Book Review--Devil’s Gate, Brigham Young and the Mormon Handcart Tragedy by Davis Roberts

I saw this book at the library and had to read it since mos and their frikkin handcarts is one of my pet peeves (as in why brag about an act of sheer stupidity?).

This book addressed the two late summer of 1856, Willie and Martin groups where 200 of the 900 people died due to starvation and freezing and a large percentage was permanently disabled due to frostbite (gruesome stories of legs, feet, and hands amputated).

The author, based on other westward expansion books, estimated that the “successful” handcart companies had a mortality rate of 7% compared to 4% of westward travelers who went in covered wagons (and who often went further and who encountered hostile Indians, which the handcarts groups never did).

Young never claimed his plan was of divine origin, he created the scheme because he wanted enough Mormons in SLC to repel a US confrontation and he was cheap and it was the least expensive way to get foreign converts to Utah. He wasted lots of money on unsuccessful business ventures but human lives were expandable (which there truly were given the Danites and blood atonement). The divine origin of the handcart story was started almost immediately by Young’s toadies, and was spread to the clueless converts.

The book was written by a nomo, so it dealt with the mythology of the handcarts, including the author telling some tour guides that their stories were myths. Their reaction was wide eyed confusion and the comment—“Well, how does anyone really know what was true?” As in, don’t mess with my illusions, thank you very much. He also reported how the tour guides were prone to attacks of crying when describing the suffering of the early handcart mobots (suffering that could easily have been avoided) and that everyone should “feel the spirit” of the place where so many died (needlessly). My favorite comment was that the handcart travelers died in order to inspire people now---yeah, try telling that to some person dying from starvation and cold…Hey, bud, ain’t this great, you are going to die because it will motivate mind controlled cultists to give up their evil ways and stay in the cult?

The whole handcart concept was ridiculous from the start. The first handcart company was on the verge of starvation when wagons carrying food met them from SLC. This was considered as “success” so they kept dong it. The food allotment was insufficient for a person doing nothing, much less physical labor all day, and unless a supply wagon met them, they didn’t carry enough food for the journey. By the time the supply carts met them, people were given a few ounces of flour for the entire day. Young, of course, traveled to what would become SLC in a wagon, he never walked it, although he told how the travelers would get stronger and healthier so that they would walk 20 to 35 miles a day, when they actually averaged about 10 to 12. Because Young could not be wrong, the official references for the length of the trips was always under reported.

The flour that saved the travelers lives…..was not free, they had to pay it back, and the cost of the handcarts had to be paid back with 10% interest. Some people worked their entire lives and never paid off their debt.

Young knew that the two groups were leaving late, but did nothing to stop them. The letter documenting that the two groups were late was in the archives with the date it was received and Young’s secretary’s initials. After the fiasco, Young blamed everyone but himself. I guess he figured if they made it, good, if they didn’t, he could blame someone, and so what if a few of them died?

The travelers could have stayed in the town of Florence for the winter, but they were shamed into continuing the trip. In true Mormon fashion, the white washing and myth making started immediately. Those who survived the Willie/Martin trip did not publicly describe the horror of the situation until 22 years later, the year after Young had died. One survivor wrote a several part story in the newspaper in which he told the true story and voiced the opinion that those who were still paying off their handcart/flour loan should be forgiven for the debt (the morg is the church that keeps on taking…). The church never officially forgave the debts but it is believed that they stopped dunning the handcart survivors.

In fact, DH thought our teens should go on trek in July. I thought "absolutely not." The compromise we came to was that if the kids would read this book and do an oral report on it they could go on trek. I wanted them to have the real story, not the BS, brainwashing propaganda stuff.

Neither of the kids wanted to go on trek in the first place, so they declined to read the book. Smart children. I'm going to have to talk them into reading in some other way because it's worth it.

CA girl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In fact, DH thought our teens should go on trek in
> July. I thought "absolutely not." The compromise
> we came to was that if the kids would read this
> book and do an oral report on it they could go on
> trek. I wanted them to have the real story, not
> the BS, brainwashing propaganda stuff.
>
> Neither of the kids wanted to go on trek in the
> first place, so they declined to read the book.
> Smart children. I'm going to have to talk them
> into reading in some other way because it's worth
> it.


Good for your kids for not wanting to do something so silly as a handcart trek. I guess DH lost that round!

I never even heard of handcarts before I posted on this board. I realize that Utards think that every American know about the nutty mormons and their handcarts, but they don't. And I never heard of Pioneer day, either. I can't believe a state has a state holiday for it. Just weird, if you were not raised on it.

