From Rawlings to Casper, Wy

    The weather has been cold,windy and now rain (snow in the mountains) but we have enjoyed Wyoming.  In Rawlings leaving the motor home we traveled north by car to a Mormon site where Mormon Pioneers in two handcarts companies met blizzard conditions. Many died of exposure and starvation.  The site of Devil's Gate is where the Mormon, Oregon, and California trails met on the Sweetwater River. Starting there all traveled over South Pass crossing the Rocky Mountains.  As at all LDS sites, the handcart history was told is a very compelling, interesting way.  The volunteers we meet are all doing mission work for their church and are eager to tell the history of  a place. They offer to tell more of their religion but never push.  They are wonderful people living their faith and explaining their history.  Last year we stopped at Brigham Young's St. George winter residence and another time a Utah outpost.  We meet the same kind of people who explain history.  Brigham Young was quite a leader to convince people to come to a new land and do whatever was requested.  The Mormon pioneer group was the most organized of all the pushes west.
    We then went to Rawlings Historical Museum and saw lots of things including a pair of shoes made out of human skin - Yuck!!  The men's shoes looked like saddle shoes (white and brown) but were made out of an old outlaw's hide....They say the shoes are human remains and no pictures please.


Imagine push/pulling a handcart all the way across the Rockies!!

This is the actual road/trail that still has ruts from the migration.



Marker of one of the trails and below a marker remembering
the many women who lost their lives and are in unmarked graves.

Really a graffetti rock of the 1800's
Below John walking around Independence Rock in his winter coat, hat and gloves.
We were cold but could then imagine what the immigrants must have endured!



Yet next to the rock these were in full bloom.

As we headed north we met snow and cold.