"Twice Forward and Once Back"-Three Lessons from Rocky Ridge

Join Forces and Pull Together!

This is a BYU-I graduation talk given on April 8, 2016 by my third cousin, Elder Ronald A. Rasband.

We share Thomas Moulton as our common ancestor. He mentions the Thomas Moulton family in his talk. 

(You can listen to his talk here:  https://web.byui.edu/devotionalsandspeeches/)

Following is a wonderful summary of his talk from the LDS Church News of April 14, 2016 written by Mariann Holman:

“The Lord has a plan for each one of us and He will unfold that plan as we turn to Him in prayer, seek His guidance, act upon His promptings and press on,” said Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during Brigham Young University-Idaho’s 2016 Winter Semester Commencement on April 8.

Addressing students on the topic, “To the Summit,” Elder Rasband told of a time in Church history when members of the Willie Handcart Company struggled as they climbed Rocky Ridge in Wyoming. Drawing from the journal of John Chislett, a 24-year-old man who was asked by Captain Willie to “bring up the rear” and make sure nobody was left along the road, Elder Rasband shared ways people today can learn from the young man’s service.

Thomas Moulton, father of our Joseph Moulton. (Joseph was 11 years old when he climbed Rocky Ridge with his family.)

“Can you picture the scene?” Elder Rasband asked. “These were trail-weary pioneers, some in this company were my own Moulton ancestors … wrapped in thin blankets to keep from freezing, and trudging in deep snow, exerting what little energy they had left to get to the top.”

As some in the group were having troubles, John Chislett came from behind and joined with them to put their “collective strength to three carts at a time.” It was as they worked together they were able to make the climb up Rocky Ridge.

“How did they make it?” Elder Rasband asked. “By traveling over the hill three times — twice forward and once back. The experience was truly an example of the second great commandment, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’

Sarah Denton Moulton, mother of Joseph Moulton.

“Think about it. You have careers, families and adventures ahead of you, however, no one of them can be counted a success if you do not see that your fellow travelers get to the top of the hill.”

Elder Rasband shared three important lessons from the experience of John Chislett and the faithful Saints at Rocky Ridge.

Press On

First, “press on.”

“Press on no matter how hard it gets, no matter how deep the snow, how steep the climb; no matter how little you have left to keep going,” he said. “Remember and rely upon the Lord’s promise, ‘be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.’ ”

Part of pressing on, Elder Rasband said, is recognizing the responsibility a person has to not leave anyone behind.

“There will be many you encounter with broken hearts and broken dreams,” he said. “Lift them, help them move forward, boost their confidence in their ability to renew their faith that the Lord is watching over them. He sent you.”

Pressing forward is a principle of righteousness in every dispensation, Elder Rasband declared.

“You will have those who take issue with your determination to follow the will of the Lord,” he said. “We see it all around us as attacks on religious freedom increase. Stay the course, brothers and sisters. Hold fast to the Lord’s commandments — even in the face of challenges from unbelievers.”

At times the “adversary will come after you,” he said. “He will make things hard or sometimes worse, more alluring, than living the commandments of God. Do not be drawn off or discouraged.”

It is through trusting the Lord — especially when making decisions — that a person will find help.

“Trust Him to help you with the decision about an eternal companion, a family, a job and a home,” he said. “Pray for guidance, make a decision, and then take it to the Lord for His confirming peace.”

Draw upon your strength and the strength of others.

The second lesson he shared is to “draw upon your strength and the strength of others.”

“Enlist the help of those who know God’s ways,” he counseled. “It is not the easiest path, as Chislett would have told you, but it is a straight path and He has it marked well.”

Learning from the early pioneers at Rocky Ridge, Elder Rasband said it is important to “join forces and pull together.”

“Where do we see this in today’s world?” he asked. “You are not out on mountainsides in the winter, but you know some of you are out on the internet, out listening to those calling ‘lo here and lo there.’ Whether it be anti-church blather or pornography, resolve today to set that pattern aside. You need your strength to withstand the buffetings that will continue to come at you and at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“Why? Because, these are the last days and Satan is running out of time. He is throwing everything he has out there to catch the attention of God’s children, to draw them and us off, to stymie their progress, to conflict their very souls.”

