Christian Lyngaa Christensen — Survival of the William Budge Company
Published October 5, 2026 at 12:09 AM
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During the 1860 trek across the plains with the William Budge Company, five-year-old Christian Lyngaa Christensen, along with his parents Niels Christian and Karen Nielsen Christensen, faced the extreme hardships of the Mormon Trail. In the account documented in 'I Walked to Zion', the family's survival through the arduous journey is framed as a testament to their faith and divine preservation. Christian Lyngaa Christensen later recounted the struggles of the journey, including the scarcity of food and the physical toll of the trek, which he survived despite his young age, eventually settling in Utah.
In Their Own Words
“We had a hard time. We had very little to eat. I remember my mother would take a little flour and water and make a little cake and bake it in the ashes. That was all we had for a long time. I was only five years old, but I remember it well. We walked most of the way. My feet were sore and bleeding, but I had to walk. I remember the nights were cold and we had no beds, just the ground to sleep on. But we had faith that we would reach Zion, and we did. — Christian Lyngaa Christensen, as cited in I Walked to Zion”
Sources & References
Susan Arrington Madsen, I Walked to Zion (Deseret Book, 1994), pp. 88-90; Church History Biographical Database, Niels Christian Christensen (1859-1929) (research confidence: high)
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