Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-10-21

In visiting the waste places OF zion
I find that each particular locality
possesses its own peculiar merits b1th
historically and otherwise. Thus the
elevation VI ground on which l am
standing at the present time IA ere
titled TO specinl mention ~ sacred /
apot which concoals the earthly re-
mains OF about three hundred wc'ry |
trnvclers-martyu--yes, for such ihry |
were indeed. They were composed Of
men. women aud children, "a ho during !
that memorable year, 1876, (when one
Of the most nourishlng cities oil cue
ststo OF Illinois was reduced to n mere
villa e) were driven by blooJlh ts'y
mob from their comfortable homes cut
into the wilderness. There, exposed to
snow, sleet, rains aud eiorms, thry
perishod by the wayside, Will"
journ,ylng toward the "lnnd oil
tho setting sun" Ia search u
new home, where they hoped t.
worship God In peace according to the
dictates OF their own cOuscionu,s. Hnd
the Saints. who were thus driven
from Nauvoo. been permitted 10 remain
10 possession Of their homes lii
the morning rays OF the spring sun
had forced away the chilly blasts Of a
severe winter, the death rate among
the weary pilgrims would not have
been 40 groat;o out bearing In mind that
they wero forced - leave In tbs BE-
ginning OF tho month OF February,
when the frcst was severe enough 10
mako natural bridge Of ice across the
Father OF Maters-the great Missis-
Hippi--who can wonder thai 40 many
pGrisheu2 Hal II not been Tor a Kind /
Providence, and wise leaders who cIa.
Quoted the affairs OF thu "CRmp OF
lsrae.p in that memorable year, rrT'
haps the great majority VI the oAilus
would nave closed tngif eyes Ia uvHth
before the then almost TacSlrss HuI
uninhnbitud prairlus " Iowa could
have been crossed nud tnu bhuth OF
tho Missouri reached, AMI thtf, In
fact, was expected 10y many u
those who uTOve Uut tho people OF
God; ard II was further autic
rated by many that those VI this rXlios
who did not aucCumb 10 the hardship-
and exposures u the Journey would
be used up, on reaching the Missouri,
boy the poisoned arrow and this sharp NJ
blunt tOmahawk la the hands OF the
potta gatamie anu Omaha indiana.
hut the Lord ruled II otherwise. IL
was Hin who gave His wandering
sons anu daughters who were neelng
ifom a ierociouB religious pOaecution
hnF tvNWnHulIa
and phyHically, In the midst Of storms,
snows aud mud, TO still cling to life,
until better day Jawned upon them;
and II was Him who noitt ned tho heart
Of the red man Of the forest toward the
weary Mormon brother, no that instead
OF numbering or hnrmlng the Saints
the uncivilized Lamanites received
them with tuch kindness and
hospitality MS their uncultured
natures were capable Of bestowing.
And thus tue scamp OF letael," ana
the majority N those who were driven
away from their homes In NauvOO, H.,
lived TO SEE the LatteT.lay Saints pof-
mauently located IN the vallioH Of the
Rocky mountains.
Iafrivtd at this place this morning
Ruu was kindly received by Mt. Albert
&. White Aud family, who owns u
large thfnl OF oVo ANAtH AutA thNIANtA
tho site OF tine old Mormon settlement
called Mt. plsgah. Mr.. White IL the
man who huperintondcd the erection
OF the Pisgah monument, which was
raised here on the old Mormon grave
yard 1--WE years ago from means con
lubutod by people In Utah.
Mount Pisgan now called Plagah
grove Ia situated iu section S, Jones
township, Union county, lows, about
slx miles by road northeast Of Alton,
the former cOuaty seat, on the east
bank of Grand river, about % miles
due east OF tho Missouri river at "A
point opposite Platls mouth and about
100 miles (l72 miles the way the eXilei
saints travelled In lSi0) west Of the
Missibsipp river. IL is nlrO about 80
mileb In an airline northwest Of Gar
don grove, but the way the roaIs now
run IL Ia much farther.
Between tho Pissah hill AMI Grand
river on tho west II q fine strip OF bot
tom land well cultivated anu very
Productive. This 10 where tue Nor
mon pilgrims had their so'called big
field. There IL considerable timber
along the rver at this point anu the
plsgah hill IL covered with groves Ui
young oak and hickory trees. From
the summit OF the hill which IL Per.
hape 200 feet ABOVE Grand river, the
Wow In most excellent, especially In
looking 10 the west, where beautiful
fhrms, inturFpeTsed with groves OF tim
her, greots the eye m iHr as II can
reach.
A. there are no traces left OF the old
Mormon settlement, except few
small mounds " earth, --"Eemnins" OF
primitive ChimneyH, Huch as were
built ms necessary appoRdixes TO the
Old pioneer Cahlnf-the attention OF
the Y sltor IN at once directed to the
old Mormon graveyard which occu.
piOs u conspicuous place on the west
slope the Pisgah hill or ridge. Near
the center Ol the graveyard, which
contains just one acre OF ground, stands
the monument already referred to on
the slope about l5J yards west OF the
top OF the ridge, THIS monument rests
upon sOlidly built rock tOuntAtiOn
Jour feet square and four feet ueep, all
IN the ground. On top Of this aud
level with the top OF the ground IL
placed the base OF the monument
proper, which C0uslats OF n limestone
Two feet thick, next comes square
block Il italian marble, upon the top OF
whicn IL placed the main shalt, nearly
ten feet high and seventeen inChUz
square AZ ths base. Tue shaft consists
ti lirht-colored Indiana marble aud
weighs 400 POUNDS; II required the
combined physical strength aud in
...p..ffNt Of a..yaH. .Ivhr al. l.,.II...t