Elder Rasband shared important ways — such as going to church every week to partake of the sacrament, seeking the power of the Atonement, and through asking questions and seeking answers from the Spirit, trusted sources and the scriptures — to blunt the adversary’s attack on a person’s spiritual strength.

Rescue those who are faltering along the way.

The third lesson, Elder Rasband taught, is to “rescue those who are faltering along the way.”

“It means being the Lord’s disciples for your lifetime,” he said. “It means reaching out to family members with a humble and contrite heart to heal a wound you may have inflicted on someone, or that may have been thrust at you. It means forgiving when you do not feel like you were at fault, choosing to lift someone’s spirits rather than attack their weaknesses. It means to be loving, to be kind.”

Disciples of Jesus Christ cannot afford to be the reason someone steps away from the gospel, He taught. “We cannot afford to walk by when someone is in need.”

“There will be those times — maybe many times — when you will be the answer to someone’s prayer; you will be as the Lord says, ‘mine angels round about … to bear them up.’ ”

In his brief remarks, Elder Clark told graduates to set their sights high and follow his family motto, “Ride the high country.”

“Set your heart on exaltation and eternal life with your eternal family in the kingdom of our Father,” he said. “Build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ and His glorious gospel. Live your life with an eternal perspective. Ride the high country.”

It is a great reminder of how our ancestors made it to the summit.

May we, like our ancestors,

1.  “Press on”

2.  “Draw upon our strength and the strength of others”

3.  “Rescue those who are faltering along the way”

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More info about the Thomas Moulton Family and the Willie Handcart Company is found in this Wyoming News article that was on the LDS Family Search site.

