Girlscamp
Girlscamp
Hayley Rawle
To Hell in a Handcart: The Mormon Pioneer Disaster
1 hour 12 minutes Posted Aug 27, 2025 at 4:00 am.
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Show notes
What haunted my Mormon girl nightmares? The Martin and Willie handcart tragedy. And here’s the thing: the version I was taught growing up wasn’t even as bad as the reality. In this episode, we’ll recap what really happened on that deadly trek, share some of the most harrowing and human anecdotes, and yes, do some much-deserved shit talking of Brigham Young. But more than that, I’ll dig into why this story still matters to me as a former Mormon—and how it continues to shape the way I understand both the faith of my upbringing and my identity as a descendant of pioneers.
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