The Second Rescue by Susan Arrington Madsen

Author:Susan Arrington Madsen [Madsen, Susan Arrington]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mormon, Pioneers
Publisher: Deseret Book Company
Published: 1998-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Amphitheater at Rock Creek Hollow

On July 23, 1994, President Gordon B. Hinckley, who at the time was First Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was scheduled to officially dedicate Rock Creek Hollow and the mass grave located there. As part of the dedica-tory services, the youth of the Riverton stake were asked to perform a special musical number. President Lorimer, acting on his long-standing feelings, requested that they sing “Learn of Me,” a piece by Janice Kapp Perry and Joy Saunders Lundberg that is traditionally sung in the Young Women program.

Some people questioned the choice, wondering whether the young men would be willing to participate, but President Lorimer saw this as a potential teaching moment rather than an obstacle. When some resistance was felt, he reminded the young men that many young women of the stake had helped with Eagle projects knowing that they themselves could never aspire to the rank of Eagle Scout. Now the young men had a chance to participate in one of the Young Women traditions.

JOHN CHISLETT

John Chislett, a member of the Willie handcart company, described how the stranded Willie company received news that help was on the way:

“We traveled on in misery and sorrow day after day. Sometimes we made a pretty good distance, but at other times we were only able to make a few miles’ progress. Finally we were overtaken by a snowstorm which the shrill wind blew furiously about us. The snow fell several inches deep as we traveled along, but we dared not stop, for we had a sixteen-mile journey to make, and short of it we could not get wood and water.

“As we were resting for a short time at noon a light wagon was driven into our camp from the west. Its occupants were Joseph A. Young and Stephen Taylor. They informed us that a train of supplies was on the way, and we might expect to meet it in a day or two. More welcome messengers never came from the courts of glory than these two young men were to us. They lost no time after encouraging us all they could to press forward, but sped on further east to convey their glad news to Edward Martin and the fifth handcart company who left Florence about two weeks after us, and who it was feared were even worse off than we were. As they went from our view, many a hearty ‘God bless you!’ followed them.”

John Chislett narrative published in T.B.H. Stenhouse, The Rocky Mountain Saints (New York: D. Appleton, 1873).

“I told them that I, as an Eagle Scout myself with three palms, would gladly trade the Scout Oath and Scout Laws for this sacred group of words and the piano accompaniment of ‘Learn of Me,’” he later wrote. “I told the young men to go home, humble themselves, and find every young man in our stake who was not at the practice and get them there for the rest of the practices.

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