10 lesser-known LDS Church sites

The Honeymoon trail draws its name from the fact that it was considered inappropriate for unmarried couples to travel with each other such a distance. So couples were married by the local religious leaders before they started the trip to the St. George temple. Thus, any intimacy on the trail was moral and honorable within marriage, rather than being immoral and preventing the temple sealing. It is said some couple waited to consummate their marriages until after they were sealed in the temple. But for most, the time on the trail was, quite literally, their honeymoon.

So far as I know, a similar policy exists in the LDS Church today in those areas where overnight travel is required to reach a temple. Couples are often encouraged to get married for time only before beginning their travels to the temple so that they may travel together without question of morality.

Thank you Deseret News and Mormon Times for this enlightening and uplifting piece. It made my day!

Disappointed to see that the Meadow Mountains Massacre wasn't listed here. If there is an important sight in Mormon history it is that! The history of that incident is one that all Mormons should learn and apply to their own lives.

freddysheddy | 10:10 a.m. May 11, 2011
Bountiful, UT

The article is about 'lesser-known' sites. I wouldn't call the Mountain Meadows site 'lesser-known'. So, don't be disappointed.

BTW--what is it "all Mormons should learn and apply to their own lives" from that location?

LVIS, I'll take a crack at answering your question: It's quite simple, really. Just as we can follow the good example of others, we can also avoid the mistakes of others if we learn from their bad example.

Middle Spring is actually located in Southwest Kansas. Pretty close to the Oklahoma/Colorado border. That is where Elkhart and Morton County are located. Not in Northeast Kansas as was indicted in the article. Just an FYI

Hmmm. I wonder if the reference to Mountain Meadows is drinking too much Hollywood Kool-aid and believing one-sided accounts. Makes me wonder since all other settlers and wagon trains passed through without incident if the settlers from Missouri caused what occured. I wonder if the Mountain Massacre was brought on by Missouri rebel-rousers threatening to take all the Mormons food and rape and pillage the women. Shame we can't go back in time and see what really happened...

Elkhart, KS is in S/W Kansas, not N/E.

I served in the Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Mission and served in Kane PA for several months. It is a beautiful building. I believe it's the one of the only LDS church houses that has a cross on it(if I remember it correctly). General Kane was also one of the few non members to recieve a patriarchal blessing, which is at the chapel. President Young even told him that was of greater help to the Church as a non-member and promised him that he will be blessed with the Saints. It is a neat place and the members were wonderful there.

I think it would be cool to attend LDS meetings in the Thomas L Kane chapel, in Kane, PA. It is on my "to do" list.

Wonderful slide show. Very enlightening. It left me desiring to visit many of these sights. Thanks.

While Mountain Meadows does not belong on a list of "lesser-known" LDS church history sights, it is true that we all need to learn from the very unfortunate events that happened in Southern Utah back in 1857. I would encourage all to read Massacre at Mountain Meadows. While newly discovered evidence corrects a few items in this book, it is still believed to be the most accurate and comprehensive collection of the events leading up to and transpiring at the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

@Ratman
Since this has not happened again at the hands of the LDS church, and since the leadership of the church did not order or condone the actions, I think the lesson has been learned. There was also punishment administered and although I wish it had been more severe and more inclusive, you have to look at the whole picture in the context of the time it happened.

I find it interesting that LDS detractors always point at this incident as a major flaw or mistake of the LDS church but when the numerous events in Illinois, Missouri, Ohio etc. where many LDS church members were murdered and robbed of their property and land are brought up they remain silent or worse, try to blame the LDS church. These incidents are as well or better documented than the Mountain Meadow massacre.

I definitely want to see the wagon tracks in the rocks. Regarding the John Young cabin in Flagstaff, what was the revelation received? If it was so important why not tell? I'm curious.

Surely I am not the only sports fan who sees the irony in Brigham Young being born in a place named Whitingham, even if it is spelled differently.

Seeing and standing in the wagon wheel ruts is a remarkable experience.

Imagining the 1000's upon 1000's of wagons and teams following one another through this rough terrain defies... imagination!

The ruts are at some points about 5' deep.

Register Cliffs is another remarkable site to see. Only a few minutes away from the ruts it had to be a wonderful place to gain a temporary respite from the hard journey. The cliffs are carved with 100's of names, dates, messages from the countless flow of travelers.

Though I'm not from 'pioneer' stock, visiting these sites made me appreciate the 'American Spirit' of the great Western migration and of course the Pioneer Heritage of the saints!

The sign and collage of broken grave markers at this site are there as a result of meticulous research done by Dr. LaMar Berrett of the BYU Church History faculty. In the process of writing our family history of John Watts Berrett, he found this spot. Mr Johnson, the owner was most cooperative and allowed the placement of the display in his fron yard. Our Great-great grandmother, Ann Marie Chatters Hookway and her daughter Mary Ann Hookway perished there of cholera. The other daughter, my great grandmother Eliza Hookway, survived and traveled on in the wagon train sent by Brigham Young. She arrived in the valley to meet her fiance, John Watts Berrett. They were married within months and homesteaded in Ft Union, Salt Lake Valley. Note the Berrett spelling, not Barrett. All Berretts trace their origin to the beautiful village of Steeple Ashton, Wiltshire, UK. Most Berretts ever located are LDS Church members. This includes William E. Berrett, former Vice-President of BYU and author of "Readings in Church HIstory" LaMar Berrett authored "Discovering the World of the Bible" and did definitive research on the campsites along the Mormon Trail.

# 10 - Baptismal site in Chatburn, England

Fantastic Church History site-and there is so much more to see while you're there! The owner of the Latter-Day bookstore in Preston (Brother Peter Fagg) runs Church History tours which he adjusts according to your interests. We were also able to see the Flag Market (where the first seven LDS missionaries to England preached), their missionary lodgings (here Elder Russell was tormented by evil spirits on the morning before the first convert baptism; Elders Kimball and Hyde gave him a blessing, eventually driving the evil spirits away), and number 15 Wadham Road (the missionary lodgings of President Gordon B. Hinckley). It is amazing how much there is to see and experience within a radius of a few miles-we felt very blessed to walk where these great pioneers have walked!

# 10 - Baptismal site in Chatburn, England

Fantastic Church History site-and there is so much more to see while you're there! The owner of the Latter-Day bookstore in Preston (Brother Peter Fagg) runs Church History tours which he adjusts according to your interests. We were also able to see the Flag Market (where the first seven LDS missionaries to England preached), their missionary lodgings (here Elder Russell was tormented by evil spirits on the morning before the first convert baptism; Elders Kimball and Hyde gave him a blessing, eventually driving the evil spirits away), and number 15 Wadham Road (the missionary lodgings of President Gordon B. Hinckley). It is amazing how much there is to see and experience within a radius of a few miles-we felt very blessed to walk where these great pioneers have walked!

A place not mentioned is thatcof newel knight. He died of pneumonia while camped at ponca camp, nearcpresent day Niobrara, Nebr. It was about 150 miles from winter quarters. There is a very nice monument put up by jessie knight. There were otherscthat also died there. The ponca tribe and the saints got along very well. After so many deaths they were called back to winter quarters. There is a stream called mormon canal that runs very close to the memorial site. I didn't learn it from a member; I learner about it from my parents who lived in the same county when I came back to visit them when I was living in Utah. Its such a peaceful place.