Dreams

Orson Pratt's dream of the straight and narrow path

Published October 4, 2026 at 9:29 AM

1830s
Faversham, Kent

Contributed by

Millennial Star Research

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Orson Pratt describes a dream he had shortly after joining the Church where he climbed a high mountain, encountered a high wall, and through three attempts, reached the top. He then flew over the cities of the east with a trumpet that he believed was the 'Gospel trumpet'. He notes that his missions to the east were a fulfillment of this dream.

Fuller account of this event (in the witness’s own words):

Here let me relate a dream I had soon after I first came into the Church. I dreamt I was walking on a straight and narrow path, up the side of a high mountain. When I came to the summit, I found a very high wall before me, and thought, How shall I reach the top of it? I made an attempt to fly upon it, but reached about one-third of the way up. I then made a second attempt, and reached about two-thirds of the way. In my third attempt I reached the top, from which I could see the cities of the east. I was to fly over them, and when I began to fly, I had given to me a trumpet, which I thought was the Gospel trumpet. The missions which I have filled have all been a fulfilment of that dream, having been eastward.

In Their Own Words

“Here let me relate a dream I had soon after I first came into the Church. I dreamt I was walking on a straight and narrow path, up the side of a high mountain. When I came to the summit, I found a very high wall before me, and thought, How shall I reach the top of it? I made an attempt to fly upon it, but reached about one-third of the way up. I then made a second attempt, and reached about two-thirds of the way. In my third attempt I reached the top, from which I could see the cities of the east. I was to fly over them, and when I began to fly, I had given to me a trumpet, which I thought was the Gospel trumpet. The missions which I have filled have all been a fulfilment of that dream, having been eastward.”

— Orson Pratt, The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star

Sources & References

The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 18 November 1865 (Vol. 27, No. 46). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1865-11-18_27_46 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Full first-person account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 27, No. 46, 18 November 1865 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1865-11-18_27_46 Fuller account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 27, No. 46, 18 November 1865 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1865-11-18_27_46

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