Church History Trip - Day 6 (THE LAST)

We woke up and - after breakfast and hearing all about the frantic search for the two missing girls the night before - boarded the bus and headed towards Winter Quarters in Nebraska. In Winter Quarters (located currently in North Omaha), we first visited the Mormon Trail Center. This statue of a family pulling a handcart is just outside the main entrance.

Winter Quarters Facts #1: On June 14, 1846, the first wagon train of Mormon pioneers traveling westward reached the banks of the Missouri River. Since it was too late in the year to travel far, Brigham Young proposed an encampment be established. The camp was to be a sanctuary against the bitter winter. As provisions were scarce, it also would give them time to prepare for the resumption of their journey in the spring. A site was selected on a plateau overlooking the Missouri River. The name chosen was Winter Quarters. This wilderness community swelled to 3,483 souls.

I think that in general I was pretty burned out on museums. I kinda took the Center at my own pace. In one alcove that looked over the Winter Quarters Temple, I found this statue of two parents looking upon the grave of their infant. The statue really touched me, as I realized that seeing such families was probably a lot more common than I had ever really understood. I was made more profoundly aware of the great sacrifices so many made on this journey.

This painting was near the statue above and is called Shall We Not Go On in So Great a Cause. Perhaps because of my increased testimony in Joseph Smith the Prophet, or because I love the movie that now plays in the Legacy Theater on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, this painting also touched more than it ever had. Painted by Clark Kelley Price, the tag next to the painting read, "With their sights set on Zion, these Latter-day Saints sacrifice everything, including their last ounce of strength, to make the journey to the 'promised land.' In this symbolic painting, the image of Joseph Smith provides spiritual direction toward Zion and the vision of the temple spires on the horizon."

Winter Quarters Facts #2: Soon after the Latter-day Saints arrived in Winter Quarters, labor parties began to prepare for the approaching winter. Lots were plotted and assigned and practically overnight a city sprang up. Houses, built of logs covered with willows or prairie sod, lined the dirt streets. Openings were dug into the hill side and enclosed with willows or sod to form dugouts. While some workers built these crude houses, others were plowing land and sowing seed for next year's crops. This hopefully would sustain them when they again began their westward trek.

So, I saw the flute and piccolo below and couldn't resist. I craved to play a solid wood flute! I settled for a picture with bad glare and shadow... oh well...

Part of the Mormon Trail Center included a "hands-on" element, not unlike the U.S.S. Constitution Museum in Boston. The following pictures include me sleeping on a ship bunk (talk about cramped quarters), Mindy, Gretchen, and me being "ganstah" pioneers (at least by the look of it), and the three of us "some-may-push-and-some-may-pulling" a handcart. Good times.

Winter Quarters Facts #3: The great difficulty at Winter Quarters, however, was not physical hardships or extreme cold only. It was a weakening plague which spread throughout the camp. As early as July, 37% of the community were down with this fever. Source of the sickness was found in swamps full of mosquitoes. Coupled with the plague, privation and exposure also took a terrible toll of these pioneers, and before the encampment at Winter Quarters was abandoned, over 600 men, women, and children had been laid to rest in the cemetery I visited next, now called the Mormon Pioneer Cemetery, which is located on the north end of the Winter Quarters Temple grounds.

Winter Quarters Facts #4: Winter Quarters was only a temporary settlement. In 1847-48, under the leadership of Brigham Young, nearly four thousand people left from here. Winter Quarters and the hundreds of courageous pioneers resting in the cemetery exemplify the perseverance and dedication of those Latter-day Saints who moved west.

I think it is significant that the Winter Quarters Temple lies directly south of this hallowed cemetery. I imagine that those Saints will consider themselves more than blessed to be raised up next to a temple!

The stained glass on the temple was gorgeous! (Well, the whole temple was really...but I'm a sucker for stained glass...) We only had about 10 minutes to traverse the cemetery and the temple grounds before re-boarding the bus... We made the most of that 10 minutes. :0)

Our bus drove back across the Missouri River to Council Bluffs, Iowa. When the Saints first came across from Nauvoo to Winter Quarters, Council Bluffs was also settled, and for a time renamed Kanesville. In 1847, Brigham Young requested the elders of the church to build a tabernacle that would hold a large quantity of Saints. Under the direction of Henry W. Miller, 200 men built the log Kanesville Tabernacle in two-and-a-half weeks! The tabernacle was able to hold 1000 Saints for the first solemn assembly of the church held to ordain the new Prophet and First Presidency, almost four years after the martyrdom of Joseph Smith. I think that after attending the solemn assembly in April, this building held much more significance to me than it would have previously.

Outside the Tabernacle stood five plaques with engravings that included The Family: A Proclamation to the World; & The Living Christ. Also engraved were texts regarding the reorganization of the First Presidency as well as the westward movement of the Mormon Pioneers. The tabernacle itself was originally constructed with green cottonwood logs, which caused the walls to shrink between 6 and 8 inches each year as the wood dried.

This painting depicts the solemn assembly that took place in the Kanesville Tabernacle in 1847.

At one end of the wall was a huge fireplace and chimney constructed of stacked sod. I thought it was pretty cool to make a fireplace and chimney out of dirt... but maybe that's just me. The fireplace itself was about six feet tall.

This statue stood outside the Tabernacle, depicting the new First Presidency: Brigham Young, Willard Richards, and Heber C. Kimball.

Across from the Kanesville Tabernacle is the LDS Visitor's Center. While there our group watched the video on the Mormon Battalion (that video Aunt Kathy told us about several years ago). This encasement was a uniform and basic belongings to the average Battalion member.

We left Kanesville and headed straight south, back through Missouri, to the Kansas City, MO airport. I forgot to mention previously that Mindy, Gretchen, and I frequently had our meals with Tom, our bus driver. We took this picture with Tom right before we walked into the airport.

At the airport, we had some time to kill (like 3 hours). So we decided to walk Ferdner around the airport and show him the sights. You can see him in the bottom right-hand corner of these pictures. We also found this shirt... and died laughing for several minutes. (Largely in part, I would wager, because we were so travel-weary... but it's still pretty funny...)

Outside the airport, just before we boarded to Denver...

From the plane just outside Kansas City... probably a picture of Kansas, now that I think about it.

I arrived back in Salt Lake City, after a layover in Denver, at about 10:30 pm. It was an amazing trip... one that inspired me to learn new things, make new friends, and in many ways changed my life. To think that I only went on this trip on a whim. Funny how we are blessed when we follow those promptings!