Item Detail
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22813
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0
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0
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English
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They Passed This Way : Legacy of the Mormon Battalion in the Temecula Valley
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Provo, UT
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Brigham Young University
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Closure project
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"When I learned that my great-great grandfather, Zadok Knapp Judd, was a member of the Mormon Battalion I knew what my closure project would be about; especially since the battalion marched through my own home town of Temecula, California. The battalion came through Temecula valley in 1847 150 years ago. With the sesquicentennial year at hand and with all these thoughts in my head, I knew I would enjoy researching the Mormon Battalion, their trek to the west, and the impact they have had upon the Temecula valley. I searched and searched through my genealogical files until I came upon a journal written by Zadok Knapp Judd. He had written many things which I feel are of great importance to my research. In the course of my text, I have quoted his journal and in so doing I hope my children and their children will always remember his courage, strength, bravery, and faithfulness in following the counsel of the Lord given through his prophet, Brigham Young. Zadok was a great man who had many wonderful experiences in his life. He was converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and baptized in 1837 at the age of nine. His family subsequently moved to Nauvoo, and while living there many great things happened to him. In 1840, he received his patriarchal blessing from Joseph Smith, Sr.; in 1845, he was ordained to the office of seventy; in January of 1846 he received his endowments in the Nauvoo Temple and later on that summer he enlisted into the Mormon Battalion. After he was discharged from the Mormon Battalion, Zadok went with his brother Hyrum Judd to an area of northern California called Sutter's Fort. He was there when gold was discovered in 1848. Later that year, he traveled to Salt Lake City and joined his family who had arrived the summer before. In SLC, Zadok became a tailor and participated as a soldier in the Provo War. Later on, he helped colonize southern Utah, where he met and fell in love with Mary Minerva Dart. They married in a house Zadok had built in Parowan in the year 1852. The following year, while attending April General Conference, they witnessed the laying of the cornerstone of the SLC Temple on April 6, 1853. My research has been long and tedious with many trips to the local library, interviews with local Luiseno Indians, and traveling along portions of the road the Battalion built. With the information I have learned from these sources, I feel the following pages are accurate and informative for any interested reader. The men who joined the Mormon Battalion were men like Zadok Knapp Judd. They exemplified qualities of bravery, courage, and great faith. In the world today our children need heroes to look up to'heroes that are real heroes and not just famous people. Those in the Mormon Battalion were heroes because they exhibited qualities of courage and their achievements weren't easy to attain. Although faced with great trials and adversity, these men did not give up; they forged onward. The story of the Mormon Battalion can be read in many history books. But what makes mine different is I have tried to focus on the Temecula Valley and the events which were taking place when the Battalion first arrived, the impact they made on the area, and what types of events are taking place today to honor these great pioneers." [Author's introduction]