The City that Disappeared
Near here, located in a grove of young hickory trees, was an important rallying point in 1855 and 1856 for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon), then emigrating to the Rocky Mountains.The campground, really a temporary village covering about 150 acres, consisted of the grove, a large pasture fenced by native sod and a ditch, and a burial ground located on the elevated ridge between the grove and the farm. Though one or two permanent structures were erected, most residents lived in tents, wagon boxes or make-shift dwellings.
During the peak year of emigration at Mormon Grove in 1855, nearly 2,000 Latter-Day Saints with 337 wagons left here for the Salt Lake Valley. It was also a tragic year for the U.S., British, and European Mormons at the little way station, many dying in a cholera epidemic.
In 1856, Iowa City, Iowa, became the major jump-off point for Latter-Day Saint westward travel, and Mormon Grove became a forgotten gathering place.
HM Number | HM11G7 |
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Series | This marker is part of the Kansas: Kansas Historical Society series, and the Mormon Pioneer Trail series. |
Tags | |
Marker Number | 117 |
Placed By | Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints and Kansas Historical Society |
Marker Condition | No reports yet |
Date Added | Wednesday, October 8th, 2014 at 4:59pm PDT -07:00 |
UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 15S E 311142 N 4380920 |
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Decimal Degrees | 39.55720000, -95.19825000 |
Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 39° 33.432', W 95° 11.895' |
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 39° 33' 25.92" N, 95° 11' 53.70" W |
Driving Directions | Google Maps |
Area Code(s) | 913, 785 |
Closest Postal Address | At or near 7369-7699 Osage Rd, Atchison KS 66002, US |
Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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