Brigham Young Jr.'s Prayer for Emigration Answered with Favorable Weather
Published October 4, 2026 at 4:05 PM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
During the autumn of 1865, the emigration of Latter-day Saints was threatened by an early and severe winter. In response, Brigham Young Jr., Joseph A. Young, and other concerned brethren organized and sent out a relief mule train to assist the final company of the season, which was led by Captain W. S. S. Willie. This relief expedition, placed under the charge of Captain Orson Arnold, traveled from Great Salt Lake City to Rocky Ridge on the Sweet Water. Brigham Young Jr. later reported that the Saints engaged in earnest prayer on behalf of the emigrants, beseeching the Lord to avert the rigorous mountain storms typically expected at that time of year. Their faith was rewarded with a period of exceptionally mild, magnificent autumn weather, which enabled the relief party to reach the emigrants and return safely to the valley. The women and children of the company reached Salt Lake City on November 15, 1865, with the men arriving shortly thereafter, all spared from the dangers of an early winter.
In Their Own Words
“We were threatened with an early commencement of the winter; but the storms are off and we have had a most remarkable Fall; the weather has been magnificent, and the last company of teams, composed of mine, Joseph A.’s, and some few other brethrens’ which went out to meet the last company, went from here to the Rocky Ridge on the Sweet Water, in the charge of Capt. Orson Arnold, and returned without experiencing any but the most pleasant and delightful weather. The Lord has heard and answered the prayers of the Saints in behalf of the emigration, and has averted the storms that are in the mountains at this season.”
— Brigham Young Jr., The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 13 January 1866 (Vol. 28, No. 2). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1866-01-13_28_2 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Additional sources (periodical research): William G. Hartley, 'Latter-day Saint Emigration During the Civil War', Religious Studies Center, BYU, 2014. https://rsc.byu.edu/sites/default/files/pub_content/pdf/CWS%2014%20Hartley.pdf Full first-person account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 28, No. 2, 13 January 1866 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1866-01-13_28_2
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