Mormon History, Feb 15, 1849

[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] Feb 15th 1849 {To President Young And Council 2 sheets on Territorial Bills And Government 1 sheet To Historian 1 sheet.}
I wrote A letter to President Young And Council Containing two full sheets of fools Cap writing in my Journal Hand giving an account of my leaving Council Bluffs my meetings at Mount Pisgah & Garden Grove, My providential delivery from Death, visit at the Temple & Nauvoo meeting at St Louis, Death [of] our child on the journey, Arival at Boston, Burning of Albany, Stay of my family in Maine & return to Cambridgeport my travels Among the Churches. Represented the branches as 808, the capacity of the Saints to gather the Course I have persued in teaching, the report of the Elders that the world have no interest in hearing the gospel in this land, the No we have baptized the cause why this people are Hardened And do not hear, interview with capt Joseph Russel, price of his property, & help &c. I spoke lengthy of Elder A Badlams Case. Gave cause for his going to Calafornia. Spoke of the benefits of going to the valley instead of the Sacramento. I rejoiced in the News from the valley & of the progress of the work in Europe. Spoke of Elder Barnes going to Zion, Little & Hardy traiding Appleby sickness. Requested letters, Council, Prayers &c &c.
I wrote Another letter to President Young & Council. Filled A sheet of letter paper. Spoke upon the visit of A. W. Babbitt his doings in washington. He wished me to go there, the post offices at Garden Grove Pisgah Salt Lake valley &c. Spoke upon the various bills concerning that country the Cause of my not going to washington; my views on goverment of that Country T. H. Benton course & views on Calafornia, Babbitt carrying the Mail, His future intentions, difficulties between him & O Hyde. Spoke of the visit of Mr Shed, Wm. Smith Appearance & teaching, gold fever excitement, 200 ships gone there, End of the Excitement be a tale for the Recorder, Railroad discussed via Pannama, Mexico, Santife, Salt Lake, Oregon &c.
I am Called upon for information to go by land to gold digings via Salt Lake. I oppose the route. Do not think the saints would wish it. Would it not be well for soldiers to plant some claims in the salt Lake valley to secure it against land specula-ters? I Closed this letter with the following Notice to the inhabitants of the salt Lake valley:
As the inhabitants of Boston Are about preparing A light train of Cars Engins Baloons &c to Navigate the air to carry passengers And goods to the gold digings Should they come over the valley And burst there boiler & run off the track And it should rain hot water, boilers engins, Cars Baloons, sails, dry goods & men, Be not alarmed as it will ownly be a shower of the march of intellect internal improvement ingenuity, and yankee Notions.
I Also filled A sheet of letter paper to the Historian of the church on the signs of the times. I spoke of forwarding the Herald to him, made An extract from my Journal concerning the leading features of the signs of the times of 1848. Spoke of the revolutions of France, Jermany Prusia, Austria Russia, the fall of the papal crown & power, the restoration of the Jews, opening the way for the spread of the gospel, progress of the work in the British Isles, the situation of the American Government, foundation for dissolving the Union, the blindness of the people And increase of Crime. I closed by making An address concerning Zion in the following words:
I cannot close my record upon the signs of the times of 1848 without turning my eye towards Zion, yes Zion, which is not now merely a phantom of the brain or a name, but actually a living thing. Truly she is yet but a babe just born. Yet she has A Tabernacle, the Mountains of Israel. Her bed is in the chambers of the rocks, Her garden one of the rich valleys of Ephraim. She speaks and Her voice is as the voice of God. She has A spirit which burns like flames of fire. She has power, And has started A little stone rolling from the mountain her habitation, which increases as it goes: It is causing the Earth to quake & tremble. Take care ye Nations. It will grind you to dust. She has messengers who go & come at her bidding, one of them Can Chase A thousand And two put ten thousand to flight. They Command the Element & they obey them. She has An Ensign for the Nations to flee to. She has A law which will soon govern the Earth. She is born in the generation that David had A view of. O Praise the LORD. I am a witness that mine eyes have beheld her. She has Keys to open & no man can shut, And shut And no man can open. Her power is from Heaven whare she hath Noble senators who plead her Cause both day & night.
This is the Zion I seek After. This is the Zion I speak of. Her Church is the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Her City was sought in 1847 And the Lord has favored her from that time. And During the year 1848 the Church has been organized with A first Presidency of three persons viz Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball & Willard Richards, who have gatherd to the mountains of Israel, in the valley of the Great Salt lake, Great Basin North America, And taken with them some three thousand Souls with their flocks & Herds which makes A population of about seven thousand souls in the City of the Great Salt Lake. The Lord has also blest their land which has brought forth in abundance.
And while the Lord has been multiplying blessing upon Zion in her quiete Habitation Her messengers have been crying aloud to the Nations of the Earth & the Isles of the sea preaching the gospel unto them And uttering their testimony in the power of God and the gift of the Holy Ghost untill they have gatherd their thousands together untill one of the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb (Orson Pratt) Estimates that it will take three hundred ships to remove the saints from the British Isles Alone to Zion.
The Saints who were gather[ed] into the valley of the Sacramento have discoverd such vast mines of gold silver copper & other precious ores that the report of it is creating great excitement throughout the world Esspecially in the United States untill tens of thousands are rushing to the gold regions to try to obtain the precious mettal.
And as the hand of God has been so visible in all the signs of 1848 May He continue his work through 1849 and all following years untill His arm shall be made bare in the eyes of all Nations untill Zion shall arive to her full strength of Manhood. For Brass may she have gold for Iron silver for wood Brass for stones Iron. May her execters & peace officers be righteous men. May her Nobles be of Ephraim And her Govournor procede out of the midst of Him. May all of her Messengers be armed with righteousness in the power of God in great glory. May all of the Nations of the Earth fear & tremble because of her law. May the wicked find her sons terrible when they go to battle against her & not have power to stand before them. May her dwelling places be distinguished by a pillar of fire by night & cloud by day & in fine may she arise & shine forth And spread herself abroad with all that perfection of beauty power & glory which has ever been spoken concerning her Even to the full Expectation of God Angels & Men.
Wilford Woodruff

[source: Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]

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