I'll never forget this place.
During our American Adventure Vol. I, we passed through Wyoming and had the chance to visit Martin's Cove. It was a place of significance for the Mormon handcart companies and can be read about here and here. The 900+ acre cove signified refuge and refuge for the pioneers, and the rock formation I photographed, Devil's Gate, was a major landmark on both the Oregon and Mormon trails. It is named after the Martin Handcart Company who stayed here, unable to move forward because of the icy blizzards and bitter cold, in November of 1856 after losing 145 members of their company. It is unknown as to how many died while in the cove, yet they lost several cattle during the freezing nights. The LDS President Brigham Young sent multiple rescue parties to Martin's Cove, and they finally were able to continue on their journey to the Great Salt Lake.
When we visited, we were the last guests of the day. We got the chance to not only visit all the exhibits and speak with all the missionaries, but we also received a bit of special treatment. Boy, were we blessed. My siblings, my mom, and I were driven around the cove on a little tour. Everything was so still and peaceful. Antelope and deer would walk right up to our buggy without making a sound. Even the animals seemed to have an understanding of this sacred place. We walked down to the Sweetwater River crossing and walked through the water in our bare feet. Even in the middle of July, the water was ice cold. We learned of the story of the 27 young men from the rescue party who carried each member of the Martin Handcart Company across the freezing river, sacrificing their own health and strength later on. In Solomon Kimball's 1917 account, Kimball stated,
"Probably no greater act of heroism was ever recorded in the annals of history than that performed by the twenty-seven young men who, on the morning of October 7, 1856 went from the city of the Great Salt lake to the relief of the 1550 belated emigrants (who had started out from Iowa City) who were caught in the early snows of a sever winter, hundreds of miles from human habitation, without food and without shelter. By their indefatigable labors these brave mountain boys were instruments in the hands of the Lord in saving 1300 of that number. Had it not been for their heroic efforts, not enough emigrants would been left to tell the dreadful tale."