Saints of the Sierra: the Westward Migration

To some extent, pioneer saints who passed through, camped, or lived in the shadow of the nearby Sierra are deemed historically insignificant to the development and economy of Northern Nevada. Mormon Station/Genoa and the Donner Party are appropriately chronicled in great detail but little reference is made to Mormon pioneer figures of the same era. Relevant to the broader picture are significant contributions made by men and women who traversed on sod worn down from weary saints, driven from their homes in Nauvoo, Illinois because of their religion. In contrast, most textbook histories focus on those who willingly left their homes to pursue adventure or supposed wealth. 

An estimated 20,000 people lived in Nauvoo prior to the exodus in 1846. Within a few months 15,000 were strung out on the plains. Putting it succinctly, Daniel H. Ludlow writes, “For Brigham Young and his associates, the 1846 exodus from Nauvoo, far from being a disaster imposed by enemies, was foretold and foreordained – a key to understanding LDS history and a necessary prelude for greater things to come. From a later perspective too, scholars of the Mormon experience have come to see the exodus and colonization of the Great Basin as the single most important influence in molding the Latter-day Saints into a distinctive people.” “(Reed C. Durham Jr., “Westward Migration, planning and Prophesy,” in Daniel H. Ludlow, ed. Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 5 vols. [1992], 4:1563).

 From the expulsed saints, various groups branched out to contribute a spectrum of influence in the westward migration of the 1800’s. Facing a rugged forced march, five hundred beleaguered refugees were inducted into the U.S. military as the Mormon Battalion to fight the Mexican/American war. At the time of the Nauvoo expulsion, 238 saints left New York on the ship Brooklyn eventually landing in Yerba Buena/San Francisco; providentially providing the means to help jump start modern California.  Thomas Rhoades and his party of 200 saints helped provide needed tithing funds for the saints in Salt Lake. Thomas’ son, Big John Rhoades, provided assistance in the Donner Party rescue efforts. All of the parties were in the right location at the right time to prosper from the gold rush thus enabling the church some much needed capitol.  The Mormon Battalion, the Brooklyn ship saints and the Thomas Rhoades party were independent pieces of a puzzle that came together to comprise a divine destiny. All the pieces substantiated a base whereupon the gospel could grow and thrive in the latter days.

The Truckee Meadows and Northern Nevada have a rich and vast Mormon record that parallels the dispersed saints era. It is a heritage that goes well beyond the first one hundred years of its later official church organization in 1910. Men and women who traversed this locale in the 1800’s weave an intricate tapestry of life. They contribute stories of tragedy and triumph, riches and rags, security and upheaval. Mormon pioneer journals and recorded history demonstrate how significantly interwoven their lives were with the broader historical scenes of their generation.