Accidents / Survival / Dramatic Recovery

Lucy Maria Canfield — Survival and Healing After Wagon Accident

Published September 2, 2026 at 3:23 PM

1860s · 1862
The Plains, Nebraska Territory
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In 1862, while traveling to the Salt Lake Valley in the Isaac A. Canfield Company, 14-year-old Lucy Maria Canfield was involved in a life-threatening accident on the plains. While the company was in transit, Lucy fell from a moving wagon, and the heavy wheels of the loaded vehicle passed directly over her body. Such accidents were frequently fatal or resulted in permanent crippling during the pioneer era. Following the accident, she was administered to by the elders of the company, including her father, Captain Isaac Augustus Canfield. Through the power of the priesthood and her faith, she experienced a remarkable and rapid recovery, surviving the incident without permanent injury and successfully completing the trek to Utah. This account is a documented part of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers (DUP) history collection and is cited as a primary example of divine protection and healing during the 1862 immigration.

Sources & References

Lucy M. Canfield — early Latter-day Saint woman, faith-promoting pioneer account; Daughters of Utah Pioneers History Collection (MS 8795); Church History Biographical Database, Isaac A. Canfield Company (1862) (research confidence: high)

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Questions about this account

Who was involved in this account?
The account involves Lucy Maria Canfield, Isaac Augustus Canfield. Each person named here also has a witness page collecting the other accounts involving them.
When did this account take place?
The account is set in 1862, in the 1860s.
Where did this account take place?
It took place in The Plains, Nebraska Territory.
What kind of miracle is this?
It is filed as a Accidents / Survival / Dramatic Recovery account reported in United States.
Where does this account come from?
Lucy M. The full source citation appears in the Sources section below, with links to the original where available.

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