John Hansen: “H.R. 4103, which I introduced, would direct the Secretary of the Interior to offer to sell 940 acres of BLM land in…”

“H.R. 4103, which I introduced, would direct the Secretary of the Interior to offer to sell 940 acres of BLM land in Natrona County, Wyoming, to the LDS Church for the purpose of historic preservation, public education, and the enjoyment of the public. Funds from the sale would be directed for the sole purpose of public understanding and enjoyment of the national historic trail system at the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper, Wyoming. These 940 acres, known as Martin's Cove, were the site of a truly remarkable and inspiring story of Mormon pioneers. In 1847, a mass migration of Mormon pioneers began to move west to Utah due to some of the most intense religious persecution in our Nation's history. This migration continued into the next decade, when, in 1856, a group of Mormon handcart pioneers, known as the Martin Handcart Company, departed Iowa late in the year and found themselves along the trail stranded with almost no food in freezing temperatures and deep snow. As they fought against intense weather conditions, between 135 and 150 of their party would perish, many of them at the site known today as Martin's Cove.”