I took this last summer. It's a row of replica handcarts on a street in the living history museum of Old Deseret Village in Salt Lake City. Between 1856 and 1860, ten companies of Mormon pioneers who were too poor to afford covered wagons and oxen, which were the favored mode of transportation for those coming West, traveled with their belongings in handcarts, which were basically just big, wooden, wheelbarrows. Obviously, many of these people died along the way, and, in retrospect, it does seem incredibly foolish that these poor immigrants didn't find work in the East first and earn enough money to come West with more stable protection. However, the handcart pioneers are revered by most Mormons today, and the handcart has become the symbol of pioneering, faith, and endurance.
Personally, I'm glad that my ancestors had the sense to come by wagon, as every last one of their families made it to the valley in reasonable health, but folks like that don't seem to get the glory of the less sensible ones.
In any case, these particular handcarts are dragged out for a parade every 24th of July, which is Pioneer Day in Utah, a state holiday that marks the arrival of the first Mormon settlers on July 24, 1847. The irony is, of course, that the first handcarts didn't make it on the scene for nearly a decade after that date.
Anyway, I like the wheels in the picture.
Wow, when you look at full size they speak differently. Sad and yet peaceful, especially the second photo. I got a sense of triumph from it.
ReplyDeleteNice work!