George A. Smith — Divine Support of the Iron Mission

In the winter of 1850-1851, George A. Smith led a company of pioneers to settle the Little Salt Lake Valley (Parowan) to establish the Iron Mission in Southern Utah. Despite the extreme winter cold and the logistical impossibility of the task in a remote wilderness, Smith recorded that the company was preserved from starvation and conflict. He viewed the successful establishment of this first settlement in the 'Dixie' region as a miracle of divine providence, noting that the 'blessings of heaven' crowned their labors in the desert.