Battalion Trek - Adventures and Aha Moments Hiking the Mormon Battalion Trail

This is the VIP Tour you'd get if you visited Ft. Leavenworth and asked about Mormon Battalion history.  You’ll want to close your eyes and imagine the scene as Jeff Wingo paints a picture of what the Battalion experienced at historic Fort Leavenworth. We think you’ll also enjoy the other tidbits of history he shares in these two episodes.  12-10-21  AN UPDATE TO OUR FT LEAVENWORTH...

In our last episode you may have heard Kevin say,  “Local historians have all the good stuff.” So… we invite you to sit back and let one regale you with the stories of Weston, MO. One of the treats about going down the trail was the MANY local historians we met along our way. We have fond memories of sitting at their feet hearing tidbits most folks will never know. We were fortunate enough to...

In 1846 Missouri was the western boundary of the United States--truly the wild west. Kevin & Bob Tingey discover the location of a “pop-up town” mentioned in Battalion journals – which had never been located! Bob Tingey's bumping into Battalion Trek was an undeniable miracle.   Join us as our Chairman of the Board, reminisces about the days he spent with us in Missouri, Tucson, and S...

What would you do if you were hiking the Mormon Battalion Trail and a Hallmark photographer and makeup crew invited themselves (and guests) to dinner?  Holly Hansen shares her memory of our “almost” moment of fame. Mother nature provided the beautiful photo shoot background and we provided the food. We were true Battalion women – so they didn’t bring makeup artists! The lessons she's gained f...

We joked about our "smokeless communicators" along the trail but they came in handy. As I listened to this episode and our 'high tech' 2008 options comparing it to today's technology, I thought we sounded like we were using smoke signals. Nothing much to show on a video here -  on this one you'll just have to "listen and learn."

What would you pack for a 7 1/2 month 2,000 mile trek across a variety of terrains - much of the time knowng you'd be miles away from civilization?  Well, that is the question we had to answer.  I think the original Battalion would have beeen incredulous to see the amount of "stuff" and types of vehicles we had on our "essentials list" but we had some different eventualities to prepare f...

Battalion Trek 2008 was a research effort, not a true reenactment but... we did want to have some authenticity in terms of equipment.  Then inviting people to come and march with us as "Cooke's Cadre"  sent us on an interesting quest to find guns, packs, belts, tents, and accoutrements to outfit ten people.  We wanted to give them a taste of what traveling the Mormon Battalion Trail...

The Battalion ate in "messes" and had different cooking pots and eating utensils than we do and...  didn't have the luxury of kitchen cupboards to store them.  We had food 'boxes' that stored our cooking gear. We talk with Brent Jensen and Phil Smart who built those for us, and share a bit more about the kind of things the Battalion used to prepare their meals. The camp kitchen combined...

Just when we needed it most, Tiffany McLaws and family are kind enough to track us down at the end of the first day's hike in Glenwood, Iowa and share their family's journal by Henry Standage.  He served in the Mormon Battalion, Company E and some of his journal entries pull at your heartstrings.   You can hearTiffany's story and a few journal entries during this episode. Tiffany ha...

Mother nature created a special send-off for us the morning we left Council Bluffs, IA that none of us will ever forget.   Peter Guilbert, from California helps us remember the first day leaving from Sarpy's Trading Post area near Council Bluffs, how we met,  happenings of the first day, and what it was like to hike in his ancestor's footsteps.   For those of you who would like...

Denny Henson answers the most frequently asked question - Why did you go?    There were experiences she shares that helped form her attitude about not wanting to be left behind.  Kevin and Denny have different perspectives - but both were valuable on their Battalion Trek experience. This podcast episode has a video which can be seen at the Battalion Trek YouTube Channel.

This new Mormon Battalion  Project is designed to increase awareness of the significance of the trail, the Battalion story, and help build the foundation for seeking national historic trail designation.  Do you live along the trail?   If so, you'll want to make sure your community knows they can participate and help commemorate the 175th celebration.  Laura Anderson and Gr...

This episode introduces you to Terry Latey, the creative genius behind The Crossroads Project.  She and Carl Scott give you a peak behind the curtain of how "one brush stroke at a time over the years", their Historical Pioneer Research Group (HPRG) has been able to provide a wonderful resource for people who want to know more about the history of the Middle Missouri River Valley and the Saint...

A general overview of the political situation that precipitated the recruitment of the men from the pioneer companies headed west to the Rocky Mountains. For more details see the Mormon Battalion Association's You Tube Channel - for indepth video and visuals of the recruitment stage and players.

Denny explains the events that led up to her venture into the world of podcasts as a way to capture the Battalion Trek experiences and specifically her experiences as a woman on the trail.

When Captain Allen arrived to muster 500 men from the then beleaguered saints at the Missouri River, the plans and efforts to continue west dramatically changed to building up their "temporary new home" in Indian Territory west of the river.    Listen as Carl Scott, Chairman of the Historical Pioneer Research Group, a dedicated historian, and a great storyteller shares the many infl...

Meet Battalion Trek's July 5 'little army' and hear their memories of the first day at beautiful. Mount Pisgah, IA.     ***For any memories we share about our personal experiences along the trail we'll start putting them into Season 2 episodes.    Hope that works.  We may need to do a new Season for each Month.  Let's just start down this path and see where...

Meet Battalion Trek's July 5 'little army' and hear their memories of the first day at beautiful. Mount Pisgah, IA.   ***For any memories we share about our personal experiences along the trail we'll start putting them into Season 2 episodes.    Hope that works.  We may need to do a new Season for each Month.  Let's just start down this path and see where it leads! &n...

The original Battalion received the call and left within a week or two.  Ah - how different from our experience!  Stops and Starts.   Worries and Wonders. Concerns and Commitments.  This Trek was meant to happen. 

As people heard of Kevin's plans, his concept of a one-man hike disappeared in thin air.   Setting up the trek as an event required setting up our own Non-profit and MUCH more planning than we realized.

Reading journals, studying the route, and several key events prompt Kevin to begin thinking someone should hike the trail to find out exactly where the Mormon Battalion went.   It was a process that spanned a number of years but in the end, the decision was made to hike the trail.

The Hensons made the Battalion Trek in 2008-9 from Iowa to California one step at a time, but...  How did the Battalion story come into the Henson's life?   Listen to Kevin Henson describe a persistent bunch of 11-year old scouts, a morning 'wake-up' call, and how this all began participation in a nearby living history event.  Then you can hear several of those original 11-year...