The Old Spanish Trail (1829-1850) NV32
Stretching for 130 miles across Clark County, this historic horse trail became Nevada's first route of commerce in 1829 when trade was initiated between Santa Fe and Los Angeles. The trail was later used by the wagons of the "49ers" and Mormon pioneers. Concrete posts marking the trail were erected in 1965.

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The Old Spanish Trail (1829-1850) NV31

Stretching for 130 miles across Clark County, this historic horse trail became Nevada's first route of commerce in 1829 when trade was initiated between Santa Fe and Los Angeles. The trail was later used by the wagons of the "49ers" and Mormon pioneers. Concrete posts marking the trail were erected in 1965.

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The Santa Fe Trail KS116
Cimarron, settled in 1878, got its name as the starting point at one time of the shorter Cimarron or dry route to Santa Fe. Here the Santa Fe Trail divided, one branch heading directly southwest, the other (present US-50) following the Arkansas river to Bent's Fort (near La Junta, Colo.), then south over Raton Pass. William Becknell first traveled the dry route with a pack-train via the Cimarron river in 1822, carrying trade goods for Mexico, newly freed from Spain. By 1824, wagons creaked along with loads of calico, guns, tools and shoes to exchange for silver, furs, wool and mules. Trade became of such importance that in 1825 the government surveyed the route in U.S. territory north of the During the peak year of emigration at Mormon Grove in 1855, nearly 2,000 Latter-Day Saints with 337 wagons left here for the Salt Lake Valley. It was also a tragic year for the U.S., British, and European Mormons at the little way station, many dying in a cholera epidemic. In 1856, Iowa City, Iowa, became the major jump-off point for Latter-Day Saint westward travel, and Mormon Grove became a forgotten gathering place.

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Mormon Grove - The City that Disappeared KS117
Near here, located in a grove of young hickory trees, was an important rallying point in 1855 and 1856 for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon), then emigrating to the Rocky Mountains. The campground, really a temporary village covering about 150 acres, consisted of the grove, a large pasture fenced by native sod and a ditch, and a burial ground located on the elevated ridge between the grove and the farm. Though one or two permanent structures were erected, most residents lived in tents, wagon boxes or make-shift dwellings.

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Mormontown Site IL105
MORMONTOWN SITE

On February 22, 1839, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints, refugees driven from Missouri under the "extermination Order" of Governor Lilburn Boggs, settled on this site. The property was owned by Thomas Edwards, who later joined the church. Silas Smith, high priest in the church and uncle of Mormon prophet Joseph Smith, was the leader of these Mormon refugees. The community grew to more than 300 members. Silas Smith died on September 13, 1839, at the age of 58 and was buried here near his home. Smith was succeeded by John Lawton and later by Harlow Redfield, who presided over the congregation until it disbanded in 1845.

In October 1842, Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball preached at a church conference held here. The settlement, which later became known as Mormontown, extended on both sides of the road at this location. Cabins were built and wells dug. A schoolhouse and a church were erected on the south side of the road. The cemetery, which measured 60 by 80 feet, fell into disrepair in later years. Gravestones were bulldozed into a ditch and the graveyard plowed over. The church building was relocated to Pittsfield and used as a parish hall by St. Mary's Catholic Church. The pews and pulpit were moved to a church near Pleasant Hill.

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Mt. Sterling, Illinois IL14

In 1824 Cornelius Vandeventer, a native of Ohio, became the first permanent settler in this area. Additional pioneers came over the next few years from Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina. In 1829 Alexander Curry purchased a claim on the site of the future Mt. Sterling. Curry and his family laid out the town in 1834. At that time, this area formed the southern part of Schuyler County. Two years later, attempts were made to move the county seat from Rushville to a location nearer to the center of the county. When these failed Brown County, named after General Jacob Brown, a veteran of the War of 1812, was created on February 1, 1839. Mt. Sterling was named the county seat the same year it was on a major route of the western migration beginning in 1849 with the discovery of gold in California.

James Washington Singleton came to this area from Virginia around 1834 and lived in Mt. Sterling until 1854 when he moved to Quincy. A doctor, lawyer, and later a railroad executive, he became a Brigadier General in the Illinois militia and served in the Mormon War of 1844. He was also a delegate to two Illinois State Constitutional Conventions, a member of the Illinois Legislature, and a member of the U.S. Congress. Stephen A. Douglas held court in Mt. Sterling in 1841-1843 while Circuit Court Judge Abraham Lincoln spoke here on October 19, 1858 while campaigning for the office of U.S. Senator.

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The Mormons in Quincy IL4
Mormons in Missouri were forced to flee their homes or face death because of an 'Extermination Order' issued in 1838 by Governor Lillburn Boggs. Many of them crossed into Illinois at Quincy and were made welcome by the people here. In April, 1839 they were joined by their leader Joseph Smith, who had been imprisoned on charges of treason since November 1838. Smith had long envisioned a great Mormon community. In May of 1839 he purchased land upriver from Quincy and set about building his city - Nauvoo. It became the center of Mormon life and by his death in 1844 was the largest city in Illinois.

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Mormons in Early Wisconsin WI307
Among those contributing to the nation's westward expansion in the nineteenth century and to Wisconsin's early development were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). In 1835, Moses Smith helped establish Burlington and in 1837 organized Wisconsin's first Mormon congregation. His cabin stood across the river from here. Mormons helped develop communities in southwestern and western Wisconsin Oenkynsville in 1837, Blanchardville in 1842, and near La Crosse in 1844-1845), where they mined lead ore and farmed, and at sites along the Black River (1841-1844), where they harvested pine and floated it down the Mississippi River to build the Mormon temple in Nauvoo, Illinois. Oliver Cowdery, second only to Joseph Smith in the church's early history, was a lawyer and newspaper editor in Elkhorn. After Smith's 1844 murder in Illinois, Wisconsin Mormons either joined the migration to Utah or formed separatist churches here. Few remained after 1850; then by 1875 Mormons re-established a growing presence in Wisconsin.

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Panaca Spring NV160
The large and constant flow of sweet, warm water from this spring makes possible the desert oasis of Meadow Valley. First noted by Manley's ill-fated Death Valley Party in 1849, the site was cultivated in 1858 by Brigham Young's White Mountain Mission men, who sought a desert refuge should U.S. persecution of Mormons occur in Utah. The site was abandoned that same year when this issue was resolved. Dependent on these spring waters, Mormons built the first permanent settlement in southern Nevada at Panaca in 1864. For 80 years this water was used for all domestic purposes. The Meadow Valley Mining District, including the Pioche area, was organized in 1864 with its center at Panaca Spring.

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Arrowhead Trail II NV197
The name "Arrowhead Trail" is of doubtful origin. This portion was regularly used between the 1860's and 1924. Earlier it was an alternate wagon route to the Mormon settlement at San Bernardino, California. Heading south along this trail toward Bishop Mountain, one would turn through El Dorado Pass and continue on the Nelson, Searchlight, Nipton, Wheaton Springs, and thence to San Bernardino. The trail was popular as an early automobile road (1914-1924) when communities along the route volunteered the reconstruction of the historic trail and, local Chambers of Commerce vigorously promoted its use between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City.

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