1856: First Three Companies
The first two ships departed England in late March and mid-April and sailed to Boston. The emigrants spent several weeks in Iowa City, where they constructed their handcarts and were outfitted with supplies before beginning their trek of about 1,300 miles (2,093 km).
About 815 emigrants from the first two ships were organized into the first three handcart companies, headed by captains Edmund Ellsworth, Daniel D. McArthur, and Edward Bunker. The captains were missionaries returning to their homes in Utah and were familiar with the route. Most of the sub-captains were also returning missionaries.
Across Iowa they followed an existing road about 275 miles (443 km) to Council Bluffs, following a route that is close to current U.S. Route 6. After crossing the Missouri River, they paused for a few days at a Mormon outpost in Florence, Nebraska (modern-day Omaha) for repairs, before beginning the remaining 1,030-mile (1,658 km) journey along the Mormon Trail to Salt Lake City.
The companies made good time, and their trips were largely uneventful. The emigrant companies included many children and elderly individuals, and pushing and pulling handcarts was difficult work. Journals and recollections describe periods of illness and hunger. Like other companies traveling on the Emigrant Trail, deaths occurred along the way. Hafen and Hafen's Handcarts to Zion lists 13 deaths from the first company, seven from the second, and fewer than seven from the third. Journal entries reflect the optimism of the handcart pioneers, even amid their hardships:
| “ | People made fun of us as we walked, pulling our handcarts, but the weather was fine and the roads were excellent and although I was sick and we were very tired at night, still we thought it was a glorious way to go to Zion. | ” |
The first two companies arrived in Salt Lake City on September 26 and the third followed less than a week later. The first three companies were regarded as having demonstrated the feasibility of emigrating using handcarts.
| Handcart Company | Captain | Ship | Arrived Iowa City | Departed Iowa City | Departed Florence | Number of individuals | Number died en route | Arrived Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | Edmund Ellsworth | Enoch Train, sailed March 23, 1856 to Boston | May 12 | June 9 | July 20 | 274 | 13 | September 26 |
| Second | Daniel D. McArthur | Enoch Train, sailed March 23, 1856 to Boston; S. Curling, sailed April 19 to Boston |
from Enoch Train, May 12; from S. Curling, early June |
June 11 | July 24 | 221 | 7 | September 26 |
| Third (Welsh) | Edward Bunker | S. Curling, sailed April 19, 1856 to Boston | early June | June 23 | July 30 | 320 | < 7 | October 2 |
Read more about this topic: Mormon Handcart Pioneers
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