How many Mormon handcart companies were there?
How many Mormon handcart companies were there?
10 companies
Handcart companies were few. Of the more than 250 organized Latter-day Saint companies that came to Utah during the pioneer era, only 10 companies, consisting of about 3,000 people total, were handcart companies. Five handcart companies came in 1856, two in 1857, one in 1859, and two in 1860.
How many of the group died in the Martin Handcart Company?
A modern historian counted 67 deaths in the Willie Company, a rate of around 14 percent, and 135 to 150 in the Martin Company, a rate of around 25 percent of the company’s members. It was by far the worst non-military disaster on the emigrant trails.
Who died in the Willie Handcart Company?
Responsibility for the tragedy
| Handcart company | Captain | Number died en route |
|---|---|---|
| Fourth or Willie Company | James G. Willie | 68 |
| Fifth or Martin Company | Edward Martin | >145 |
When did the Willie Handcart Company arrive in Utah?
Handcart Companies
| Company (from Iowa City) | Depart | Handcarts & Wagons |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel D. McArthur | 06/11/56 | 48, 4 |
| Edward Bunker | 06/23/56 | 60, 5 |
| James G. Willie | 07/15/56 | 120, 5 |
| Edward Martin | 07/28/56 | 146, 7 |
How much weight could a Mormon handcart carry?
The handcarts generally carried up to 250 pounds (110 kg) of supplies and luggage, though they were capable of handling loads as heavy as 500 pounds (230 kg). Carts used in the first year’s migration were made entirely of wood; in later years a stronger design was substituted, which included metal elements.
How many miles did the handcart pioneers walk each day?
We were allotted one tent and four handcarts to twenty persons. Our company [Edmund Ellsworth, captain] consisted of 274 members, the other passengers of the ship were in the second company [Daniel D. McArthur, captain]. We traveled from ten to twenty-eight miles each day.
How many Mormons died on trail?
1,900 deaths
Bashore and Tolley analyzed 56,000 records of pioneers who traveled to Salt Lake City between 1847 and 1868. The researchers found 1,900 deaths during the journey or within the calendar year of arrival in Salt Lake, making the overall mortality rate 3.5 percent.
What happened to the Willie Handcart Company?
Most of the handcarts are left behind, but many people still have to walk. The companies leave the cove and travel about five miles toward Salt Lake City. Daniel W. Jones and 19 other men stay at Fort Seminoe to guard the belongings of the people in the Hodgetts and Hunt companies until spring.
How many died on the Mormon Trail?
Bashore and Tolley analyzed 56,000 records of pioneers who traveled to Salt Lake City between 1847 and 1868. The researchers found 1,900 deaths during the journey or within the calendar year of arrival in Salt Lake, making the overall mortality rate 3.5 percent.
What did the pioneers carry in their handcarts?
Adult handcart pioneers were allowed to pack seventeen pounds each and children only ten pounds. Weigh-in (which was very strict) included bedding, clothing, cooking utensils and keepsakes. Five people were assigned to each cart.
What was the survival rate of pioneers?
The pioneers’ mode of travel proved a major factor. Those travelling by wagon saw a mortality rate of 3.5 percent. But the mortality rate for the roughly 3,000 who traveled by handcart was higher. The ill-fated Willie and Martin companies suffered a 16.5 percent mortality rate.
What percentage of pioneers survived the trip?
It is estimated that 6-10% of all emigrants of the trails succumbed to some form of illness. Of the estimated 350,000 who started the journey, disease may have claimed as many as 30,000 victims. Since the trail was 2,000 miles long, this would indicate that there was an average of 10-15 deaths per mile.
