The Iowa Experience

February 4, 1846, was a day of Mormon destiny. On that day the exodus began as the first of the Mormon pioneers stepped off a flatboat upon Iowa shores and began to unload his wagon, teams, equipment and goods. After all the planning and work, the time had finally arrived: the move became a reality. It was also a significant historical event, because that first step marked the commencement of the greatest mass movement of people under a single authority in all of United States history. In many respects, such an event was extremely rare, almost unparalleled in the annals of world history; and certainly, the Mormon exodus drastically reshaped the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to this day.