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Most Mormons are very familiar with the story of the Martin and Willie Handcart Rescue. The Rescue was a favorite story of heroism and courage for President Hinckley who made reference to the story many times. However, the story has been strongly mythologized in the ~150 years since it first occurred.

In 1856 two handcart companies, through a series of events, were traveling west to the Salt Lake Valley. They were very late in going and, though warned against doing so by the experienced members of their companies, felt that God would protect them and they continued on (see this Deseret News article for an interesting discussion by Mormon historians as to what and who was to blame for the tragedy). Notable in this part of the journey is Levi Savage; a man who was experienced with the trail, he urged the companies to winter in Iowa City, earn money for better quality handcarts and supplies, and try to set out again in 1857. The leaders of the company urged the immigrants to continue and that God would protect them. Levi Savage again warned them that they would face danger and even death, but said he would go with them and help them. He did so, and never (as far as I can find) spoke anything unkind against those leaders. In my mind the viewpoint of the leaders was almost the same as praying really hard that you’ll pass a test that you haven’t studied for; the Lord is more likely to let you learn from your mistakes than to miraculously clear the way for you. The companies started off in May of 1856.

In August they were passed on the trail by Franklin D. Richards who, upon arriving in Salt Lake in October, warned the Church about the unexpected handcart companies still on the trail. President Brigham Young, aware of what dangers an early winter could bring, ordered a rescue operation mounted. The rescuers found the handcart companies suffering on the frozen plains of Wyoming. There weren’t enough wagons to carry everyone, so the handcart companies had to continue pulling westward. Eventually, after crossing over some difficult and deadly terrain, the companies arrived in Salt Lake and memebrs were called to care for the suffering Saints. Over 25% of the companies died and, as a result, the story of the Mormon Exodus, which until then had been seen as possibly miraculous in its ease and safety, has ever since been influenced by their suffering (for comparison, possibly only 30 people died on handcart treks outside of the Martin and Willie companies, and the death rate for the entire exodus before the railroad was built seems to be around 4-5%; a tad higher than just staying at home and farming, I suppose, but not much). At first, members of the Church didn’t talk much about the tragedy; it was too recent, too hard, and too many people in Salt Lake were responsible. Over time, as new generations who were not invovled grew up, the story has changed into a mythologized legend of sacrifice, heroism, and faith.

There are two stories that are usually told about the trek that are part of this mythology. One story that is routinely told is part of a famous Priesthood Session talk that President Hinckley gave in 1981. President Hinckley has always enjoyed this story and its lessons, but he did not share this particular aspect of the story later on, possibly because the mythic aspects were brought to his attention. I remember him speaking to a private audience at the premiere of a new documentary on the Handcart Tragedy and Rescue and seem to recall him saying that, as we learn more and more about the events of 1856, we may have to give up some of the stories of the past, but the gravity, depth, and heroism of the events only continue to grow (or perhaps that’s just what my memory wants to remember). Church media, however, continues to relate it (usually using the 1981 talk as their source).

The story President Hinckley recounted is as follows, after relating the complete discouragement of the companies when faced with crossing the icy Sweetwater River:

And now I quote from the record: “Three eighteen-year-old boys belonging to the relief party came to the rescue, and to the astonishment of all who saw, carried nearly every member of the ill-fated handcart company across the snowbound stream. The strain was so terrible, and the exposure so great, that in later years all the boys died from the effects of it. When President Brigham Young heard of this heroic act, he wept like a child, and later declared publicly, ‘that act alone will ensure C. Allen Huntington, George W. Grant, and David P. Kimball an everlasting salvation in the Celestial Kingdom of God, worlds without end.’” (President Gordon B. Hinckley, “Four B’s for Boys”, Ensign, 1981, p. 42)

The record that President Hinckley is quoting from is from a story in the Improvement Era, a Church periodical, published by Solomon Kimball in 1914, fifty-eight years after the disaster. There are a number of incorrect details in this popular account.

• Three eighteen-year-old boys belonging to the relief party came to the rescue There were 26 or 27 rescuers with the companies at the time of the Sweetwater crossing. All of them were 20 years old or over. It’s very discouraging to think that everyone else would simply watch while a couple teens took action for the next few hours. Probably everyone in the rescue party took part in carrying at least someone across and the companies themselves took courage and braved the stream.
• carried nearly every member of the ill-fated handcart company across Actually, many or even most of the company had to ford the stream on their own. Only the most feeble and sick were carried across. Speed was important and the company had to keep moving. They couldn’t afford to wait for everyone to be carried across.
• in later years all the boys died from the effects of it Actually, the three named all lived rather long lives and weren’t really affected by any injuries sustained during the rescue. We don’t have record of any of the relief party having troubles due to the rescue.
• President Brigham Young… later declared publicly We don’t have the record of Brigham saying this. Possibly he had said that this act will “immortalize them”, but that would just mean we’d always remember them (and, since this story has become legendary, that’s completely true).
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This is usually the case with some of our best pioneer stories: they begin as an impressive story and eventually transmogrify into truly miraculous events (the Seagulls and the Crickets is another great example of this).

The other story that is related is a second-hand account of an old member of the company rebuking a Sunday School class for discussing the blame. He relates how the journey strengthened his faith and testimony; he had felt the presence of angels helping them along (interestingly, this second-hand account relates that the angels came when he was too tired to get up a “patch of sand” or a “hill slope”, which seems to indicate that the assistance referred to happened much further east, before the companies entered the snowy plains of Wyoming).

Due to this story (first recorded over ninety years later) many people have supposed that all members of the handcart tragedy were strengthened in their faith. However, while some were strengthened, others were not, and some even apostatized due to the hardship they had encountered.

We often assume that the Pioneers didn’t have to deal with the same spiritual issues we do today; we assume that their physical hardships made spiritual and moral choices easier than our choices today. However, there really isn’t a difference – their physical hardships simply made them examine their own testimonies in the same way that our world today forces us to do the same. It’s not really any harder or easier, just different times with the same human beings living in them.