WINTER QUARTERS

Mormon Trail Center at Winter Quarters

We drove from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Council Bluffs, Iowa on Feb. 10.  We tried hard not to drive at night, but we arrived after dark.  We found our hotel and then had some dinner.  The driving weather was fine all the way.  The countryside was kind of boring because there was nothing green.  I'm sure it is pretty in the summer.  The road was fairly straight and a few rolling hills.  It was cool to think we were staying in Council Bluffs.  The next morning we went to Florence, Nebraska, which was near Omaha.  All three cities kind of run together.  Winter Quarters Temple, the Mormon Trail Center at Winter Quarters, and the Cemetery are in the same place.  We went into the Visitors center and took a tour.  The missionaries showed a new video that the Church just put out.  I can't remember what the name was, but it was about the family and how families are eternal.  It was a "tear jerker"  especially since we were missing the family.  The Winter Quarters Center was very interesting and sad, really to see how much the saints suffered.  The cemetery has the graves of many children.  It made me think about how much the saints were willing to sacrifice for the Gospel.  We decided we could sacrifice one year for the Gospel.  We then drove about 20 min. to the Kanesville Tabernacle at Council Bluffs.      They talked a lot about the Mormon Battalion which left from here.  There was a movie about it which was informative.  Also, this building is where Brigham Young was sustained as the Prophet of the church in 1847.  I learned quite a bit here.

Cemetery at Winter Quarters

We looked at some records and found that James Rigby and Jane Lavina Littlewood Rigby lived in Winter Quarters.  James died during this time, but we could not find where he was buried.  They are my GGGG Grandparents.

Brigham Young, Heber C Kimball, Willard Richards and Brent Dyches

Kanesville Tabernacle at Council Bluffs
Brigham Young was sustained as President of the Church in this Building