Wives in Wagons : Winter Quarters and the Trek West
Brigham Young’s Homes
Logan, UT
Utah State University Press
2002
69-81
Although Brigham Young and other church leaders had planned an orderlyevacuation for the spring of 1846, in February many of the traumatized Saintsbegan streaming across the frozen Mississippi River. The original plan had beenfor some of the leaders to cross into Iowa Territory, where they would beimmune to arrest on bogus warrants threatened by Illinois officials. Once there,they would establish orderly camps, ready to receive the bulk of the Saints laterthat spring. However, fears of further persecution from both government agen-cies and random mobs pushed many to rush toward the emotional security oftheir leaders, however insecure the physical conditions. [Author]