Saga of the Sanpitch Volume 13, 1981 - Sanpete County

portion of bedding and clothing was discarded, when it was needed most. The load was too heavy for these
poor way-farers to bear.
Every day took its toll of lives. Graves were dug in the snow, for the frozen earth was unyielding.
Fathers denied themselves food so their families might survive, but the strain proved too much for their frail
bodies, and they quietly died, as a candle flame that has been extinguished. Desolation reigned.
The Willie Company found some protection near a clump of willows, and there they camped, no longer
able to erect their tents or decently bury their dead, too weary and weak to move further in the ten inches of
snow. The Martin Company turned off the road and found refuge in a ravine, near a bend in the Sweetwater
River; here death took such a heavy toll the place was like an overcrowded tomb. They had not completely
despaired, and there was still a flicker of hope that the messengers would be instrumental in their deliverance.
In Salt Lake City, it was October 4. General Conference had convened. President Brigham Young
received word of the stranded Saints. He halted the Conference proceedings and took practical and vigorous
action, organizing rescue parties to leave on the morrow. He made preparations to receive the afflicted ones
as they arrived in the Valley. The audience responded as true Saints would.
The heroism of the rescue parties must rank among the noblest of deeds. Numerous horsemen and
wagon-loads of supplies left early the next day, but met a blizzard of such proportions they became blockaded.
Captain Willie, and a company who had braved the continuing storms, appeared on two worn-out horses, to
inform the rescuers that if help wasn't given at once, there was no need to come at all. He guided the rescue
team to his party, and then directed them on to the more sorely afflicted Martin group.
Two young men, Joseph A. Young and Steven Taylor, arrived as an advance guard of the rescuers. More
welcome messengers never came from the courts of glory than these brave couriers, who brought hope, as
well as pitifully inadequate provisions.
Deaths continued during the rescue of the beleaguered people. Tents were erected, but another
blizzard burst upon the sufferers, flattening the coverings. Nevertheless, these people had received a new
lease on life, even though one-fourth of the company had perished, and they had three hundred miles of the
most difficult terrain yet to conquer. The weakest were placed in the supply wagons. Some continued to move
handcarts along paths made by rescue wagons moving forward and backward to make a trail. These were later
discarded.
The 433 survivors of the Willie Company arrived in Salt Lake City on November 9. The last of the Martin
Company arrived on December 1; between 135 and 150 deaths had occurred. Even the rescue entailed
hardships, but the compassionate aid given to these half-starved Saints gave compensation.
Wagons carried all arrivals to the Tithing House area, where loving hands cared for their immediate
needs. They were then conveyed to homes in Salt Lake City and surrounding areas. Some came to Ephraim,
Moroni, and other towns in Sanpete, where they remained true to the faith all their days.
Surely there is no parallel in history that is filled with more devotion to a cause. These "visible Saints"
helped carve out a new civilization. What a priceless heritage, what a magnificent legacy is ours.
God bless their memory.
Author's Note: Martin's Cove, a hollow at the foot of some cliffs near the Sweetwater River, where the
immigrants sought shelter, has since become part of the Sun Ranch. This is invisible from the road; cows now
graze and drink there.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. " Sketch of Life of Mary Lawson Kirkman," by her son, John Kirkman. Both were participants in the Martin Handcart Company
episode. Mary Kirkman is the author's great-grandmother.
2. Personal recollection of Elder J. Golden Kimball's words in L. D. S. Conference in Twin Falls, Idaho.
3. "The Instructor," July, 1956 and February, 1967.
78