The 19th century Mormon pioneer exodus represents a singular and powerful event in US history.

Following years of religious persecution, early Latter-day Saints (Mormons) were forced to uproot themselves, fleeing intolerance and hostility. They left behind homes and property, not just once - but on at least four different occasions.  The story of Winter Quarters is the story of a significant stop over point on the way to the Salt Lake Valley, in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, where they would eventually find a permanent refuge.

Early Mormon Church History

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also referred to as the Mormon Church) was formally established on April 6, 1830 in upstate New York by Joseph Smith, Jr.   There were just 6 original members of the church – an inauspicious start for a religious organization whose membership would be numbered in the millions and whose reach would extend around the globe over the next century and a half.

As a result of strong and persistent proselytizing efforts the ranks of membership grew very rapidly in the formative years of the fledgling church. Many of the early converts came from Europe, seeking freedom, refuge and fellowship with the existing body of Latter-day Saints in the new land of opportunity – America.  Unfortunately, the rapid growth of the church gave rise to tensions between early members of the church and the surrounding communities in which they resided.  As the close knit society of saints began to prosper in their new-found communities, economic resentments arose as neighboring populations considered the success of the Mormon community a true threat to their own livelihood and economic security. These sentiments combined with a healthy degree of religious intolerance fanned the flames of tension.  Minor disagreements soon escalated into full-blown conflicts accompanied by physical violence. 

Eventually these early saints felt compelled, and in some cases were forced to relocate to more hospitable environments. Unfortunately, they were plagued by a continuation of these earlier travails resulting in a frequent series of settlements and exoduses until they finally found a permanent refuge in Utah.

From Upstate New York the early saints first moved to Kirtland, Ohio, where they constructed their first temple. From Kirtland they were driven to Far West and Independence, Missouri. Fleeing Missouri, they developed a significant and prosperous community in Nauvoo, Illinois, on the banks of the Mississippi River. For a time they found peace in Nauvoo and established a thriving and important center of commerce on the western fringes of the United States. Unfortunately, their success was short lived. During their stay in Nauvoo, their leader, Joseph Smith, Jr. and several other prominent church leaders were imprisoned in the nearby Carthage jail.  While in the jail at Carthage, an angry and violent mob burst into the jail at gunpoint and assassinated Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith. Several of the other imprisoned church leaders suffered wounds but survived to tell the story.

The murder of the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith seemed to embolden the enemies of the church who began to systematically threaten and terrorize the citizens of Nauvoo. Overwhelmed by the mounting threats and escalating violence and lacking the strong leadership of their fallen prophet, the beleaguered Latter-day Saints once again were compelled to leave behind, homes, properties, and the newly constructed Nauvoo Temple.  Carrying what modest provisions they could reasonably load onto wagons and handcarts, they crossed the frozen Mississippi and headed yet further west toward the Rocky Mountains.

Latter-day Saint Exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois

In early February, 1846, under the direction of Brigham Young, a group of approximately 3,000 Latter-day Saints crossed the frozen Mississippi River and traveled across what is now the State of Iowa. This group was referred to as The Camp of Israel. After a very difficult four and a half month mid-winter journey on foot and in wagons, the Camp of Israel arrived on the banks of the Missouri River, which separated what are now the States of Iowa and Nebraska.  The camp had traveled approximately 300 miles.

A second and much larger group of saints, numbering approximately 10,000 individuals departed Nauvoo between the months of April and early June.  Due to more favorable weather conditions, this second group traveled much more quickly – arriving in the Missouri River Valley at about the same time as Brigham Young’s original group.

Though the early Mormon pioneers arrived in the Missouri River Valley tired and destitute, they viewed it as just another intermediate and very temporary stopping point on a journey that would eventually lead them to the Rocky Mountains. However, an interesting turn of events led Brigham Young, the Mormon leader to create a more substantial encampment that would serve the saints for almost two years.

A few short months after their arrival, on December 28, 1846, the Iowa Territory was granted statehood and officially joined the United States of America as the 29th state.  However, Nebraska was at the time still considered Indian Territory being owned and controlled by the Pottawattamie and Omaha Indian Tribes.  No settlements were officially allowed in the Indian Territory until the US Government created the Nebraska Territory in 1854.  When the pioneers first arrived in 1846, the land west of the Missouri river was still designated as Indian Territory and thus unable to be inhabited by settlers.

The Mormon Battalion

It was about this same time that word came to Brigham Young, the interim leader of the Latter-day Saints, that President James Polk had sent a formal request for 500 Mormon men to form a military battalion to march to California and help fight the Mexican American War.

While it would be a significant hardship for the Mormon pioneers to lose 500 of their most able bodied men, Brigham Young also recognized this as a significant opportunity to raise much needed capital for the destitute saints as the battalion would draw wages and receive supplies as member of the United States Military. He lost no time in mustering a battalion of 500 men and sending them on to perform their US Military duty.  On July 16, 1846, under the authority of US Army Captain James Allen, a battalion of 500 men was organized in the Council Bluffs Iowa territory and incorporated into the Army of the West, under the command of Colonel Stephen Kearney. From Council Bluffs they were dispatched to the nearest Army post at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas.  Ft. Leavenworth was located about 180 miles south of Council Bluffs.  Here they would receive training and equipment in preparation for their trek west. Once equipped, the battalion began its long march to California on August 12, 1846.

