Archibald McPhail — Rescue of a Lost Pioneer in the Willie Handcart Company

During the arduous journey of the Willie Handcart Company in 1856, Archibald McPhail served as a sub-captain responsible for the welfare of approximately 20 pioneers. Upon reaching Rock Creek Hollow in a severe blizzard, Archibald discovered that one of the women in his group was missing. Despite his own exhaustion and the extreme cold, he ventured back out into the storm to search for her. He eventually located her on the other side of a creek, but she was too fearful and exhausted to cross the ice. Archibald crossed the ice to reach her, gathered her onto his back, and attempted to carry her across. While crossing, the ice broke, and Archibald fell into the frigid water. He managed to struggle back to camp with the woman, who remained safe and dry, though Archibald's clothing froze on him, leading to severe chills and his eventual death shortly thereafter.

Fuller account of this event (as retold in Chapter 6: Sixth Crossing of the Sweetwater River, Nebraska Territory, to Great Salt Lake City, Utah Territory - The Willie Handcart Company):

Archibald McPhail, like many unsung heroes, died simply doing his duty. He had been responsible for the 20 people assigned to his tent. On the evening of November 5 he noticed that one of two women who often lagged behind was missing. He went back along the trail and found her. She was on the opposite side of a creek. He crossed the creek on the frozen ice, picked her up, and started back across the ice. The additional weight of the woman caused the ice to break through and he was soaked up to his waist. He guided her into camp with his clothes frozen to his waist and legs. As the snowstorm raged, he went to bed on the snowy, cold ground wearing his frozen clothes. His wife used a handcart for a tent that night. Due to the wind, their handcart tent blew over three times. He died, with his wife holding him, never having gotten warm after rescuing his unnamed charge.