The Mormon trail was on the north side of the river. The Mormons were looking for a place where they would not be persecuted for their belief of having more than one wife. Their leader, Brigham Young, was moving his Mormon followers out to Salt Lake City. Back then people were just headed through here to get somewhere else. The Mormons didn't have a lot of money, so they took a handcart which is basically a two wheeled cart that was pulled by people. They couldn't afford oxen or mules, so they used people power. We have always been a pass-through state. Now more and more people are realizing the beauty of Nebraska. We have a different kind of beauty than a desert, the mountains, or a rain forest.
