Title: Wend your way : a guide to sites along the Iowa Mormon Trail /
Authors: Chatterley, L. Matthew.
Publisher: Iowa State University Press,
Year: 2000
Subjects: Mormons Iowa History; Frontier and pioneer life Iowa; Historic sites Iowa Guidebooks.; Iowa History; Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail Guidebooks.; Iowa Guidebooks.
Abstract: "The exodus of the Mormon people from Illinois across the Great Plains to the Salt Lake Valley was the most monumental movement of a people in the settlement of the American West. In 1846, the first pioneers, led by Brigham Young, crossed Iowa, and this proved to be the most difficult part of their journey." "Wend Your Way: A Guide to Sites Along the Iowa Mormon Trail tells the story of this great movement through Iowa. Tracing the trail from east to west through 12 counties, the guide relates Mormon Trail history for each county; directs visitors to the 27 interpretive roadside panels that were constructed on the trail by the U.S. National Park Service and Iowa Morman Trails Association; reproduces the poignant illustrations that author L. Matthew Chatterley drew for these wayside exhibits; provides a map and directions by county to guide travelers to the route of the Mormon Trail, sites of Mormon camps and settlements and the interpretive roadside panels; and lists other locations in southern Iowa that visitors will want to explore."--BOOK JACKET.
Contents: Introduction: Leaving Nauvoo the beautiful -- Lee County : where the exodus began -- Van Buren County : from ice to mud -- Davis County : working toward Zion -- Appanoose County : a river crossing and a baby -- Wayne County : the hymn heard around the world -- Lucas County : traveling prairie ridges -- Decatur County : the magiccity of the woods -- Clarke County : travel : different means, same path -- Union County : a second permanent settlement -- Adair County : an easier trail across Iowa prairie -- Cass County : building bridges and meeting Indians -- Pottawattamie County : the grand encampment -- Conclusion: A legacy of faith and determination.