Location:
Red Buttes
Distance: 940 miles from Nauvoo

In the 10 miles from where the Martin Handcart Company forded the North Platte (near present-day Casper, Wyoming) to Red Buttes (Bessemer Bend), many Latter-day Saints died. At Red Buttes they became snowbound for six days, and at least 56 persons perished.

William Binder

October 1856

"During our sojourn at this camp we were placed under very trying circumstances; being reduced to very low rations of flour; a scanty supply of clothing and in addition to these evils, it became our painful duty to bury very many of our friends and traveling companions also to see our cattle vanish from our view through starvation every day" (Reminiscences by William Lawrence Spicer Binder, 1832–1910, Family and Church History Department Archives, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [microfilm], 2).

Journal photographs courtesy of Infobases, Inc.