44 x 70

"The Mormon trail is the 1300 mile route from Illinois to Utah the Mormons traveled for three months on their way west to a new beginning. The trail extends from Nauvoo, Illinois, which was the principal settlement of the Latter Day Saints from 1839 to 1846, to the Great Salt Lake in Utah, which was settled by Brigham Young and his followers beginning in 1847. The departure from Illinois began on February 4, 1846, but the bulk of the trip took place later in the summer. The initial party reached the Missouri River on June 14, This painting depicts the Mormons’ first encounter with plains Indians somewhere west of the Missouri. Miraculously, they made it all the way to Utah without any serious conflicts with natives." - Jim Carson

oil on canvas

signed lower right: � Carson 2020 verso: titled and signed