My Pioneer Trek experience (Rhiannon)

Hey it's Rhiannon! :) I don't normally do the blog posts, but Mom practically begged me to write this one. So I obliged and here we are.

Trek was absolutely amazing, in every way. My faith grew, my muscles grew, and I have a greater appreciation for what those pioneers had to go through all those years ago. I had no idea what to expect when I first got to our Trek site, but I can tell you I wasn't expecting the trail to be as difficult as it was. SO HARD.

The good thing was I didn't do any of it alone. Our small Ridgecrest Stake got divided into five families with about twelve people in each, including our "Ma and Pa's. Everyone thought they had the best family but I know I had the best one. I was part of the MacGregor family, with my old seminary teacher as my dad and his wife as my mom. They are great and definitely made Trek that much better. Same with my "siblings". I already thought I knew most of my family pretty well, but I learned even more about them, and strengthened some friendships for sure.

To be honest, most of Trek went by in a blur. The first day was very strange and hard. Getting into our families was fun, but hiking 8 miles with a handcart, in one day..not too fun. We got POURED on with rain and one of my good friends (and sibling) Tamara sprained her ankle pretty badly on the first mile. She was a trooper, and started helping again afterwards, but I bet that was hard.

Our Stake was pretty lucky. I think Tamara's ankle and various people with blisters were the only casualties. We were definitely blessed! I was (happily) surprised that my feet did alright. I didn't get a single blister and my bunion didn't bother me at all. I did have a moment on the last day where I think I was getting dehydrated. But I felt well enough to keep going so it was fine.

There were a lot of people on the Trek. From our tiny stake there was fifty or so, but a stake from Las Vegas came as well and there were about two hundred of them. We had meals alongside them, and the dance was combined but besides that we were just pulling our carts in a line. Speaking of meals, the food was super yummy. I probably would have eaten anything but the food was REAL good. There was lots of tex-mex type food, and chicken. Mmm, mmm good.

For sleeping the first night, the boys slept in tents and the girls slept in this huge barn. It was fun and the barn was very cozy. Needless to say I passed out when it was time for bed. The second night was more "real" because everyone slept under the stars. No tents, just sleeping bags. The boys had one side of the field and the girls had the other. I didn't sleep as great that night but there were hardly any bugs and more fun that the barn.

There were lots of random speakers that impersonated people from the pioneer times. We had a Brigham Young speak to us multiple times and a Porter Robinson. I can't remember any of the other names, but I liked all of the speeches.

One of the most worrisome things of the whole Trek was crossing the river. (insert Jaws music here) It really wasn't that bad, and it was actually quite refreshing considering the water was cold and we had been sweating like beasts the whole time. I took my shoes off, hiked up my skirts and away we went. It really wasn't that hard, as the water barely went past my knee. The pioneers had to go through much worse than that.

The second day was probably the funnest. All of the days were, but we had more activities that day than anything else. We played a few fun games as a stake. My favorite game was "Grab-your-Gal" which is really hard to explain, but there was some winking and partnering up involved. You would think playing games like that would be super awkward and weird, but it really wasn't as awkward as it sounds--promise.
Also on the second day was the dance. It was incredibly crazy and disorganized but it was still pretty fun. If I could change anything about it, I would have the dance be in our own stakes. I was a lot more comfortable dancing with people I knew, rather than random people I had never met before. It was still great though, and I got my pioneer dance moves on for sure.

The third day was HARD. It consisted of 2 miles (easy, right?) where we had the Women's Pull, and steepsteepsteep hills that went almost straight up. The Women's Pull really wasn't that bad, because we were smart and the ladies in my family were buff (did I mention I grew some muscles on Trek?) On the hard parts we planned ahead and had families team up, so that each cart had twelve girls instead of six. We would take turns running carts up the hill. One cart would go first and then we would ocme back for the second cart. It was still tough but we were fine. As we met up with the boys again (who had been doing a Mormon Batallion reenactment) they sang for us and tried to get us to stop pulling the cart but we wouldn't let them.

The last mile and  half was incredibly hard and even more steep than the Women's Pull which is definitely saying something, but our families worked hard, and we made it. BARELY.