Thomas Moulton Family and James Willie Handcart Company

By Karla Schweighart Published in The LOVELL CHRONICLE, June 26, 1997, Page 11, Lovell, Wyoming MOULTON FAMILY ILL-FATED JOURNEY FROM ENGLAND AS PART OF JAMES WILLIE HANDCART COMPANY The Thomas Moulton family was one of the many families assigned to the James G. Willie Handcart Company, which on its maiden voyage nearly 70 pioneers died. Thomas Moulton, born in 1810, is the great-grandfather of May Brinkerhoff of Lovell. He and his family began their journey in En¬gland. Thomas, his wife Sarah Denton, and their seven children left Liverpool, England on the ship Thornton in May of 1856. They were aided in their journey West by the LDS Church's perpetual emigration fund, along with money that Sarah had saved for two years, specifically for the trip to the United States, Brinkerhoff said. The Moultons' eighth child, Charles Alma Moulton, was May's grandfather. He was born three days into their journey from England, May said. There were 764 LDS converts aboard the Thornton. The trip at sea went smoothly for the first two weeks. Then the ship ran into a severe storm and later a fire on board burned a lot of the food supply. Those aboard, May said, were rationed to meals of sea biscuits and rice for the last few weeks of the journey. The six-week journey found them docking in New York, where the pio¬neers boarded a train to Iowa City. They arrived in Iowa on June 26, 1856, Brinkerhoff said. At Iowa City, the pioneers found that the last handcart group had already left and no more handcarts were available, No one in Iowa City knew that there were more people arriving, Brinkerhoff said. Of the 764 that were aboard the Thornton, 500 were assigned to the James G. Willie Handcart Company, including the Moulton’s. There was one handcart per five people, so the Moulton family, according to Brinkerhoff's family history, had one covered and one open handcart for their family of 10. Brinkerhoff said Thomas and his wife pulled the covered cart with baby Charles, Lizzie and Lottie riding in the cart. Heber, 8, walked behind the cart with a rope attached to the cart and tied around his waist to keep him from straying away. The other cart was pulled by Sarah, Mary Ann, William and Joseph. The group, however, could not leave right away, having to make their own handcarts and tents. Brinkerhoff said the problems that would face the company, and the Martin Handcart Company that followed them, began with the first delay. She said it took about three weeks for everyone in the Willie Company to have their carts built and ready to go. Because of the late time of year, Brinkerhoff said, many pioneers did not build their handcarts according to proper specifications and thus had problems on the trail. The company left Camp Iowa on July 15, 1856, with 500 pioneers, 120 carts, five wagons, 24 oxen and 45 beef cattle and cows. The company was further delayed at Winter Quarters when problems did arise with a number of the handcarts and repairs had to be made. In leaving Winter Quarters, the num¬ber of the company had depleted to 400 with many staying or returning to Iowa, according to information from the Bureau of Land Manage¬ment (BLM). As the trail became longer and the terrain rougher, many pioneers had to discard supplies with the Moulton family discarding clothing and supplies along the way. Brinkerhoff said at one point Thomas was looking for items to dis¬card and. tossed out a tea pot lid. Sarah went and retrieved the lid noting that it wouldn't make a differ¬ence. Food supplies were running low and a stampede of the company's cattle at one point along the trail resulted in the loss of about 30 head. Brinkerhoff said the pioneers were also hampered because of their lack of knowledge of the West, with the majority coming from England. She said they saw a lot of buffalo along the trail, but no one knew how to kill them. The company was expecting to replenish their supplies at Fort Laramie but was able to purchase only a few provisions, according to the BLM. On October 19, the Willie Com¬pany encountered snow along the Sweetwater and met some mission¬aries returning from England, Brinkerhoff said. The missionaries passed the company and realized with their lack of supplies and many members already sick and dying that help would be needed. When the missionar¬ies arrived in Salt Lake, they told the company's plight and help was sent out to aid the Willie and Martin handcart companies. The company traveled to the sixth Crossing of the Sweetwater and was caught in a blizzard, the same one that caught the Martin company, On October 20, Captain Willie and Joseph Elder set out to find the relief company. The relief company, Willie and Elder arrived back on October 21. Food and supplies and six relief wagons were dropped off while part the rescue party continued on to help the Martin Company. The Willie company journeyed 11 miles to the site of Rocky Ridge and camped for the night, according to the BLM. The morning of' October 23, 1856, the company faced Rocky Ridge, a formidable barrier for worn-out cart travelers. Through the day they struggled up over the ridge and on to Rock Creek area, a distance of 16 miles, according to the BLM. The wind was blowing hard from the northwest and the snow was knee deep. According to Elder’s journal, it was an awful day. “Many can never forget the seens (sic) they witnessed that day. Men and women and children weakened down by cold and hunger weeping crying and sum (sic) even dying by the roadside.” Brinkerhoff said she was amazed the pioneers were able to make it over Rocky Ridge after she visited the site recently. “I was amazed at how they could have pulled those carts across the mountain,” she said. According to family history, coming over Rocky Ridge, a kindly old woman, in order to relive Sarah, held Heber Moulton’s hand as he trailed behind the handcart. This kindly act saved his right hand, but his left hand, being exposed to the sub-zero weather was frozen. When they reached Salt Lake, it was necessary to amputate the fingers on his left hand. The company remained in camp at Rocky Ridge the next day to bury their dead and recover from their ordeal. Thirteen “stiffly frozen” corpses were buried in a mass grave. A mass grave and plaque com¬memorate the fate of the Willie Handcart Company at Rock Creek. When the group arrived at Fort Bridger on November 2, they found 50 teams that were sent from settle¬ments near Salt Lake ready to haul them the remainder of the way to the valley. Brinkerhoff said many ended up walking the rest of the way. At the foot of Little Mountain in Emigration Canyon, the Moulton’s were met by an uncle with a supply of bread and butter sandwiches. They declared it was the best food that they had ever eaten. They arrived at Salt Lake on November 8, 1856 and were greeted by hundreds of Salt Lake citizens. Charles Moulton was six months old when he arrived in Salt Lake and was a "mere skeleton" according to family history. He was not expected to live. He proved a survivor and grew up to marry Rhoda Duke. They had 10 children, including May Brinkerhoff’s mother, Maud, who later married Nean Christensen. According to Elder's journal, “It was an awful day. Many can never forget the sceens (sicj they witnes¬sed that day men and women and children weakened down by cold and hunger weeping crying and sum (sic) even dying by the roadside."