The general plan for migration to Zion is given in Larson’s book, Prelude to the Kingdom.6 Missionaries carried the messages from the brethren encouraging converts to go to Zion. They also informed them of the costs involved, and the days when ships were scheduled to sail. The mission president and his assistants made all the necessary arrangements with the shipping companies, and informed the Church’s receiving agency in the United States of the ships that would be arriving at the ports of embarkation. From these ports arrangements were made by Church representatives for travel by water or train to the outfitting places on the frontier. The last leg of the journey was by wagon or handcart to the Salt Lake Valley. The entire journey took from eight to ten months.

The organization was such that those making the journey were protected from unscrupulous travel agents and others who might take their money and harm them. Missionaries escorted the departing members to Liverpool, and upon arriving the passengers were ushered immediately shipboard.  Mormon companies became known for their heavy luggage causing some ship captains to complain because it caused their ship to lay lower in the water. Mechanics and other craftsmen, who made up a large percentage of the emigrants, brought their tools with them. In addition to their luggage the passengers had to bring their own bedding and cooking utensils (a cooking apparatus was provided by the ship).

After all were on board a Mormon agent arrived and organized the company under the direction of a presidency of three priesthood leaders and were divided into wards or branches with bishops or presiding elders assigned and given the responsibility for those under their care. After rising at an early hour their first duty was to clean their portion of the ship. They would then assemble for prayer and cook their own breakfast. The Passenger Act of 1852 required a minimum of food provisions for at least seventy days. The ship provided a weeks allowance per adult (one half for minors) of two and one half pounds of bread or biscuit, one pound of wheat flour, five pounds oatmeal, two pounds of rice, half pound of sugar, two ounces tea, two ounces of salt, and three quarts of water daily. In addition to the above the Church provided for the journey two and a half pounds of sego, three pounds of butter, two pounds of cheese and one pint of vinegar for each adult and half that amount for those under fourteen.

The organization and discipline on the ships carrying Mormons provided a good atmosphere and the most comfort possible. Schools were conducted for children during the day. During evenings lectures were given on a variety of subjects. The married men and women were placed in the middle of the ship with the unmarried males and females at opposite ends of the ship. The decorum was such that some ship captains preferred Mormons as passengers on their ships. The major problem was sea sickness, and illness resulting in death and then burial of some passengers during the 1400 mile trip.

Charles Sails to United States

Charles set sail for America from Liverpool, England, on February 28, 1853 on the sailing ship International, which carried 425 Latter-day Saints, including a number of un-baptized relatives and friends and a crew of 26. Robert Backman noted the following about that voyage aboard the International:

“…The ship ran into violent storms, delaying the crossing and making it necessary to ration food.  In four weeks only one-third of the distance to New Orleans, Louisiana, had been covered.

“Thanks to the faith and prayers of the valiant Saints, a miracle occurred: favorable winds made it possible to make up time lost.  The International docked in New Orleans after a 54-day voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.

“Christopher Arthur presided over the company of Latter-day Saints aboard the International.  In his official report to the British Mission president, President Arthur wrote: I am glad to inform you, that we have baptized all on board except three persons…We can number the captain, first and second mates, with eighteen of the crew, most of whom intend going right through to the valley…the number of baptized in all is 48, since we left our native shores.” 7

Births, deaths, marriages and conversions to the faith were common on the high seas as the “Mormon Ships” crossed the ocean. During the voyage of the International there were seven deaths, seven births, five marriages 8 and as stated above forty eight baptisms. We would like to believe that Charles, who was a high priest at this time, helped in the conversion process. Baptisms were performed on the International by using a large tank that was brought on deck for that purpose.9 On some other ships a platform was improvised by the side of the ship under the water. The candidates and officiator were then lowered to the platform where the baptism took place.10

A highlight for Charles may have been a celebration held on the sixth of April commemorating the twenty-third anniversary of the organization of the Church. They fired musketry to usher in the festivities, and then in procession marched on deck in the following order:

“(First were the) presidents and counselors with sashes and white rosettes on their breasts, who took their seats with their backs to the main-mast.  After them followed twelve young men appropriately robed, each with a white rod in his hand, with sashes, rosettes. etc. Then followed twelve young women in light dresses, each holding in her hand a scroll of white paper bearing  the significant motto ‘Utah rights,’ adorned with ribbon and white rosettes. The young men took their seats on the right hand of the Presidency, and the young women on the left.  Then followed twelve old venerable men, dressed similar to the young men each carrying a Bible and a Book of Mormon in his hand, led by Father Waugh, who read portions out of each book, illustrative of this Latter-day work. We then took the Sacrament, and attended to the celebration of our marriages, which finished our forenoon service.

