The most important task was getting fresh water. The Salt Lake Valley is very dry and has very little fresh water. Irrigation ditches were dug from mountain streams to water crops and provide something to drink for the people and livestock.
The second most important task was getting seeds planted. The pioneers arrived in late July, and the freeze could come as early as September in that region. They needed to get some crops growing quickly so that they could have food for themselves and feed for the livestock. Of course, they couldn't plant crops without the irrigation!
The third most important task was building shelters. Although July is very warm and camping out is bearable, the weather can turn cold very quickly and they needed to build as many homes as possible before the winter came. Although the pioneers worked very quickly on this, many families had to share small cabins and dugouts that first winter, with 20 or so people in a space no larger than the average bedroom of today!
the calfornia trail
The Mormon Pioneers officially arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1849.
The Mormon pioneers ended their migration at huge empty valley with very little fresh water and even less vegetation, inhabited by a handful of Native Americans. The valley is now called the Salt Lake Valley and is has a population of over 1 million.
They thought the land had alot of crickets and seagulls. It was also very cold. It appeared to be a desert.
Mormon Pioneers - members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - traveled from Nauvoo, Illinois to the Great Salt Lake.
Death Valley got its name during 1849 - 1850. A group of pioneers were lost during the winter, and everyone assumed that they died in the valley.
The web address of the Stillaguamish Valley Pioneers Museum is: http://www.stillymuseum.org
The phone number of the Stillaguamish Valley Pioneers Museum is: 360-435-7289.
Brigham Young lead the first group of Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley after the death of Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith had prophesied that the Church would one day move to the Rocky Mountains.
The address of the Imperial Valley Pioneers Museum is: Po Box 224, Imperial, CA 92251-0224
The Mormon Trail ended in Salt Lake City, Utah. Originally, there was nothing at the end but an empty desert valley and a really stinky salty lake, but the pioneers began building a city, so that by the time people stopped traveling the Mormon trail (due to the railroad coming), there was a big thriving city at the end of thet trail.
The Mormon pioneers knew that they were headed to the valley of the great salt lake before they left Illinois. Some options briefly considered were other valleys nearby and areas in California territory.