Umar Malik’s Reviews > The Mormon Handcart Migration: "Tounge nor pen can never tell the sorrow" > Status Update

“the meeting of the emigrants with relatives, acquaintances, and friends was not joyous…some were so affected that they could scarcely speak, but would look at each other until the sympathetic tears would force their unforbidden way.”

John Jacques, a member of the Martin Handcart Company, recollects the emotional reunion of trail-battered pioneers with their family members and friends in Salt Lake

“like a thunderbolt out of the clear sky, God answered our prayers”

- Twelve-year-old John Oborn, upon witnessing the arrival of the rescue riders to the Willie company's camp (dispatched by Brigham Young during a general conference)

It’s clear from this book and chronicles of the handcart ordeal, with reverence to the Willie/Martin companies, that if more weight was given to John Taylor, Brigham, and Joseph Young’s views, the tragedies on the trail may have been lessened. I see why Taylor became the church’s third president; he displayed wisdom and empathy where others did not. Even so, trials like this serve to strengthen faith and wisdom.

It’s fascinating that the author personally trekked so many trails, including a reenactment of the Mormon Trail. Her family’s ancestry as English LDS handcart migrants, along with their journal accounts, adds a layer of depth. I’ve also gained more insight into the journey’s specifics than from other broader works, especially regarding the financial investment in building the carts and John Taylor’s pivotal role.