“At two o’clock we met and took our seats as formerly, and after an address from the President, songs, speeches and recitations commemorative of the occasion followed in due order for three hours. Henry Maiben, from Brighton, composed and sang a song graphically and wittily portraying our happy company and our progress from Liverpool.

;“In the evening we met on the quarter deck, and skipped the light fantastic toe until a late hour.  During the whole day everything was done with the highest decorum and I can say, to the credit of the company, that more harmonious festival was never before held on the high seas. ”11

Charles Arrives at New Orleans and then St. Louis

When the International arrived at the mouth of the Mississippi River tugboats helped it up the river to New Orleans where it arrived on April 24, 1853. The 100-mile trip took about a week. Church emigration agents met the passengers in New Orleans and one of the first orders given them was to not talk about slavery. Uncle Tom’s Cabin had been published the year before, and there was a lot of tension between blacks and whites.12 After a four-day stop over in New Orleans passage was arranged on two steamboats, Alex Scott and Liah Tuna, for travel up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, a 700-mile trip. They arrived in St. Louis on May 6th. In St. Louis they were met by Church agents who assisted the immigrants in picking up tents and other equipment for their continued journey. After a few days in St. Louis they took passage on the river steamer Jeanne Deans to Keokuk, Iowa, 200 miles further up the Mississippi River. This last river trip took two days and one night. 13

Keokuk, where Travel by Land Began for Charles

The outfitting place prior to 1853 was Kanesville, Iowa. Because of deaths from cholera the river route was shortened and an additional 300 miles was added to the land route. The experiment evidently wasn’t that successful, because they only used Keokuk one summer as the outfitting place. Charles and those traveling with him probably arrived in Keokuk about the eighth of May. Within a month there were about one thousand saints on the camp grounds getting ready to leave.14 Keokuk is the same area from which the Saints left for their journey to the Rocky Mountains after being driven out of Nauvoo in 1846. The route from there to Kanesville (or Winter Quarters) had not been used for immigrants prior to 1852 and was not used afterwards.

Charles is the only Richins that traveled the Mormon Trail from Nauvoo to the Salt Lake Valley. In reality, he may have visited Nauvoo while waiting at the Keokuk campgrounds. One writer said that while they were waiting for men to bring cattle from Missouri for their overland trek a lot of them went up the river to Montrose, crossed the Mississippi River on a ferryboat and visited the ruins of Nauvoo, including the temple. They even talked with Emma Smith who had remarried and was living in the Joseph Smith home.

Church Emigration by Land

Emigrants from England arrived in Salt Lake as early as 1848. Five years later (1853) Charles Richins was one of 2600 emigrants from foreign countries who made the journey. They were organized in twelve companies with a captain, a clerk to keep a historical record of the journey, a chaplain who was responsible for regular church services, and caring for the sick. There were also commissaries to help distribute rations. To keep the company moving in an orderly manner there were captains over a hundred, captains over fifty and captains over ten. The outfitting of companies was difficult and time consuming. Although there were Church representatives at the outfitting sites, sometimes help was needed from the immigrants.

Procuring enough livestock to pull the wagons in 1849 was difficult because speculators were buying up cattle and trailing them to California to supply the frenzied demands of the California gold rush. Consequently, when cattle were available they had to be purchased at premium prices. Nebraska’s Fort Kearny recorded that 105,792 cattle passed there by the middle of August in 1853. To get enough oxen for the immigrant wagons at Keokuk, Mormon men had to go into Missouri and Illinois, a distance of 200 miles, where they purchased 805 oxen. Joseph W. Young who was with that cattle-fetching group bewailed, “This was one of the most severe & trying trips that man ever undertook…twenty-one days having to drive cattle all day & guard them at night, ferry and swim many streams of water which were swollen to full banks.” 15

Charles Travels in the Joseph W. Young Company

The last leg of the journey across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley for Charles was by ox team in the company led by Joseph W. Young, a nephew of President Brigham Young.  Joseph was a returning missionary from England and had served as president of the company that came on the ship that left England two weeks ahead of Charles. Captain Young and Charles were both twenty-four at this time. Before leaving England, Joseph married the daughter of Henry Pugh, who was appointed clerk of the company.  Charles and most others in the company were traveling as a “ten-pound emigrant,” who paid ten British pounds for their journey when the usual cost was twenty pounds. “The cheap price was based on reducing everything to a minimum: no extra food and more people per wagon and milk cow, which meant each person would take less luggage and receive less milk.” 16 When the first wagon left Keokuk on June 1 the company consisted of 420 souls, 56 wagons and 224 oxen (four oxen per wagon).

