Moving with the Saints

We know that four African American Saints were part of Brigham Young’s vanguard company that entered the valley in 1847. In fact, it was Green Flake, one of the African American Saints that drove Brigham Young’s wagon, while Brigham laid ill in Wilford Woodruff’s wagon at the time that Brigham saw the valley and stated, “This is the place, move on.” How many African-American Saints entered Winter Quarters in 1848?

A)                 2

B)                 12

C)                 21

D)                 34

Yesterday’s answer:

(D)   The crickets became food for the fish

Peter Madsen arrived in Salt Lake City in 1854 and moved immediately to Provo, where, in 1855, he witnessed the terrible infestation of crickets or grasshoppers. “So thick did they descend that they fairly darkened the sun,” he recalled. The black hoards destroyed most of the promising small crop along the Provo River and then made their way to the shores of Utah Lake which they attempted to cross and were drowned by the wagon loads. Many of them were eaten by the fish.” He recounted how shortly thereafter the people were saved by the fish: “People came to the lake. From Sevier on the south to Salt Lake on the north, they came with wagons and barrels and salt prepared to take fish home with them for food during the winter months. Their crops were destroyed and then were weak from hunger. . . . They all camped along the river near where it empties into the lake and we made preparations to supply them with mullet and trout which were quite plentiful at that time. Having been accustomed to fishing in Denmark when a boy, I was prepared for this important duty of furnishing food for starving people, and I will always remember the scene along the river bank after the first day’s catch had been distributed. The campers were in little groups around the campfires where they were broiling fish on hot coals and eating them with relish that only those who have been through an experience of this kind can appreciate. The bishop of Provo sent men to help and all day and all night the fishing went on. The Saints came and remained on the river until they had enough fish salted to last them during the winter; then they left for their homes to give others room who were equally needy. For weeks the work went on. Nobody ever asked who did the work or who received the fish. We were all comparatively equal in those days and all we asked was enough to eat until we could raise crops to supply us food. I have always regarded this as one of my greatest opportunities for doing good.

Nearly Everything Imaginable, Walker, Ronald W., Doris R. Dant ed., (Provo, Utah: BYU Press, 1999), 239-240.