Martin's Cove Here I Come!

The young women and young men from three wards were divided into ten families. This is a picture of my Martin's Cove family. Back row ( left to right) Pa Lonnie Curtis, Trevor Silva, Jay Merrill, Wilson Lamborn, Jake Taylor. Front row ( left to right) Ma Tonya Curtis, Kennedy Curtis, Chalisse Hunsaker, Mckenzie Yeates, Julieanne Bennett.

This is a picture of the chapel. Wednesday, July16th, I got up very early and left for Martin's Cove. We rode on a bus for seven long hours until we reached Martin's Cove. When we got there we loaded our handcarts and pulled them to the chapel near Martin's Cove. This is Fort Seminal where we went after we saw the chapel. This is a fort where the pioneers would stay when it was cold and snowy. When we were at Fort Seminal we had the pleasure of hearing from Ephriam Hanks (or so called). Who was one of the rescuers that Brigham Young sent to help the pioneers.

After that we went and saw Veil Bridge which was built in honor of the pioneers. A missionary told us a short story then we went and pulled our handcarts on a three mile hike to Cherry Creek Campground where we spent the next two nights. We set up camp, then ate dinner, went square dancing, and had a devotional around the camp fire until bedtime.

Thursday, July 17, we got up laid our tent flat so the wind would not blow it away, and cleaned the bathroom. (Our family was on bathroom duty). We then started the day with a family devotional, followed by breakfast. The handcarts were then packed up and we headed toward Sweet Water Foot Bridge. After we crossed this, we walked through Martin's Cove and Dan W. Jones Cove and had lunch.

Following lunch we went and saw the statues of the Sweet Water Rescuers (Who are the people who carried the pioneers across the water). Then we kept on walking and actually pulled our handcarts through Sweet Water. After this we hiked to Sandy Hill (Which is basically a sandy hill) the significance of this is that the ladies had to pull the handcarts up the hill by themselves because the men were gone fighting in the Mormon Battalion.

Then we walked back to our campground, put our tents back up, ate dinner, and square danced. It was exciting when the Pony Express came and brought us letters from home because everybody missed their families. Testimony meeting and devotionals were right before bedtime. But my trek sister and I stayed up and gambled for candy.

Friday, July 18th, we packed up camp, had another devotional and breakfast and left to go back to the chapel. We visited the visitor center and got back on the buses and headed for Independence Rock. (another big mountain that the pioneers had to cross). Then headed for home.

Quote by President Gordon B. Hinckley about Martin's Cove

The Mormon Pioneer Trail is "a trail of tragedy, a trail of faith, a trail of devotion, a trail of consecration, even the consecration of life itself..." Terrible was the suffering of those who came here [ Martin's Cove] to find some protection from the heavy storms of that early winter. With their people hungry, cold and dying from sheer exhaustion, they came up into this cove for shelter. And then they died here, some 56 people. They are buried somewhere in this earth. We stand here with bare heads and grateful hearts for the sacrifices, and the sacrifices of all who were with them who were along this tragic trail... [ May this site be visited by] generations yet to come, who, like we, may bow their heads in reverent remembrance of our forebears who paid so costly a price for the faith which they carried in the hearts.