Charles Travels the Pioneer Trail

Charles was not a journal writer; so the following information concerning his trek west was taken from the “Journal History” of the company kept by the company clerk, 17 and a journal kept by Samuel Claridge who was in the Joseph W. Young Company.18

Charles drove an ox team the entire 1300 miles. It was on the job training for him, as well as for many others, who were given that assignment. Samuel Claridge wrote, “Our first starting out was very comical. Here were Welsh, English, German, Scandinavians and none of us had ever had experience in driving cattle [oxen] and the cattle had to learn all languages. There was a great deal of awkward driving, but we got started.” 19

The driving of an ox team is not done by reigns like with horses, but is done by the driver walking to the side of the oxen and using voice commands, and a prod, if necessary. Travel by oxen is slow. They made no more than two miles an hour, which is less   than a person walking. Their goal was to make twenty miles a day, but the average for the entire trip was more like fourteen miles per day.

After leaving Keokuk the company stopped at Sugar Creek where they were met with thunderstorms and heavy rain (not snow like the 1846 Saints who camped there the first night after leaving Nauvoo). They remained there five days waiting for the milk cows to arrive, and for Captain Young’s wife, Mary Anna, to arrive from Keokuk where she had remained because of illness. Two days after leaving Sugar Creek a herd of 74 milk cows and a bull were brought into camp. Twenty-nine of the cows were divided among the company (the other 45 were dry and with calf). After crossing Iowa they reached the Missouri river where they had to ferry their wagons across into Nebraska.

There were no deaths from Indians and only one encounter with them when a large tribe of Pawnee Indians came to the wagon train begging. Five of them insisted on staying in camp with them overnight; so they fixed a tent, made them comfortable, and set extra guards for the night. There were eleven deaths in the company during the journey. The vital statistics also included one birth and one marriage. The marriage was a happy occasion. The groom was John Spriggs whose wife had died at Liverpool the day of embarkation, leaving him with six children, the youngest two weeks old. The infant died and was buried at sea. The new Sister Spriggs took on five children under age ten. The only accident mentioned in the company journal was that of a sister who, contrary to counsel, stepped from her wagon while the team was proceeding and fell under the wheel, causing her leg to be broken.

The major challenge the company faced was inadequate provisions. The high price for livestock and wagons left insufficient money for Church agents to procure sufficient provisions for the company. The amount of food allotted to each individual was not enough to meet their daily needs. As the last of the companies left Keokuk Isaac C. Haight, having done what he could to outfit them, but with doubts about its adequacy, wrote, “We all left camp bidding Keokuk and its inhabitants farewell and went out to the end of the plank.” 20 It was expected the company would be able to obtain buffalo and other food along the trail, but that didn’t happen. Only once did someone in the company kill a buffalo, and that was Joseph W. Young. One man said the salt, sugar, and tea, were gone before they reached Fort Laramie, the half-way point. Others finished their flour by the time they reached South Pass, 200 miles from Salt Lake City. Another man claimed they would have died had some brethren not come from the Salt Lake City with flour.21 There was even a shortage of milk. One sister wrote,

“I must not forget to speak of our little milch cows. These faithful creatures, though giving milk to supply us on the journey were yoked to the wagon, between the lead and tongue cattle. They looked very small indeed, as they pulled in front of one yoke and behind another. Unfortunately our little cows became dry, or so nearly dry, that they gave but a teacup of milk a day.  The consequence was that our camp kettle, that use to be full of good milk gruel for our breakfast became gradually a kettle full of flour starch with only a cup of milk added.” 22

The company’s situation was made worse when on more than one occasion cattle strayed away and were lost. In addition, some of their oxen began to give out when they were still 500 miles from their destination. When their cattle could no longer work they were driven ahead of the train and butcher for food when needed. The worn out oxen didn’t make for good eating, but it was all they had.

The weather also was a problem. Captain Young’s Company experienced at least four thunderstorms. On one occasion the company journal records that “the rain poured into wagons and tents while the wind was blowing a hurricane, overturning many of the tents leaving the inmates in a deplorable condition.” 23 Members of the Company also encountered a snowstorm as they crossed Rocky Ridge, in Wyoming. While camping at Black’s Fork, nine miles east of Fort Bridger, some oxen wandered off at night when the guard neglected his duty. Five of the oxen got stuck in the mud and before they were rescued, one died.

