Pioneer Trek helps Little Elm, North Texas teens appreciate past
Brayden McGovern learned about the hardships his pioneer ancestors endured from stories heard and read, but the Little Elm teen, like his peers, couldn’t fully appreciate their enormous sacrifice.
Then he went on a pioneer trek.
McGovern, 16, and his 14-year-old sister, Cassidy, were among 404 North Texas teens with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who participated in a pioneer trek reenactment over three days at Ray Roberts Lake State Park in Denton County.
The youth, aged 14 to 18, spent part of their Spring Break pulling and pushing handcarts dressed in old fashioned clothing, over a challenging 15-mile course to get a taste of the arduous journey Mormon pioneers experienced some 150 years ago crossing the Plains.
“I don’t even think we scratched the surface of what the pioneers went through,” McGovern said. “I think they had a lot of faith, and they didn’t let anything stand in their way.”
For the reenactment, the high school students left their cell phones and other electronic devises at home to fully immerse themselves in pioneer life.
The goal was to help today’s youth appreciate the sacrifices and faith of the pioneers, and the extreme difficulties they endured.
“We want the kids to know they can do hard things,” said Brent Argyle, the trek director, who oversaw the event with his wife, Shahna. “This gives them an appreciation for what their ancestors went through and a spiritual experience. Hopefully, they will take this experience and realize they can get through any difficulty.”
Walking in their footsteps
To authentically recreate how the pioneers made their journey, the trekkers were divided into families led by “ma and pa” adults, many of whom had their own teens participating in the reenactment. Several “families” made up a company, replicating how Mormon pioneers organized themselves to travel west.
Each participant dressed in authentic pioneer clothing for the entire three days. Women wore long skirts, long-sleeved blouses, dresses, bonnets, and aprons. Men wore canvas or cotton pants, long-sleeved shirts, hats and suspenders. Comfortable footwear was allowed.
There were 56 handcarts resembling large shallow wheelbarrows assembled for the trek, with most of the work done by the youth and adult leaders. The carts’ steel-rimmed wheels, which are stronger than wooden wheels, were made by Amish craftsman. The carts replicated what Mormon pioneers used as the migrated west from Iowa beginning in 1856, arriving in the Salt Lake area of Utah. Earlier pioneers arrived by horse-drawn wagon in the Salt Lake area as early as the 1840s. The legacy of the Mormon pioneers are part of 19th Century American history.
Each trek group with six to nine youth and the “ma and pa,” pulled and pushed a handcart piled with only a few provisions – water, clothes, and light camping gear – over a rugged course with thick woods, river crossings and steep inclines and descents.
“It’s been eye-opening,” said Cameron Steed, 17, of Prosper. “The crossing of the river and going up steep hills was difficult. It makes me appreciate what the pioneers had to endure.”
Replicating Pioneer Life
On the first day, the group hiked five miles, arriving at camp at Roadside Park ahead of schedule. Each family cooked their meals in a Dutch oven and camped in tents with the boys separate from the girls.
Entertainment each night was in keeping with what the brave forebears had available to them and had been planned by the trekkers, including music with simple acoustic instruments, a bluegrass number, and a hoedown for the youth. Then, each family separated from the group to hold a nightly devotional. Each morning, the group awoke early to the sound of an LDS hymn played by someone on a French horn.
The second day’s hike of seven miles proved tougher.
At one point, the females in each group –– the adult ma and the young women –– were purposely left without the males to pull the carts through a water crossing and up a steep switch back. This recalled what many pioneer women experienced making the journey west without husbands and sons. And it left a significant impression on the participants.
“It was inspirational to see the girls equal to the task ahead of them and to watch as the trial empowered them to be stronger,” said Little Elm’s Jeni Rawlins, a “ma” who led the girls in her “family” through the tough terrain.
The group camped the second evening at Elk Point and entertainment included musical numbers and inspirational devotional messages by local church leaders.
An experience to remember
On the final day, with the threat of heavy rain looming in the Dallas Metroplex, the group tackled the most difficult part of the course, a three-mile stretch of steep hills and a river crossing.
Some of the boys carried their “family” members, who were exhausted from the difficult hike and a lack of sleep, on their backs across the river. It took several trips to get everyone across. This selfless act was a way to remember an especially heart-wrenching story of the Latter-day Saints crossing Wyoming in 1856 with the Willy and Martin handcart companies. A devastating snowstorm left the groups starving and freezing, and many died. Three young men were responsible for carrying 500 people across the icy Sweetwater River to safety. Later, all three boys died of ailments caused from exposure to the elements. The groups were eventually rescued by the Saints and brought to the Salt Lake Valley.
When the trekkers reached the Isle du bois entrance of the state park, it replicated the LDS Saints coming into the Salt Lake Valley from their arduous journey. Families that arrived first cheered on the later ones. The heavy storm that was predicted came through North Texas right after the trek concluded.
The reenactment required about a year of planning and involved 158 adult “mas and pas” and dozens of others lending support including trail guides, food handlers, equipment movers, medical professionals and others.
At the state park, the scene of some 560 people dressed in old fashioned clothes pulling handcarts attracted the attention of park-goers including bikers, hikers and tourists, some of whom stopped for photos with the group.
The LDS Church in many parts of the United States holds youth trek every three or four years. It gives high school students an opportunity to connect with their ancestors and helps them build their character. The experience allows them to draw on their inner strength throughout their lives to deal with difficulties.
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