Talk by Jan Stock Mormon Trail Heritage Foundation Director
“As members of this glorious church we share a rich heritage. We literally stand on the shoulders of the giants of faith vision and spirit who preceded us. When we honor them and their many sacrifices, we preserve their achievements and the principles and values for which they stood. And it provides us a wonderful way in which to praise God!”
To the family of Wee Granny:
In a very tangible way, you are honoring the sacrifices, preserving the achievements, principles and values of your Murdoch ancestors. You are literally standing the diminutive shoulders of “Wee Granny” who was a giant in faith vision and spirit.
We in the Cheyenne Wyoming Stake are so proud to be a part of this day. A day in which you are honoring your heritage. Through the inspiration of our Stake President Thelton Skipper we have begun to memorialize these great pioneers whose trail goes through our stake boundaries. Our goal is to honor those blessed pioneers who walked the ground on which we stand, who gazed around at the raw beauty of this land as we are doing today and whose great faith and courage propelled them to do whatever the Lord would ask of them. It is our prayer that by honoring our heritage we in this present generation may learn from their generation the valuable lessons taught.
The Mormon Trail Heritage Foundation was established for just this purpose. We wish to tell the stories such as Wee Granny and the many others who walked these trails. Some of our objectives are:
1. Preserve and protect 17 Historical Pioneer Sites from Ash Hollow (near Ogallala, NE) to Cottonwood Crossing (near Guernsey, WY)
2. Write a self-guided tour book with maps, historical insights, and Mormon journal entries about the sites.
3. Build a Heritage Park along the trail which would include a Pioneer Memorial Research Center. This is where the story of Wee Granny will be told in a display. We are so grateful for your donation of this beautiful painting. Come back when this park is finished to see her story in our center
The members of the Cheyenne Wyoming Stake are doing the initial research about each wagon train and hand-cart company. This is the beginning of a pioneer data base that will be an on-going research source.
4. Build a Rock wall that will symbolize the trail and honor those pioneers who lost their lives along the trail.
5. A memorial size Bronze has been commissioned to be placed near the Memorial Wall.
When we honor our heritage “we preserve the achievements and the principles and values for which they stood.” You , the ancestors of Mary Murray Murdoch have done so ten fold today. May the Lord less you for your efforts in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen