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Summarized by Kent Larsen
Mormon Youths Re-enact Mormon Trek In Sierra Nevada
TRAGEDY SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA -- About 100 youths from the LDS Church's
Carmichael Stake took part in a re-enactment of the Mormon trek this
past week, dragging rickety handcarts along rough trails from Tragedy
Springs in eastern Amador county, California to near the Bear River
Reservoir. The trek took place near the original trail used by the
Mormon Battalion as they made their way from California, where they
were discharged, to Salt Lake City.
The Tragedy Springs site is an important starting point, because the
men of the Battalion discovered that their three-man advance party
had been murdered there. As the youths progressed along the trail,
they were met at key points by guides, 'non-mormons,' and others who
either explained the significance of the sites or acted out scenes to
portray how the Mormon travelers would have felt. At one point, the
young men in the group were taken out of the trek to 'join' the
Mormon Battalion, leaving the young women to pull the handcarts by
themselves.
"I thought it was unfair at first, but when we had to pull those
handcarts after the boys left and it was so hard, I realized I could
do it. And so what if it's hard? I can use the muscles," said Kendra
Saxton, 15, a Del Campo sophomore. Leaders admit that they didn't
always follow history, including using the handcarts on the
California trail when they were only used to cross the plains. "We
just decided to use them on this trip for the educational value, even
though they were never used on this trail," said one adult volunteer,
Gerry Smith.
And one participant, Garret Satfield, 14, said after the first day
that he enjoyed the experience more than he expected, "They say it's
going to get worse, but what's happened so far is really something. I
don't know if it's harder pushing or pulling, uphill or down, but
those old pioneers were cool."
Source:
Toil &trek: Teens push, pull way over Mormons' trail
Sacramento CA Bee 6Aug00 D1
By Walt Wiley: Bee Staff Writer
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