Links:
Email & Site Design:
|
Contributed by
Judy Carlson, 2000
In 1846 a party of Mormons led by Newell Knight was the first to leave wagon wheel marks in the Niobrara valley. Sixty-five families were headed to the Rocky Mountains in search of a new home.
Needing to make camp for the winter they chose a spot near the mouth of the Niobrara River, having been invited by the friendly Poncas. They built a fort of log cabins and settled in. Some claim that the Mormons dug the mile long canal that cuts along the west edge of the old Niobrara State Park and thus got the name of the Mormon Canal. Others believe that it was so named because of the tragedy that befell the Mormons there.
During the difficult winter, illness swept through the camp. They buried their leader, his wife and eight others. When spring arrived, the party returned to Kanesville (now known as Council Bluffs).
In 1908 the Church of Latter Day Saints erected a monument. It is located west of Niobrara, ¼ mile south of the State Park entrance. The stone monument tells of their plight and lists the names of those that died here in Knox County.
|