One of the highlights of the trek was the meeting of twenty-seven Elders traveling East on their way to fill missions in England. No doubt Charles encouraged one or more of them to make contact with Louisa and other family members if they got to Sheepscombe. One day the pioneers had the unique experience of seeing a wolf hanging onto a buffalo calf’s tail as it ran by their encampment. Very little disciplinary action was needed in the company. One sister was dismissed from the company for bad behavior a few days after they got started, and near the end of the journey a brother was censured for threatening to use powder and ball on the Captain because there was a shortage of bacon in the camp. The only other problem they had was the refusal of some men to go on guard duty at night.

On September 18th, near South Pass, Captain Young and Mary Anna celebrated their first wedding anniversary. Then he left his company in the hands of William Perry, and set out for the Salt Lake Valley with his sick wife, Charles Decker, and a few others. Sister Young had been sick since starting the journey. Her consumption (tuberculosis) was in its last stages, and Joseph wanted to get her to the Salt Lake before she died. He also wanted to obtain supplies for the rest of the journey. Two days later Mary Ann died in her wagon, and was buried at the crossing of the Green River. Captain Young and his party continued on into Salt Lake, obtained provisions, and returned to his company on September 30th, which was camped at the Muddy Creek Campground west of Fort Bridger.

After learning of the loss of more oxen, and the weakened condition of those in yoke, Captain Young and Guernsey Brown left from Cache Cave (Echo Canyon) on October 2nd for the Salt Lake to obtain oxen to help the company get over Big Mountain. It was also at the head of Echo Canyon that a Brother Stoker arrived with flour for those who needed some. Captain Young purchased with a signed note over 400 pounds for his company. After the second night’s stay in Echo Canyon fifty-nine  head of cattle were missing, but were eventually found. While moving down the canyon the teams and wagons had to cross the creek several times and build a bridge. One wagon was upset, but no one was hurt.

The immigrants were happy to reach the forks of Echo Creek where there was plenty of grass, water and wood. When they crossed the Weber River at the ford near present day Henefer they had to double their teams. (One has to wonder if Charles had any thought of making Henefer Valley his home as he first passed through it.) They made camp that night a mile and a half east of Hogsback Summit. The next day they met Captain Joseph Young in East Canyon. He had forty nine oxen to help the company into the Salt Lake Valley. After crossing Big Mountain one sister in the company wrote, “Never again, in this life do I want to cross this mountain.” 24

On Monday, October 10th, Joseph Young’s Company left the last camp site in Emigration Canyon, ten miles from their destination, and by five o’ clock were camped at Union Square in Salt Lake City. The following morning they were called together for a meeting. Joseph W. Young addressed his Company, commending them for their faithfulness and diligence. They were also addressed by President Brigham Young “who spoke with power and a manifestation of the Holy Ghost, teaching the Saints that which was essential to their future destiny, also bidding them welcome to this delightful vale.” 25 President Brigham Young then broke up the organization, and blessed the people. The journey was over. They had arrived in Zion.

Salt Lake Valley in 1853

When Charles ended his pioneer journey and settled in the Salt Lake Valley he began a new experience. He was still a pioneer and would be for the rest of his life. Where he would build his first home in Zion, and how he would make a living were paramount in his mind. Another concern, no doubt, was communicating with Louisa back in England, and making arrangements for Louisa and Hannah Louisa to join him. He was the first Richins to reach Salt Lake City. There were no relatives there to help him. Once he arrived there may have been those who became his friend. We know he had a bishop and ward members that would have helped him. We do not know where he first lived or the work he did, but it was probably manual labor of some type, because that was mostly all that was available. The cornerstone of the Salt Lake Temple was laid on April 6, 1853, about six months before his arrival; so there is a possibility that he did some work there.

We are fortunate to have an engraving of “Great Salt Lake in 1853,” by Fredrick Piercy available to us. It helps us realize what Charles saw when he entered the Salt Lake Valley.

“By the fall of 1853 the 5,979 people in the city had spread a little beyond the original confines…there were nineteen ecclesiastical wards, each with a bishop and two counselors as presiding officers. Outside the city there were seven settlements with a combined population of 2,273. Altogether in the Territory of Utah there were at least 18,206 people scattered in small settlements from Box Elder on the north to Cedar City, 300 miles on the south, ranging in size from the smallest with a little over a hundred, to Provo with 1,649, and Ogden with 1,332 settlers.”