Church encountered hostility and persecution for their beliefs, particularly in their settlements in Missouri and Illinois. After the prophet Joseph Smith was killed in 1844, his successor Brigham Young began to lead the members of the Church west beginning in 1847 to try and find a place where the Latter-Day Saints could live safely. At the time, the area that is now Utah was not a part of the United States: this was uncharted territory.

Brigham Young and the first company of pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake area on July 24, 1847. In Utah, this day is a recognized holiday: Pioneer Day! It is celebrated similarly to the way we celebrate the Fourth of July.

This statue commemorates those that came in handcarts rather than covered wagons. Ten total handcart companies migrated between 1856 and 1860, bringing around 3,000 Mormons. To put this in perspective, there were over 70,000 total Mormon pioneers that migrated west. Many of those in the handcart companies were converts from England, Wales, Scotland, and Scandanavia who wanted to join the Latter-Day Saints in Utah. Crossing the country via handcart was much more strenuous than travelling by wagon, and many of them died. They had a mortality rate of 4.7% compared to a 3.5% mortality rate for those that crossed in wagons. One handcart company that left during harsh seasons had a 16.5% mortality rate. (Mortality rate=percent of people who died)

Although fewer than 10% of all Mormon pioneers made the journey west using handcarts, the handcart pioneers have become an important symbol in LDS culture, representing the faithfulness and sacrifice of the pioneer generation.