OVERVIEW
The year 2006 marks
the sesquicentennial of the Martin and Willie Handcart Company treks
to the Great Salt Lake Valley. Members of the Willie Company sailed
from Liverpool, England, in May of 1856, and arrived in Salt Lake
the following November. With limited funds and resources, these
faithful Saints made the journey to the Valley pulling handcarts and
walking, consequently enduring some of the greatest hardships of all
the pioneers who followed Brigham Young’s call from the Lord to
gather in the West. In an attempt to bring some of the personal,
daily experiences of the Willie Company in particular to interested
viewers, BYU Studies has produced a day-by-day web chronology of
their journey from Liverpool to Salt Lake City, based on research by
Paul D. Lyman.* While navigating through these pages, viewers can
read from the following sources:**
Willie
Company Journal: Complete text of the company journal with an
entry for every day of the journey.
Paul Lyman Commentary: Fully documented historical commentary,
including links to the full-text journals of William Woodward, Peter
Madsen, and Levi Savage.
John Chislett's Firsthand Account: Summary of the entire journey
written 15 years after Chislett arrived in Salt Lake City.
The goal of this
project is to allow the reader to understand and to experience the
Willie Company’s day-by-day trek to Salt Lake City. Because the
story is portrayed here as a narrative, the events should be read
chronologically, and we encourage viewers to go back and look at
previous days. Some of the journal entries used archaic words or
phrases or referred to other people or to events that were well
known in 1856, but are not commonly known today. These words,
phrases, names and events are explained in the commentary after
their first occurrence.
Whether you know a little or a lot
about the pioneers, this chronology of the Willie Handcart Company
will give new insights into their experiences, hardships, and faith.
Even stories and events that are already familiar may strengthen
your testimony and understanding when considered in this new, fuller
context.
 |
Order today: The Willie Handcart Company book
by Paul D. Lyman is now available. This book illuminates the
Willie Company¹s daily experiences and includes portions of
journals, personal histories, newspapers, maps, and other
historical documents. |
*
This chronology, along with detailed maps of the Saints’ trek,
driving directions for the adventurous, and photographs of landmarks
along the way, will be published by BYU Studies as a book in fall
2006.
**
Note on primary sources: All entries are presented as they appear in
the currently available typescript copies. No effort has been made
to correct any spelling, punctuation, or other errors in the printed
records.