Leaving Independence Rock they (and we) traveled near the Sweetwater River.
The Martin's Cove is an LDS site to remember the Willie and Martin Handicart companies who got caught by early snow storms and lost many people on the road between Ft. Casper and this area. Martin's Cove is actual a natural place of safety from the storm where rescuers helped the pioneers across the river and into the cove of rocks for protection until further help could arrive. There are some amazing stories about what happened (1856) both in books and movies. The Church has a nice visitor's center which we visited it.
At the eastern edge is this cleft in the rock where the Sweetwater flows into it and then comes barrelling out the other end. It is called Devil's Gate. My great grandfather wrote: "...came to ford on the Sweetwater River. The water being deep, we raised our wagon beds, then forded the River. Drove past the Devil's Gate, a short distance, &camped for the night. This Gate is a passage through the end of a mountain of solid Rock, which some freak in nature seemed to have cleft for the passage of the Sweetwater River. From the entrance of the River to its egress I think is about 75 yds. & the uniform width of the Gate did not exceed 4 feet. From the entrence the water passed in easily But made it exit with great force. Our one days drive suposed to be about 18 Ms."
Here is the Devil's Gate
This area is maintained by the Church and not only includes a visitor's center, but is a wroking ranch with cattle, and also has many trails designed for groups to come and experience a trek and pushing a handicart around the area.
This area was owned by the Sun Family for a hundred years and finally a portion was sold to the Church to be used for this purpose. This room in the visitor center is a collection of many of their family possessions.
The first Mr. Sun's wife loved rock and had a huge collection so he used it to make a mantel and fireplace for her.
SAmple of items carried in the handcarts.
Wheels were tied with rawhide to help them keep strong. By the end of the journey, the rawhide was all gone---people had sucked on it to keep alive.
Names of known people in the Willie Handcart company.
The wind was increasing and it made any outside activity nearly impossible. Jena and I posed with the handcart.
But we didn't take a walk down to the Devil's Gate
The Visitor's Center
Area around the visitors center
 |
part of Ft. Setter or something like that
They sold supplies for a short time and then it was closed.
Not sure of the details. |
Not great to be treking after some big rain storms and high winds...
The marker off the road with the Martin's Cove in the distance. The small mound in front blocks the view of the cove and also protected them from the winds on that side.
The Sweetwater River flowing through the base of the valley.
We stayed at Missionary Village where many of the missionaries live in trailers or RVs. About 45 couples live them- a few year around- the others just for a six month time span. They serve in the visitors enter usually one day a week, but the rest of the time they are helping trekers and youth groups in the area, they are mending fences and painting buildings and taking are of the cattle and the ranch. It is a very physical mission.
Our last night and we decided to play a game or two while the wind warning was announcing winds over 60mph gusts.
There were lots of antelope throughout the area including this one inside the fence of the Missionary Village RV camp.
So we made it to Martin's Cove but didn't get to do some of the walks along the way which would bring us closer to the places which were significant. The weather prevented it on Monday night and our time constraints prevented us on Tuesday as we needed to keep heading now south west......after a good night of sleep.
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