Tag Archives: Mormon History

He Lost His Leg—Then Walked 22 Miles Back to Help Build the Salt Lake Temple John Rowe Moyle had already crossed an ocean, pulled a handcart across the American plains, established a farm on the Utah frontier, and spent years helping raise one of the most ambitious buildings in the American West when an ordinary farm accident threatened to end his working life. A cow kicked him with enough force to cause… Read more

Into the Blizzard: Ephraim Hanks, the LDS Frontiersman Who Rode Into a Frozen Wilderness to Save the Handcart Pioneers The story of Ephraim Knowlton Hanks and the 1856 handcart rescue is one of those episodes in Latter-day Saint history that hardly needs embellishment. Hundreds of men, women, and children were stranded on the plains of what is now Wyoming as an early and devastating winter descended upon them. Food had dwindled to… Read more

Celebrating 2025 John Whitmer Historical Association Award Winners The 2025 John Whitmer Historical Association (JWHA) conference has honed in on some remarkable contributions to the field of Mormon history. These scholars have significantly impacted our understanding of various aspects of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), shedding light on topics that resonate deeply within our community and beyond. Each award recipient has crafted narratives that enrich our LDS heritage,… Read more

How an LDS Family Helped Restore the Joseph Smith Homestead, Heal a Town, and Safeguard Sacred Ground Introduction Sacred history does not only live in scriptures. It clings to soil, to timber, and to walls that once rang with laughter and weeping. For members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, the small village of Palmyra in upstate New York carries the spiritual weight of beginnings. It was here… Read more

The journey to Alvin Smith’s grave begins with a climb that feels both physical and symbolic. My son and I made our way up a steep hill in Palmyra, New York, toward a small cemetery that has been resting quietly for nearly two centuries. It is not much larger than a football field, yet the sense of history contained within its boundaries is immense. The hill rises above part of the town,… Read more

The Prophet Behind the Symbol For people passing by a Latter-day Saint temple, Moroni is often seen only as a golden statue gleaming on the spire. His trumpet raised high seems like little more than a decorative emblem. Yet to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the story behind that symbol is deeply sacred. Moroni was a real man, a prophet-historian who lived in the final days of… Read more