Sunday Tidbits—Biblical Events and Pioneer Similarities

1.      What event in pioneer history is similar to the Children of Israel passing through the Red Sea?

a.      The Saints crossing the Atlantic Ocean without any vessels sinking

b.      The Saints crossing the frozen Mississippi River the day they left Nauvoo

c.       The crossing of the Sweetwater River in Wyoming by the Martin and Willie handcart companies

d.      The crossing of the Missouri River into Winter Quarters

2.      Why did the Saints give many biblical names to the landmarks and towns of Zion?

a.      The Salt Lake Valley looks the same as Israel

b.      The Saints believed that by so doing that they would give the land a sense of holiness

c.       Isaiah prophesied that it would be so

d.      The only inhabitants when the Saints arrived were the Lamanites of Jewish descent

Yesterday’s answer:

(D)   Arkansas

When there was some uncertainty as to where the Saints would eventually settle, Brigham Young and the Quorum of the Twelve sent a letter of inquiry to the Governor of Arkansas seeking permission to reside in that state. Being familiar with the situation in Missouri and Illinois, the Governor refused this request.

Golder, Frank Alfred, The Mormon Battalion (New York: Century Press, 1928), 41, 46.