Whitney as bishop of the Church. There were at that time about thirty
thousand people in Utah.

President Young and the Apostles traveled much throughout the Territory,
locating settlements, organizing wards and putting the Church in order. At
the October conference, 1853, some of the leading brethren were called to
locate in different parts of the Territory. Among them were Elders George
A. Smith and Erastus Snow with fifty families who were called to strengthen
Iron county, and Elder Lorenzo Snow with fifty families to go to Box Elder.

In the summer of 1854 the grasshoppers did much damage to the crops, and
again in 1855 in many parts these insects took every green thing. This
brought on another scarcity. There was much suffering and again the people
were compelled to live on roots. A number of the brethren had stored up
some grain which they now shared with those who had none. In this way all
fared very much alike and the hardships were shared by all.

In the winter of 1856 a very sad thing happened. That year some emigrants
came to Utah in handcart companies. Small, two wheeled carts were made at
the place of starting in Iowa. On these carts were loaded baggage and
provisions, and the men and boys pulled them across the plains. Sometimes
the women and girls helped. A few ox teams usually hauled the heaviest
loads in wagons, and in this way the Saints walked and pulled their carts
over the thirteen hundred miles of their journey. This plan succeeded very
well for those who started early and reached the valley in good time, but a
number of companies started too late and were caught in fierce snow storms
in the mountains. Many of these poor travelers died from hunger and cold,
and if it had not been for some of the brethren who came out from Salt Lake
to their help, no doubt most of them would have perished.