“It Really Happened,” Tambuli, Mar. 1979, 24
It Really Happened
Note: Mary’s 10-year-old son, Joseph Fielding, who drove a team to the Valley as well as any man, later became the sixth President of the Church.
But eventually the company struggled to the top of East Mountain. “Look Mother, there it is!”
That night the company camped at the base of Little Mountain.
When the order was given to roll in the morning, the Smiths met with still another disappointment—most of their teams had strayed away. The supervisor, anxious that Mary’s promise not come true, ordered the company to leave anyway.
“Forward, Ho!”
Although it was a beautiful, sunny September day, a dark thundercloud formed over the final hill the company was ascending before entering the valley.
Suddenly a violent storm broke! The teams became unmanageable and the supervisor ordered them to be unhitched. Frightened, the untethered animals escaped.
Meanwhile, the Smiths’ strays were rounded up and hitched to their wagons and the storm had quieted down. When Mary’s brother Joseph asked if they should wait for the company to reassemble, she replied with well-earned independence: “They have not waited for us, and I see no necessity for us to wait for them.”
True to her promise, Mary Fielding Smith reached the valley ahead of the company and without any help from them. She had placed her faith in the Lord, and had overcome every obstacle.
Note: Mary’s 10-year-old son, Joseph Fielding, who drove a team to the valley as well as any man, later became the sixth President of the Church.