When I heard about handcarts, I thought who in their right mind would ever do such a thing? And if you did, why would you think it was wonderful, instead of a really dumb move?

Young wanted people in SLC asap and he knew if they stayed in cities to work and save the money for a wagaon team, that they would not arrive for a few years, or never, as the case was for those who did stay and work.

Just one more example of why LDS Inc IS a criminal enterprise as much as anything else.
It makes me sick when LDS INC still insists on playing the Handcart IDIOCY off as heroism. Hinckley and Young should have had a boot jammed in their throats when they start up about this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3A5QGj7ZaM

I long for the day when non LDS historians of the West start in on Utah's history.

Brigham Young was a traitor for trying to secede from the US and steal the territory. He was a poor manager, built a brewery, and made a fortune from the church. It needs to come out in an organized and credible way. This book is a great start.

He said he liked "being able to play the heavy on this one." Gates gives him a lot of credit, identifying him as "an iconic genius," and in my years of friendship with Will I've noted that as well...

I started out an absolute innocent on the subject, and I was shocked I made mention of Brigham Young to another cabdriver whose great grandparents had been in either the ill-fated Willie or Martin company...

He was upset because once the people were finally rescued, itself a delayed operation rendered problematic because Brigham Young had a steam engine on a wagon near the stranded emigrants and had to be persuaded to let it remain in Wyoming while human needs were met (the steam engine was never used), Young shipped the victims to the outer parts of the state so they wouldn't be able to talk about the event much...

At the time I thought Brigham Young was a great colonizer at least; now I see him for the self-serving autocratic monster he was...

Two other books that detail the disaster are Fanny Stenhouse's "Tell it All" and Ann Eliza Webb Young's "Wife No. 19."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/16/2011 11:50PM by SL Cabbie.

Thanks for the book recommends, Cabbie, I will check and see if they are in the library.

I found it interesting that lying for the lord and white washing was part of the mortard creed, right from the get go. It does explain so much about the morg of today. They come from a long line of ass kissers and fearful little people who will believe anything they are told. They are told they HAVE to get to SLC because of the second coming...and so they are herded like sheep to their pens. Then...Christ does not appear and everyone forgets that it was a prophecy.

It's a very enlightening book. My second and third great-grandmothers (mother and daughter) were in the Martin company. What they went through is unconscionable.

The guy who did The Work and the Glory movies has been working on a movie called "17 Miracles" about the Willey and Martin handcart companies, focusing on Levi Savage. Now, Savage was like the only guy that spoke out against leaving so late in the season, and the leaders publicly excoriated him for calling their decision into question.

Naturally, Savage was right: it was a disaster, people suffered horribly, and many died. But of course this new flick puts a faith promoting spin on it: Savage was actually *wrong* because all these miracles occurred during the trek. (Barf.)

I can't help but think this movie is a reaction to Roberts' book, which puts the Mormon leadership in a terrible light.

Anyway, it's coming out in June -- there's more about it at http://www.17miracles.com/

Nonnie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The guy who did The Work and the Glory movies has
> been working on a movie called "17 Miracles" about
> the Willey and Martin handcart companies, focusing
> on Levi Savage. Now, Savage was like the only guy
> that spoke out against leaving so late in the
> season, and the leaders publicly excoriated him
> for calling their decision into question.
>
> Naturally, Savage was right: it was a disaster,
> people suffered horribly, and many died. But of
> course this new flick puts a faith promoting spin
> on it: Savage was actually *wrong* because all
> these miracles occurred during the trek. (Barf.)
>
> I can't help but think this movie is a reaction to
> Roberts' book, which puts the Mormon leadership in
> a terrible light.
>
> Anyway, it's coming out in June -- there's more
> about it at http://www.17miracles.com/


OMG. Thanks for the interesting heads up,nonnie. I CAN'T believe that they are spinning that Savage was wrong. And that "miracles" saved the group. What about all the deaths and those who were disabled from frostbite? The "miracle" would have been to have some sense and stay in Florence for the winter and leave in the spring.

I used this example just yesterday to my TBM wife in how deceptive and dishonest TSCC is. Yet, every year they celebrates it like it's one big success story. I, too, will not let my kids participate in a simulated handcart trek until they've read this book!

Levi Savage was the real hero of the handcart trips. I thought so before I even doubted the church. The guy knew it would be a disaster, but chose to go anyway because he knew they were going to need him. Nice to know at least one mormon back then had real character. It'd be a tradegy to make a movie emphasizing he was in the wrong.