At the end, I was super close with my family, with God and my ancestors. If I could do Trek again, which I can't because I will be aged out next time, I would go in a heartbeat., It was amazing!

Rhiannon's great-great-great-great grandmother

Rhiannon left for a 3-day pioneer trek activity with our Ridgecrest stake yesterday.  Right now she's in the middle of Cherry Valley, CA somewhere, with her handcart "family," consisting of a ma and pa (Gavin and Emily MacGregor from our ward--they are wonderful!!!), and other youth from our stake.  I am so excited and nervous for her at the same time.  Having never participated in something like this, all I've heard is that it's hard and it's fun!

There was a lot of preparation involved.  Along with learning about pioneers in general, reading scriptures, gathering supplies, and preparing physically, Rhiannon had to choose an ancestor to dedicate her trek experience to.  I got her plugged into Family Search, told her that she was blessed to have a LOT of options on all sides of the family--Cushing, Throndsen, Williams, Sheen, Beck, etc!, and then she did the rest.  I was pleasantly surprised by her choice--her great-great-great-great grandmother on the Sheen side, Eliza Elizabeth (Taylor) Sheen.

Eliza--I love her little smile in this picture and can imagine how her town felt about her.  

Rhiannon with friends Tamara and Katie, the morning I dropped her off for trek.

After I read Eliza's short history on Family Search, I felt Rhiannon had made a wonderful choice.  We can't wait to get her home on Saturday and hear ALL about it!!!

From FamilySearch:

History of Eliza Taylor Sheen

Contributed By Kelli Douglas Swenson · 4 August 2014 · 0 Comments

Eliza Taylor Sheen was born August 1, 1827 in Redmorley, England.  She was the wife of Robert Sheen of Wostershire, England.  To them were born seven children, several of whom were born in England.  They were born and reared in England and were sweethearts there; they were very industrious.

As years went by, the Gospel of Jesus Christ came to them, through the spirit of the missionaries who had been sent to England to deliver the truths to all who were in readiness.  This family partook of the spirit, knew it was for them, and were baptized.  The missionaries were their friends, and they confided in them.  They lived the gospel, and when the time came, they were ready to take the long journey and come to Zion.

The family were poor, not much to enjoy but work.  In the year 1856 on the 23rd day of March, this family with 534 saints sailed from Liverpool, England under the direction of James Fergenson, on the ship, "Enoch Train".  The journey was long, and sickness came upon them.  Food was rationed very closely, and before the journeys end, ran out; but those who had more rationed it among them.

Their sea-sickness left them, then the measles were in store for the young children, and the fleas began to attack them.  It must have been anything but a pleasant voyage, but at last, on May first they landed in Boston.  From there, the Saints traveled by rail via New York City to Iowa City, Iowa., from whence the journey across the plains was commenced by wagons and handcarts.  It was their luck to miss the wagon train by a few minutes, and the handcart making began, as no other conveyance was to be had.  Under the direction of Daniel Spencer, who was acting as General Superintendent of Emigration on the Borders, assisted by George D. Grant, William H. Kimball, James H. Hart, and others, the work began.  As soon as the carts were finished, which took two days or more, the train of immigrants started for their destination - a distance not known.  There was not much to eat.  The father of this family had a shotgun and being a good shot, kept them supplied with wild meat.

Eliza Taylor Sheen was traveling with a small child two years old who passed away on the journey.  Traveling was held up for a day while casket-making was done by the men of the company.  The casket finished, the child was buried.  The family wept, and before night, were traveling along their way.  The child's name was Emma.  They were now left with only four children.

As the room in the cart was limited, two children tried to walk.  The one did not want to, so one walked all the way, never refusing, never complaining, she was Ann. These two companies of handcarts were the first to travel by carts.  The company was so large, it had to be divided into two sections. They arrived September 26, 1856.  Seventy Five miles from Salt Lake City, a cow was killed for the company, and they surely had a feed.  They arrived at Salt Lake City, under the charge of Edmund Ellsworth and Daniel McArthur, where they were met and welcomed by the First Presidency of the Church, a brass band, a company of dancers, and a large concourse of citizens.  Captain Ellsworth's Company left Iowa City on June 9th.  They started the handcart journey with 497 souls, 100 handcarts, 5 wagons, 24 oxen, 4 mules, and 25 tents.

