Tuesday, July 22, 2014

         The following is the first of Glade’s segments from last night’s pioneer FHE written in his words:

Yesterday night was our turn to provide the food and lesson for family home evening.  Inasmuch as July 24 is celebrated at home, I decided to put together a brief, condensed version of some of the less known incidents [by the Hondurans at least] of the pioneers trek from Winter Quarters.  Yesterday was July 21 when the first pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley; more about them later this week.

On April 16 the company began their journey of more than 1600 kilometers.  Brigham Young structured the company’s organization along military lines in the event they would encounter hostile Indians.  William Clayton, who was the historian of the company, kept track of the mileage by counting the revolutions of one of the wagon wheels to calculate how far they traveled each day.  Boredom soon made him suggest they call on Orson Pratt to devise a mechanical odometer.  His first one would only measure 16 kilometers at a time.

 By his return from the Salt Lake Valley to Winter Quarters he had invented one which would measure up to 1600 km at a time. He was then able to closely calculate the distance from Winter Quarters to the Salt Lake Valley. Check tomorrow for progress.  Thursday we arrive in SL Valley.

Hope you all had a great day.  Love and prayers--