In July 1848, three Mormon Battalion veterans — Ezra Allen, Daniel Browatt and Henderson Cox — went ahead of a larger group to scout a new trail from the California gold fields to the Salt Lake Valley.
Days later, on July 18, 1848, the bodies of Allen, Browatt and Cox were found in El Dorado County, California, by men from their company sent to find them. The three battalion members had been killed and buried in a shallow grave.
The men who found them reburied them and carved their names into a tree at the site now known as Tragedy Spring.
On Aug. 20 of this year, 20 stakeholders — including representatives from the U.S. Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, Sons of the Utah Pioneers, California Living History Mission, Mormon Battalion Association, Oregon-California Trails Association and local leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — met to discuss restoring the site, which sustained damage from a windstorm in 2020 and a fire in 2021.
The group of stakeholders also visited Devil’s Ladder — an area of the trail to the east of Tragedy Spring — where wagons had to be lowered down the mountain using ropes and chains due to the steepness of the trail.
Why Church history sites matter
Greg Christofferson, president of the Mormon Battalion Association, said preserving the stories of these historic sites is important so people can be strengthened by early Church members’ examples.
“The sacrifices our ancestors made are almost beyond belief, and so their stories reinforce my testimony.”
Dennis W. Amaral of California Living History echoed Christofferson’s words, saying Church history sites provide a “tangible tie to the past.”
“We can read about significant historical events all day long, but to really put it into perspective, one must visit the site to touch and feel the history.”
Plans for restoration
After visiting Tragedy Spring and Devil’s Ladder and hearing stakeholders’ opinions, representatives from the National Trails Office decided that renovations could be made to not only restore the sites but improve the visitor experience.
Christofferson said the Design and Development Team for the National Park Service National Trails Office will prepare conceptual site plans including new trails, signage, maps and interpretive panels.
According to Christofferson, the established timeline outlines having the approved site plans by spring of 2026 so the Forest Service and volunteers can begin clearing debris from the fire when the snow melts that summer. By summer 2027, new signage and trails should be installed.
Christofferson hopes that by restoring the two sites and improving signage, more people will have the opportunity to learn from the stories of the Mormon Battalion like he has.
He encouraged those interested in learning more to visit the Mormon Battalion Association website.
