Did you know that the 1847 Mormon pioneers used a "revenue cutter" to ship supplies and equipment across the North Platte near present-day Casper, Wyo.?
"What's a revenue cutter?" you say?It was a leather-skinned boat the vanguard Pioneer Company, led by Brigham Young, used when facing the daunting task of fording the river. To expedite the crossing, the company then built two ferries that were nearly 25 feet long. After they were across the river, two companies from Missouri arrived and negotiated to be ferried for $1.50 per load. Camp clerks estimated that provisions worth $400 were received as a result - enough to feed the Mormon pioneer camp for about 23 days.
These and many other facts and articles are part of the Special Pioneer Issue of the Church News on July 5, 1997. This issue, including graphs, photos, illustrations and pioneer accounts, commemorates the sesquicentennial of the arrival of the first Mormon pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley.
This Special Pioneer Issue can be purchased at the Deseret News offices at 30 E. 1st South, 4th Floor, in Salt Lake City for 50 cents, or by mail by sending a check or money order for $1 in U.S. funds per issue to Pioneer Issue, Deseret News, P.O. Box 1257, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110. Please designate the issue date and how many copies you want.
