Bring Them to Zion: The 1856 Handcart Emigration Organization, Leadership, and Issues

Bring Them to Zion: The 1856 Handcart Emigration Organization, Leadership, and Issuesby Don H Smith with the assistance of Mark C. Austin Now available in paperback and ebook. A remarkable gift to the historians who study the overland migration and the descendants of those courageous handcart pioneers. Reid L. Neilson Handcart history buffs will learn new things and will benefit by Smiths even handed reasonings and arguments about the ever present controversies and issues. Melvin L. Bashore Essential reading. . . . [H]onors the

by Don H Smith with the assistance of Mark C. Austin

Now available in paperback and ebook.

• “A remarkable gift to the historians who study the overland migration and the descendants of those courageous handcart pioneers.” — Reid L. Neilson
• “Handcart history buffs will learn new things and will benefit by Smith’s even-handed reasonings and arguments about the ever-present controversies and issues.” — Melvin L. Bashore
• “Essential reading. . . . [H]onors the pioneers not just by celebrating their faith, but by seriously examining the world they were forced to navigate.” — Chad L. Nielsen

  
Available in ebook for Kindle, Apple, Google Play, and, Kobo.

Preview the volume.

Read a Q&A with the authors.

Book Description:

Bring Them to Zion: The 1856 Handcart Emigration Organization, Leadership, and Issues offers a deeply researched and meticulously documented account of one of the most ambitious and controversial episodes in Latter-day Saint pioneer history. Drawing on original sources and archival materials, the authors reconstruct the organizational challenges and decision-making processes that led to the infamous 1856 handcart migration. This emigration effort, driven by faith and constrained by logistics, sought to bring impoverished European converts across the American plains with minimal resources—relying on handcarts instead of ox-drawn wagons. The book details how unforeseen weather, financial limitations, logistical miscalculations, and divided leadership all coalesced into tragedy for many participants.

Going beyond recounting events, Bring Them to Zion examines the motivations, planning, and execution behind the handcart experiment; explores the differences and cooperation between Church leaders in Utah, Europe, and the eastern United States; and investigates the internal politics and systemic missteps that affected thousands of emigrants. The narrative sheds new light on Brigham Young’s vision, the administrative roles of Franklin D. Richards and other key figures, and the broader context of mid-nineteenth-century transatlantic and frontier migration. This work is essential reading for anyone interested in Mormon history, American religious movements, or the broader story of westward expansion.

Praise for Bring Them to Zion:

“With the publication of Bring Them to Zion: The 1856 Handcart Emigration, Don H Smith and Mark C. Austin have provided a remarkable gift to the historians who study the overland migration and the descendants of those courageous handcart pioneers. Through their tireless archival research and practical experimentation, Bring Them to Zion contributes to our knowledge of the tragic events of 1856 in the early winter wilds of Wyoming. They thoughtfully introduce and contextualize the combined journal entries for the ‘sail, rail, and trail’ legs of the pioneer trek that fateful year. Readers will come away humbled by the complexity of the decision-making choices those early leaders faced.” — Professor Reid L. Neilson, former Assistant Church Historian and Recorder, and author of Pushing and Pulling to Zion: The Eighth Handcart Company Trek Day by Day in 1859

“I found information that was new to me, information from untapped sources. The book addresses the question of whether the Willie Company would have been better off to have stayed in Florence rather than to push ahead so late in the season. It offers all the arguments, pro and con, about what in hindsight looks to have been a very poor decision. Handcart history buffs will learn new things and will benefit by Smith’s even-handed reasonings and arguments about the ever-present controversies and issues.” — Melvin L. Bashore, retired member of the Church Historical Department and creator of the Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Database

“Bring Them to Zion is a fantastic resource that manages to be both an academic reference and a gripping narrative. For anyone interested in the handcart story or the broader mechanics of the 19th-century gathering, this book is essential reading. Smith and Austin have done the hard work of archival synthesis, providing a volume that honors the pioneers not just by celebrating their faith, but by seriously examining the world they were forced to navigate.” — Chad Nielsen, Times and Seasons

About the Authors:

A native Utahn, Don H Smith's early life experiences cultivated a keen interest in history. Following a Latter-day Saint mission to Norway and careers in education and dentistry/orthodontics, his marriage to a descendant of James G. Willie ignited a lifelong dedication to researching the Willie Handcart Company. For fifty years he has delved into archival records, visited historical sites globally, and meticulously reconstructed handcarts to bring this history to life. He is a frequent presenter and published authority on the handcart emigration.

After serving two years in Army Military Intelligence, Mark C. Austin spent over three decades as a department manager at Hughes Aircraft Company and Sperry – L3. As the great-great-grandson of James G. Willie, captain of the Willie Handcart Company, Mark has a deep personal connection to this history. He and his wife further immersed themselves in this legacy by serving two years as Latter-day Saint missionaries at the Mormon Handcart Historic Sites in Wyoming, specifically at Sixth Crossing, the rescue site of the Willie Handcart Company.

More Information:

352 pages
ISBN 978-1-58958-806-6
Published July 22, 2025
Press Sheet