Ultimately, members of the well organized Mormon Battalion would march approximately 2,000 miles – an unparalleled infantry feat.  They traveled south and west from Council Bluffs, Iowa through Ft. Leavenworth, Santa Fe, Tucson, and on to San Diego where they arrived on January 29, 1847.
The loss of so many able-bodied men was yet another reason for the saints gathered on the banks of the Missouri River to postpone their continued westward trek until spring.  The decision was made by Brigham Young to construct an encampment on the west side of the Missouri River in the summer of 1846.

The willingness of the Mormons to supply much needed manpower for the war allowed Brigham Young to favorably negotiate an unprecedented agreement with the US Government Indian Agents and the Omaha and Pottawattamie Indian Tribes to establish a temporary encampment in what was then Indian Territory just west of the Missouri River.

Winter Quarters

The historic Winter Quarters encampment represents one of the most famous and enduring staging points for the westward migration of the early Latter-day Saints.  In June of 1846, the first company of Latter-day Saint Pioneers arrived in the middle Missouri River valley, in the area now known as Western Iowa and Eastern Nebraska.

After a brief survey of the area, a site was chosen and a community was laid out and organized. Temporary homes and facilities were constructed to house the saints and crops were planted to provide much needed food for current and future individuals and families arriving to the area. The resulting community was referred to as Winter Quarters.  The town of Winter Quarters (in the area now known as Florence, Nebraska) became a bustling community, affording a modest level of refuge and protection to the saints as they prepared to weather a bitter Midwestern winter.  In addition to the town of Winter Quarters, many other communities were established on both sides of the river, the largest and most notable of which was Kanesville on the eastern banks of the Missouri River (now Council Bluffs, Iowa).

The winter was harsh, and despite their best preparations, many of the saints found themselves ill prepared to survive the season.  Due to the arrival of many of the saints so late in the season, coupled with a lack of adequate resources, a good number of the shelters that were constructed were incapable of affording adequate protection from the elements. Hundreds of Latter-day Saints perished from a combination of harsh weather, hunger, and disease.  A modest cemetery was constructed on a hill overlooking the valley.  The very young and the elderly were disproportionately numbered among those occupying spots in the new cemetery, but more than a fair share of individuals in their prime succumbed to the harsh environment.  While no exact data exists, it is estimated that as many as 300 – 400 people were buried in and around the Winter Quarters area by the end of that first cruel winter.  

On to the Salt Lake Valley

As winter drew to a close, the Mormon pioneers prepared to continue their westward journey.  Most of these latter-day saints gathered provisions and what meager belongings they could carry and prepared to travel west under the direction of Brigham Young. However, a number of these Mormon pioneers stayed behind, choosing to put down roots in Iowa rather than moving on with the other Latter-day Saints. They established farms and communities in the areas now known as Council Bluffs, Iowa (formerly Kanesville), Glenwood, Iowa, and other communities in and around the Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa area.

In April, 1847, Brigham Young led a preliminary company of Latter-day Saints west in search of a permanent settlement in the heart of the Rocky Mountains.  Many other companies of Latter-day Saints followed in the ensuing months.
While most of the early Mormon pioneers were in Winter Quarters for just one winter, they left an indelible impression, enduring tremendous hardship and paving the way for future westward migrations – of Mormon and non-Mormon pioneers.  

Today  there are a variety of monuments, an impressive visitors center, and rich historical artifacts, including the original Winter Quarters cemetery, that commemorate the stay and evidence the sacrifices of these early pioneers.

Following the departure of the Latter-day Saints, a community was formed in the previous location of Winter Quarters. The city of Florence, Nebraska was founded in 1854.  As the community began to thrive, it chose to make use of the original Winter Quarters cemetery established by the Mormon pioneers.  

Winter Quarters Cemetery

The original Winter Quarters cemetery was laid out in a very organized fashion in a very specific, well defined area with each grave properly measured out and documented.  Unfortunately, many of the new graves introduced after the departure of the pioneers, were scattered about in a much less organized fashion and many lacked proper documentation.  As a consequence, when the modern LDS church made preparations to break ground on the new temple slated to be constructed atop the hill adjacent to the old pioneer cemetery in the year 2000, it became necessary to conduct an extensive professional archaeological study to ensure that all graves were properly protected.

The LDS church employed a professional team to come in and identify with the use of radar all of the existing graves and burial plots. Because of the somewhat haphazard placement of some of the newer graves, several of the graves had to be moved and reinterred under the supervision of the Nebraska State Archaeologist and with the permission of surviving family descendents where possible.

Winter Quarters Temple

As the new millennium dawned, President Gordon B. Hinckley, the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) announced that the church would construct a new temple on the hill overlooking the original Winter Quarters townsite (now Florence, Nebraska).  The temple was to be located immediately adjacent to the old Winter Quarters pioneer cemetery.

Because of the historic nature of the Winter Quarters temple and the site on which it was built, particular care was taken to ensure that the temple adequately reflected the historic setting.  Stained glass windows depicting specific historical scenes were commissioned and the construction and finish work were of the highest quality.

As the temple construction drew to a close, the LDS church hosted an open house for residents and community leaders. In all, over 60,000 people came to participate in the open house. Then, on April 22, 2001, President Gordon B. Hinckley, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, formally dedicated the Winter Quarters Nebraska temple. In his dedicatory prayer he referenced the immense sacrifices that occurred over a century and a half before and the tremendous spiritual significance of the newly constructed temple.

The Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple, although smaller than many of its larger counterparts around the world occupies a place of spiritual and historical prominence in the eyes of the Latter-day Saint people.  The dedication of the Winter Quarters  Nebraska Temple was broadcast via satellite to hundreds of thousands of members throughout the US and Canada.  The Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple consists of approximately 16,000 square feet and has two ordinance rooms and two sealing rooms.