Through Deepening Trails Author:Robert H. Moss We as a people have a noble heritage. The stores of the people in the Martin and Willie Handcart Companies of 1856 are a major part of that heritage. After talking of our responsibility to live up to that heritage, President Gordon B. Hinckley challenged us to be faithful, to be true to that which meant so much to those who died. . .along this l... more »ong and wearisome trial. (Rock Creek Hollow Dedication, July 23, 1994).
Many gave everything they ha, including their lives, in fulfilling the commandment to come to Zion. One man, Frances Webster, summarized the feelings of those who were there: I was in that company and my wife was in it, . . We suffered beyond anything you can imagine and many died of exposure and starvation, but [those who cam through] . . .cane through with absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities. (David O McKay, Relief Society Magazine, January 1948, p. 8)
We are the special guardians of the places and events that commemorate the deeds that glorify our pioneer ancestors. . .In the discharge of this responsibility we are sure to catch the spirit and develop the attitude of those whose memories we seek to perpetuate. The things we do for them will contribute to our own lives and help to build into our own characters the virtues that made possible their achievements. (Bryant S. Hinckley, The Pioneer, May-June 2001). This book, the story of Sarah Ann Franks, is written to fulfill that responsibility.« less