September 17th, 2025, 10:30am MDT
In July 1848, three Mormon Battalion veterans – Ezra Allen, Daniel Browitt and Henderson Cox – advanced a larger group to scout a new trail from California’s gold fields to Salt Lake Valley.
A few days later, on July 18, 1848, the bodies of Allen, Browatt and Cox were discovered in Eldorado county, California by men from their company who were sent to find them. The three battalion members were killed and buried in shallow graves.
The man who found them re-urines them and carved their names into trees at the site, now known as Tragedy Springs.
On August 20th this year, local leaders from the US Park Service, US Forest Service representatives, daughter of Utah Pioneers, California’s Living History Mission, the Mormon Battalion Association, the Oregon and California Association of the Oregon and California Association of the Oregon and California Association of the Oregon and California Association of the Oregon and California Association of the local leaders will stop resurrecting saints where they died. 2021.
A group of stakeholders also visited the Demon’s Ladder, an area of the Eastern Road in the tragic Spring. There, the trail had to use ropes and chains to unload the wagon from the mountain.
Why church history sites are important
Greg Christofferson, president of the Mormon Battalion Association, said it is important that people be strengthened by the example of early church members, as it is important to preserve the stories of these historical places.
“The sacrifices our ancestors have made are almost incredible, and their stories reinforce my testimony.”
Dennis W. Amaral of California’s Living History reflects Christofferson’s words by saying that the church’s history site provides “a concrete connection with the past.”
“We can read about important historical events all day long, but in order to really put them in perspective, we have to visit the site to get in touch and feel the history.”
Repair plans
After visiting the tragic spring and the devil’s ladder and listening to the opinions of stakeholders, representatives from the National Trails office determined that renovations could be made to not only restore the site but also improve the visitors’ experience.
Christofferson said the National Park Service National Trail Office design and development team will prepare conceptual site plans, including new trails, signs, maps and interpretation panels.
According to Christofferson, the established timeline outlines that it has an approved site plan by spring 2026, allowing the Forest Service and volunteers to begin removing debris from the fire when the snow melts that summer. By summer 2027, new signs and trails will need to be installed.
Christofferson hopes that by restoring the two sites and improving the signs, more people will have the opportunity to learn like him from the Mormon Battalion stories.
He encouraged those interested in learning more to visit the Mormon Battalion Association website.
