William and Rachel Thompson Atkin: Pioneer Journals and a Friendship Forged with Wilford Woodruff (1835–1903)

““Your grandma and I traveled on until dark and again camped alone. Although we were in Indian country and nearly every white man we met was an avowed enemy of the Mormon people, yet we were not afraid, but laid down and took sweet rest. In the morning we started out early and on arriving at the Green River, we found that our company had crossed it the night before and they were gone out of sight. Your grandma and I looked at the river and I said to her, ‘We cannot cross this river alone.’ She replied, ‘No, but the Lord will help us over.’ At these words my heart seemed to leap for joy and I said, ‘Yes, He surely will.’ We then knelt down and in all humility told our Heavenly Father that we were doing all in our power to keep His commandments and to gather to Zion; and now we had come to this river and could not cross it alone. We knew He could help us and we now relied on Him to assist us over. We arose from our knees and walked down to the bank of the river. We had not gone far when we saw a man coming toward us on horseback. He was a stranger to us, but he rode right up to us and said, ‘You want to cross the river, don’t you?’ I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ He said, ‘Get on my horse, one at a time, and I will take you over.’ We did so, and he took us over safely. When we were both over, I turned to thank him, but he was gone. I looked up and down the river and all around, but I could not see him. I have always believed that he was a messenger sent from God to help us over the river.””

— William Atkin, as recorded by Luella M. Atkin