In the winter of 1856 a very sad thing happened. That year some emigrants
came to Utah in handcart companies. Small, two wheeled carts were made at
the place of starting in Iowa. On these carts were loaded baggage and
provisions, and the men and boys pulled them across the plains. Sometimes
the women and girls helped. A few ox teams usually hauled the heaviest
loads in wagons, and in this way the Saints walked and pulled their carts
over the thirteen hundred miles of their journey. This plan succeeded very
well for those who started early and reached the valley in good time, but a
number of companies started too late and were caught in fierce snow storms
in the mountains. Many of these poor travelers died from hunger and cold,
and if it had not been for some of the brethren who came out from Salt Lake
to their help, no doubt most of them would have perished.
Topics.--1. Making settlements. 2. Trouble with the Indians. 3.
Organizing Utah Territory. 4. Famine of 1855-6. 5. The handcart companies.
Questions and Review.--1. Where was the second settlement in Utah made?
2. When and by whom was Ogden settled? 3. Tell about the settlement of
Provo. 4. What trouble did the Provo settlers have? 5.
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