Episodes
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After our last episode about music of the Battalion, we are happy to have Miriam Andrus share the story of her ancestor, George Washington Taggart. He was a gifted musician in the Battalion and the blessing of music has continued on through his descendants even today.
The photo used for this episode is a picture of one of the instruments that belonged to GW Taggart housed in the Mormon Battalion Historic site in San Diego, California.
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Missing episodes?
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Carl and Margaret Larson share his efforts to identify burial locations for all Battalion members - which is still ongoing today. Listen to his dedicated efforts and perhaps you'll be inspired to help fill in some of the blanks for men's burial locations that are still unknown.
If you know of a battalion grave that does NOT have a battalion plaque, please contact the Mormon Battalion Association or comment in this podcast feedback form.
In the next episode you'll hear how Margaret's mind caught a hold of some trivia that she found in Carl's research.
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Carl Larson's research was absolutely critical to Kevin Henson's modern delination of the trail. His years of diligent research also serves as the basis for the Battalion Association's current efforts to identify an accurate battalion roster. We think you'll enjoy meeting Carl and his wife Margaret and be amazed at the effort it took to obtain the information described in this interview.
The next episode shares how the burial site project came to be.
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Kevin & Denny were asked to present a fireside on the Spiritual lessons they learned from walking The Mormon Battalion Trail. This is the recording of that fireside given on April 23, 2023 in Midland Michigan.
As ordinary people who found themselves in an extraordinary situation, they reflect on the things that touched their hearts & blessings that came to them through God's love. Many times those blessings came in the form of earthly angels such as those present at the fireside and many others who supported them along the trail.
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It may have been started in the 1950's - but when you hear this interiew with current President, Greg Christofferson, you'll realize the Mormon Battalion Association is transforming itself into a well respected academic and historical group with new research, new leadership, new website, and new projects designed to make them the "Go-To Repository of Mormon Battalion History."
Everyone who is interested in the Battalion Story (or connected to it) is invited to join the Association and contribute skills, talent, time, or monetary donations to help with the many exciting projects designed to help preserve and share this great history - a story that Greg says "generates enthusiasm for people that hear it."
Visit their website and share the link with your family & friends: www.mormonbattalion.com to join today.
JOIN & DONATE PAGE -
Being in San Diego surrounded by so many of the people who had been cheerleaders, fellow-hikers, blog readers, SPOT trackers, and rescuers in more ways than you can imagine was a sweet and tender time for us. What a finish to an incredible Battalion Trail adventure! The only thing that could have made it better was having ALL our Trek Friends there. This podcast, as Kevin says, "Is just as much their story as it is ours" and we cannot thank them enough.
Thank you for listening - STAY TUNED: there will be more podcasts
Season 3: A Woman's perspective: Denny's experiences & insights along the trail
Season 4: People & Projects: Meet people who are engaging in the story using their own interests and talents sharing their expertise/experience to benefit us all.
Please consider becoming a member of the Mormon Battalion Association and helping them further this great outreach. We encourage you to contact them to see how you can be involved. There is something everyone can do!
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Taking pride in and having fun learning about the Battalion history - ancestors, and educating others has helped these dedicated reenactors make connections to their ancestors. They share what the experience of walking into Old Town meant to them, and we relish in the memories we have of that day. Jerry Gardner, Smokey Bassett, Bob Tingey, and Peter & Virginia Guilbert will share how they learned they were related to Battalion members and others tied to California history and how that has impacted who they portray at reenactments.
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Learn how an archeologist, hair stylist, highschool history teacher, and opthalmology tech saved The Vail Ranch History of Temecula, CA. If you don't get the history bug from these dedicated folk, you'll have to contribute a quarter into their mythical "Tell-people-about-history-when-they-aren't-particularly-interested" jar.
You'll be touched by the insights they have about the Mormon Battalion experiences in their area - and how that experience was part of the law suit that saved the buildings and restoration project you see today.
Go visit them and experience their wonderful exhibits and hands-on opportunities. https://www.vailhq.com/
Take a virtual tour of Vail Heaquarters with Rebecca (aka "The Temecula History Lady".) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii2cZxyB1E0
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Have your heart touched as you hear the poignant story that happened here in a less well-known location along the Mormon Battalion Trail. And, who better to tell it than our friends, Darell and Rebecca Farnbach local historians extraordinare. They have embraced the Battalion story making it their own in a way that is both heartwarming and inspiring.
Visit the Vail Ranch Headquarters and immerse yourself in the great experiences provided for all ages. https://www.vailhq.com/history
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Our son, Jon had no clue what lay in wait for him when he came to celebrate his 24th birthday with us on the trail near Mason Valley. The teddy bear cactus were in fine form, and the heat and terrain about as inhospitable as the Battalion experienced in 1847. His perspective is insightful. "What are you gonna do? Turn around and go back through all the horrible stuff you've been through or go forward?"
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Close your eyes as we and our trek friends attempt to help you imagine what it was like hiking through river bottom sand, a cactus forest, a hill of giant granite boulders and ending up in a flash-flood carved canyon.
This is the second episode as we are walking listeners through the 3-day stretch between Plaster City, CA and Box Canyon in the sequence we hiked it. You’ll hear from multiple people in this group of interviews who share their various perspectives. We hope it will give you a glimpse of what it is like on that part of the trail.
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From Yuma, Arizona to Carizzo Creek, California - the Battalion had to survive 90 miles of the most desolate desert imaginable. Even with cached water, military escorts, and food in their packs our intrepid hikers, Kevin, Peter, and Terry share the challenges they faced during this stretch.
The Battalion didn't know what lay ahead of them when they left what is now modern day Plaster City, CA but our reconnaissance trip the night before gave us a sneak peak into what our trekkers would be facing. If you haven't visited this place it's impossible to imagine - especially the stench of the water!
To see a video of Kevin explaining and showing what Carizzo Creek looks like, visit Kevin's interactive map of the trail and go to January Trail Events>Carizzo Creek map pin. The map is found at this link: https://mapntour.com/view/mbtfs
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Do you ever wonder what it is like to hike at night along the trail? Peter and Kevin were joined by Kevin’s former missionary companion Mark Woodbury to participate in the never to be forgotten El Centro Night Hike. Watching the happy reunion of these missionary companions – made me think of Alma and the Sons of Mosiah from the Book of Mormon. There was rejoicing (in this case after 34 years) to see “they were still … brethren in the Lord, yea and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth…”
You’ll hear more from Mark and his wife Becky about our time in San Diego… and at the end of the podcast segments – we’ll have them give you an update about the Famous Battalion Trek Porta Potty.
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Trace Skeen shares his experience hiking the trail near Yuma, AZ and how he came to write a musical production to share the Battalion Story.
He talks about some of his favorite songs. We have included the overture and a recording of Trace singing a few songs from the rehearsal CD which we share with his permission.
For more information on the script or music for “Battalion: The Musical” please contact Trace Skeen at [email protected] or call/text him at 435-938-1586.
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