Sweetwater Rescue

Fact Sheet

From 1856 to 1860, ten handcart companies traveled to what they considered Zion. Eight crossed the plains successfully. Two—the Willie and Martin Companies—met with a wintry disaster in 1856, as did the Hunt and Hodgett Wagon Trains trailing behind them. The rescuers from the Salt Lake Valley faced the same horrific snows.

As many as 200 of the emigrants from Great Britain and Europe traveling in these companies were buried in shallow graves, but more than 1,000 of them lived—and told their story. This year marks the sesquicentennial of their fateful journey. In commemoration of the sacrifice made by these pioneers, documentary filmmaker Lee Groberg, author Heidi Swinton, and hundreds more, joined together in a nearly two-year project to create Sweetwater Rescue: The Willie and Martin Handcart Story.

Sweetwater Rescue: The Willie and Martin Handcart Story Projects

• The book Sweetwater Rescue: The Willie and Martin Handcart Story, by Heidi Swinton and Lee Groberg is scheduled to be in stores September 19, 2006.
  • This book includes 80 original works of art, by 43 artists, commissioned specifically for this project.
  • The book also contains a complete list of names from the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies, the Hunt and Hodgett Wagon Trains, and the rescue companies.
  • Along with original journal entries illustrating the story of the trek are 40 photographs of key participants from the companies and rescue teams.

• The one-hour documentary by Lee Groberg, Sweetwater Rescue: The Willie and Martin Handcart Story, will air nationwide on PBS Monday, December 18, 2006. KBYU will air the documentary on Sunday, October 1, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. MST, and KSL-TV will air The Making of Sweetwater Rescue on Sunday, October 1, 2006 at 4:00 p.m. MST.
  • Heidi Swinton wrote the script for Sweetwater Rescue: The Willie and Martin Handcart Story and Lee Groberg produced and directed it.
  • Hundreds of actors from Utah, Wyoming, and England participated in the filming of the documentary.
  • The DVD of Sweetwater Rescue: The Willie and Martin Handcart Story will be available in stores September 27, 2006.
  • The DVD includes 90 minutes of bonus features, including an interview with LDS Church President, Gordon B. Hinckley.

• The original art pieces featured in the book Sweetwater Rescue: The Willie and Martin Handcart Story will be displayed at the LDS Church History Museum and the Utah Art and History Museum in a unique simultaneous exhibit from September 29 to October 31. The LDS Church History Museum will continue exhibiting this series until January 2, 2007.