The family started life all over again.  The Sheen family went to Ogden, one more child was born, James Robert, and for a few years this was their home, but they decided to travel on and came to Payson, Utah.  There they made their home, and of course were in very poor circumstances.  The people were good to all immigrants, and they were taken care of.  People shared what they had.  One more child was born to the family here, a girl, who was named Matilda, the youngest and last child born to them.  Later they moved back 3 miles to Salem, where they continued living the remainder of their lives.

At Salem, a new life again was in store for them.  They settled daown to farm work, and it was not long until things were turning brighter.  Land was bought, machinery intalled, and things accumulated until the debts were paid and the family had a better living.  All worked hard, and each one did his share.  Soon they had four lovely daughters and one son.  Eliza Taylor Sheen was a wonderful mother and wife, always willing to assist in sickness, and by this time she had enough of the necessities of life to help the immigrants who came later.  She shared food, blankets, and whatever could be used.  She had conserved and helped in every way possible to keep their living coming in.  Here life here was very different.  She had a house to live in, after living in a dugout in Payson.  Now she was growing fruit, raising chickens, milking cows, making butter, and had a lovely garden of potatoes and vegetables.  Of course the garden had to be hoed and weeded.  When she was tired and needed rest, she had a basket of carpet rags upstairs.  What a pleasure for her to go up and sew rags as she would sit and rest.  Eliza Taylor Sheen became the midwife of the town.  She was handy in caring for the sick people, and had a little training and great intelligence and was greatly relied on in confinement cases.  Out of her bed at a minutes notice, any hour of the night, she would go.  If anything came to  ride in, she would ride, if not she would walk.  I have known her to ride horse back which was  a regular custom then, or I have too known her to walk from one end of town to the other to take care of mother and child, and back again.  And of course she made trips to the patients everyday for 10 days thereafter too.  Grandma Sheen worked at nursing on her own reliance, as there were no doctors then to be had for maternity cases, and I can truthfully say she has been in every home in this town and entire large families were brought into this world by her help only.  She loved the little babies, lost very few cases, and it seems she had that gift along with a little training.  It was handed down to each of her daughters, as they too were all professionals at nursing, also taking care of the dead, washing and laying them out for burial.  Her girls were all taught to work and be useful.  All  made good cooks and good housekeepers in general.  Not only were the sick attended to and many children born, but here neighbors were never neglected - a kind word, a minutes visit, a little help, all of which made an enjoyable neighborhood.  She attended church, had a good voice, and her talent was enjoyed in the ward choir.  She was small in stature, with beautiful black eyes and a great determination.

In 1879 on January 7th she was sustained as 2nd counselor in the Salem Ward Relief Society.  Before that time, she was an active visiting teacher.  Her aim was always to assist and help the cause of the church, the missionaries, and to maintain ward meeting places, all for the betterment of mankind and in gratitude for the blessings that came her way.  She was very thankful at all times for the promptings she had received from living a good honest life.

Now she was getting along in life.  Her husband had been called to the great beyond, which was a shock to her.  Her health was failing, and she was not able to assist in child bearing.  She made a visit to Arizona where two of her daughters had colonized in early days with the Saints who went there.  Her temple work all done, she was now able to rest and enjoy what was in store for her, but she did not live long.  Her lonely life was very short.  Seven years after her dear life-long companion had left her, on the 17th of September 1901 she passed from this life with many milestones trodded over, kind deeds, and a host of living proof of her good works.

The townspeople missed her.  She was Grandma Sheen to all.  I see her now from memory in her little black bonnet hat, a black silk cape, and a fringed shawl, her dress so neat and trim.  Her funeral was held in the Salem meeting house, and burial was in the family plot in Salem Cemetary.

The writer of this history is a granddaughter.  My mother's family were born with her as midwife, and I was brought into this world by her only, my mother, Ann, being the little girl of this family who walked all the way across the plains at age 9.
Mrs. Chloe Davis Jorgensen

Retyped by Kelli Douglas Swenson
Filed with Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Utah County