Wend your way

by L. Matthew Chatterley

"The exodus of the Mormon people from Illinois across the Great Plains to the Salt Lake Valley was the most monumental movement of a people in the settlement of the American West. In 1846, the first pioneers, led by Brigham Young, crossed Iowa, and this proved to be the most difficult part of their journey." "Wend Your Way: A Guide to Sites Along the Iowa Mormon Trail tells the story of this great movement through Iowa. Tracing the trail from east to west through 12 counties, the guide relates Mormon Trail history for each county; directs visitors to the 27 interpretive roadside panels that were constructed on the trail by the U.S. National Park Service and Iowa Morman Trails Association; reproduces the poignant illustrations that author L. Matthew Chatterley drew for these wayside exhibits; provides a map and directions by county to guide travelers to the route of the Mormon Trail, sites of Mormon camps and settlements and the interpretive roadside panels; and lists other locations in