Description

There Stood a Big Fat Steer

The Ellsworth handcart company left Florence Nebraska on July 16, 1856. They had two hundred-eighty people, fifty-six handcarts, and four wagons. The wagons were for the purpose of hauling the company’s supplies. Mary Ann Jones–age 19– was part of that company and recorded the following in her diary.

The Lord was with us by His spirit for although tired and foot sore we could sing the songs of Zion as we went along. Some stomachs may recoil at a supper cooked with the water dug in a buffalo wallow and cooked with buffalo chips, but it tasted good to us. We came to an [immense] herd of buffalo. It seemed as if the whole prairie was moving. We waited for over an hour for them to cross the road so we could go on…. A very remarkable thing happened on the Platt[e] river. One of the oxen died and Brother Ellsworth was asking the brethren what could be done. Could they put a cow in the team so we could go on? When one of the men said “Look Brother Ellsworth, at that steer on the hill,” for there stood a big fat steer looking at us. Brother Ellsworth said the Lord has sent him to help us in to the valley. “Go and get him so we can move on.” They did so, and he worked as good as the others. When we got within two days travel of Salt Lake we met some teams sent out from the valley with provisions and to help us in. The next morning when the boys went to round up the cattle to start, that steer was gone. They hunted for hours but we never saw him again. He went as mysteriously as he came. Brother Ellsworth said the Lord lent him to us as long as we needed him.

Mary Ann went on and captured the intrepid spirit of those pioneers and why they made the arduous journey they did. She said,

We had reached the goal and on foot all the way. I never left my handcart for a day and only rode over two rivers. We waded streams, crossed high mountains and pulled through heavy sands–leaving comfortable homes, fathers, mother, brothers & sisters–and what for? To be where we could hear a prophet’s voice and live with the Saints of God. I have never seen the day I regretted my trip. We arrived in Salt Lake the 26th day of September 1856.

We are coming up on that day again when we can hear the voice of a prophet again. What are we willing to do to hear a prophet and live with the saints of God?

Source:

https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/overlandtravel/pioneers/18472/mary-ann-jones