Handcart Companies

Not every pioneer could afford oxen and a wagon. Between 1856 and 1860, some three thousand Mormon converts—many of them poor immigrants from Britain and Scandinavia—walked to Utah pulling their belongings in two-wheeled handcarts, more than a thousand miles on foot. Most arrived safely. Two companies did not: the Willie and Martin handcarts left too late in 1856 and were trapped by early snow in Wyoming, where more than two hundred died before rescue wagons could reach them from the valley. It remains the deadliest chapter of the overland migration.

What the plaque says

Sons of Utah Pioneers Handcart Companies On the 9th day of June 1856, the first Mormon Handcart Company left Iowa City led by Captain Edmond Ellsworth. There were 52 handcarts with 275 people. On the 11th day of June, the next company led by Captain Daniel D. McArthur, had 48 handcarts, with 222 people and 4 covered wagons. These companies suffered many hardships, bad roads with hills and mountains to cross, adverse weather conditions and the other problems that were encountered by the pioneers as they crossed the plains coming west. There were frequent breakdowns of the handcarts as they had been made with green wood. Both the handcarts and wagons were overloaded. Many repairs were constantly needed before they could go on. Some of the children and elderly people died and were buried on the way. Food was scarce at times, so buffalo meat became a source of survival. Both parties of the Saints arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on the 26th of September 1856 and were met by Governor Brigham Young and his councilmen, the Nauvoo Band and others. Site No. 4-G Olympus Hills Chapter Sons of Utah Pioneers Dedicated June 1987

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• This Is The Place Heritage Park — 3.1 mi
  A living history village at the mouth of Emigration Canyon
• Emigration Canyon — 3.7 mi
  The final stretch of trail the Mormon pioneers took into the valley
• Natural History Museum of Utah — 3.9 mi
  A world-class museum built into the foothills above Salt Lake City
• Red Butte Garden — 4.2 mi
  A 100-acre botanical garden with panoramic valley views

More markers nearby

• Early Pioneer Mills — steps away
• B and K Tannery — steps away
• Charles Stillman Bridge — steps away
• Kanyon Creek Mill — steps away