Family puts its handcart-pioneer roots on film

Everyone has their own pioneer story, and Ole Madsen's descendants can now watch his on the big screen.

Theirs is much the same as any pioneer story — containing faith and hardship, toil and strife, sacrifice and death. However, it also depicts one man's total devotion to his God and his family.

Madsen, who left his native Denmark to head to Zion, was a member of the ill-fated Willie Handcart Company, which was one of the last to make the trek and was rescued by other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after becoming stranded by winter weather in central Wyoming. His great-great-grandson, Mike Ericksen, of Farmington, began to learn about him 10 years ago when other family members also became inspired to do so.

Ericksen, who doesn't necessarily like genealogy, became enthralled in the history of it all and began digging.

"Mormon history is the most colorful history that I've ever come across because it's full of stuff like this," he said. The stuff he's talking about is sacrifice and tradition, which is exhibited in his 35-minute historical masterpiece, the production of which was sponsored by his entire extended family.

Since its inception, the story has been entered in film festivals across the country and is proving to be a success, especially to the hands that made it.

"I don't ever expect to get out of it what I put into it," Ericksen said. "But I definitely got the story out of it and that's all that matters to me."

He and his brothers and sisters and parents, who worked together on the film, experienced things along the way that he calls "miracles" and "life-changing memories," and the finished product really gave his family something to sink their teeth into. But Ericksen hopes the film will inspire others as well to find their roots and know where they came from.

"Every family has these stories; it doesn't have to be a handcart family," he said. "It just cements families together and puts meaning in their lives and gives them tradition." He said the everyday occurrences in people's lives are often major milestones that provide a fresh start, much like the one the pioneers got when they settled the Salt Lake Valley so many years ago.

"It wasn't just that you made it through, but when you got through it is what it did for you and your family and the legacy you can hand down," he said.