The Heart of the Mormon Trek - Updated

Deseret Morning News editorial

Years ago, a history teacher proclaimed he loved history because once you learn it, it doesn't change. You've got it. It's constant.

But that was then.

Today, history — and the interpretation of history — is more changeable than the weather. Witness the recent "revisionist" views of the Mormon pioneers. The story surrounding the rescue at Martin's Cove has undergone a complete overhaul. And the story about the valley's solitary cedar tree from 1847 has been pinched and prodded like a patient.

As the world changes, perspectives on the past change with it. And sometimes sorting reality from impression can be a task.

Still, a few things will always remain set in stone. And one of those things is the amazing resolve and resilience of those early Saints as they trudged West from Illinois. The stories surrounding that journey may be tweaked and tuned up from time to time, but their breathtaking faith and accomplishment remains as solid as granite. Only true believers with the stamina of oxen and the commitment of front-line soldiers could have done it. And in the modern world — filled as it is with recreation, fast-food franchises and entertainment — people fear we may never see their like again.

People may be right.

Still, if today's historians — both amateur and professional — have created some confusion and concerns about the pioneer trek, through exhaustive research they have also been able to personalize the lives and trials of those original settlers. In the sifting of records and reports, many individual stories of triumph and sacrifice have surfaced. Once viewed as a movement en masse — like the Children of Israel in the wilderness — the Mormon pioneer saga is now, more than ever, a tale filled with people who have names, faces, families and personal histories of their own.

The dead at Martin's Cove are no longer anonymous. The specific names and families have been fleshed out and filled in with humanity. And as Latter-day Saints have dug into their own personal histories, they have uncovered entire biographies of those who made the trek west. The pioneers are no longer faceless forms but people with feelings and fears and stories to tell. And it is those stories — copied into journals, diaries, letters and notes — that will remain the lifeblood of the pioneer tale, long after historians have weighed in with their adjustments.

It was a story filled with faith and fortitude.

It is still that today. And it will be so forever.

Update 7/24/06 8:23 p.m. MT (Per our own Dian): Okay, time for fun!

Click the link below, scroll down, and on the sidebar to the left are the winning Mormon parody songs, which you can then click on and listen to in MP3 format. My favorite so far is "Temple Square Plaza, but I haven't heard them all yet--just had to quit listening and share.

Parody winner embraces quirks: 'That's the Mormons'