Pioneer Sketch

Independence Rock

Surrounded by sagebrush and the solitude of the rolling plains, this rock served as a pinnacle landmark for pioneers. To a people in full survival mode, it brought hope and good news if they reached it by July 4. It meant that they would most likely reach their destination before the first snowfall. Many would take the opportunity to celebrate that joyous news along with the country’s independence.

“Many ambitious mortals have immortalized themselves in tar and stone and paint,” wrote Charles Grey in 1849, referring to the many pioneers who carved and painted their names among the hieroglyphs of Native American warriors to mark this point in their journey.

The names were painted in mostly red, black and yellow, noted Wilford Woodruff who went to the highest point of the rock with John Brown to pray while scouting the area ahead of the pioneer camp. There, they prayed for the church leadership, the pioneer camp, and for the families of the Mormon Battalion as well as their own.

“While offering up our prayers, the spirit of the Lord descended upon us and we truly felt to rejoice”― Wilford Woodruff