Elder James McGaw and the protection of the Saints during the journey to Omaha
Published October 5, 2026 at 1:39 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
Elder James McGaw, traveling from Salt Lake City to Omaha in 1865, recounts that despite depredations by Indians in front and rear of his company causing great consternation among employees on the line, his company passed through in peace and unmolested, which he attributes to the Lord's presence.
Fuller account of this event (the complete account as preserved in The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 30, No. 24, 13 June 1868, p. 375):
In 1865, I was appointed to take charge of a company of Saints from Salt Lake City to Omaha. We had a very pleasant journey, and although the Indians were very troublesome, and committed many depredations both in front and in the rear of our company, yet we passed through in peace and unmolested, which I attribute to the protecting care of the Lord.
In Their Own Words
“In 1865, I was appointed to take charge of a company of Saints from Salt Lake City to Omaha. We had a very pleasant journey, and although the Indians were very troublesome, and committed many depredations both in front and in the rear of our company, yet we passed through in peace and unmolested, which I attribute to the protecting care of the Lord.”
— James McGaw, The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 13 June 1868 (Vol. 30, No. 24). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1868-06-13_30_24 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Complete account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 30, No. 24, 13 June 1868, p. 375 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1868-06-13_30_24
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