Mount Pisgah, Iowa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mount Pisgah
Mormon semi-permanent settlement
1891 illustration of a monument at what is now the Mount Pisgah Cemetery State Preserve
Mount Pisgah Location in Iowa

Mount Pisgah was an important stopping point for a group of pioneers called the Mormons. They were traveling west across America in the mid-1800s. This place was like a temporary town or rest stop along the Mormon Trail in Iowa. It helped many travelers on their long journey. Today, you can visit a special preserve there. It is located near Thayer in Union County. This site is now part of the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail. It is also the birthplace of Helaman Pratt. The memorial's address is 1704 Mount Pisgah Road in Thayer.

Mount Pisgah: A Rest Stop for Pioneers

After their leader, Joseph Smith, died in 1844, most Mormons followed Brigham Young. About 13,000 Mormon citizens from Nauvoo, Illinois decided to find a new home in the West. On May 18, 1846, these travelers set up a permanent camp. It was a resting place on the Grand River, on land that belonged to the Potawatomi Native American tribe.

Naming Mount Pisgah

Parley P. Pratt, a leader in the Mormon church, chose and named the site Mount Pisgah. When he saw the small hill, it reminded him of a place called Pisgah in the Bible. In the Bible, Moses viewed the Promised Land from Pisgah.

Pratt's brother, Orson, wrote about their plans. He said they decided to create another settlement here. This was for people who were poor or didn't have enough wagons and animals to keep going. So, the group started building homes, plowing fields, planting crops, and putting up fences. They did a lot of work very quickly.

Life at the Settlement

To the west of the hill, the settlers built cabins. They also planted thousands of acres with different foods. These included peas, cucumbers, beans, corn, buckwheat, potatoes, pumpkins, and squash.

The Mormon travelers thought the area was great for farming. However, food was very hard to find in the early years. Many people also got sick. At its busiest, the community had over 2,000 people. But usually, about 700 Latter-day Saints lived there.

The Mormon Battalion

It was at Mount Pisgah that the U.S. Army asked the Latter-day Saints for volunteers. These volunteers would serve in the Mexican–American War. This group of soldiers became known as the Mormon Battalion.

The Mormon settlers kept this important settlement going until 1852. As fewer pioneer groups needed supplies and support in the area, the people of Mount Pisgah moved on. They sold their land and homes to other American pioneers. Then, they moved to Mormon settlements in Utah and nearby areas.

What Remains Today?

Today, the site of Mount Pisgah is a nine-acre (3.6 ha) area called the Mount Pisgah Cemetery State Preserve. It has exhibits, signs explaining the history, and a rebuilt log cabin.

Not much is left from the 1800s. But there is a cemetery that remembers the 300 to 800 travelers. These people died while passing through or living in the community.