THE NEW MORMON TRAIL VISITOR'S CENTER
at HISTORIC WINTER QUARTERS
On October 4, 1996, personnel assigned to the Mormon Trail Center at
Historic Winter Quarters,Nebraska (now the Florence District of Omaha)
began moving in their new multi-million dollarVisitor's Center. Technical
personnel from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints History and
Arts department began working on the historical displays in the rear
two-thirds of the building. The front third housing the administrative
portion was operating center of the assigned personnel (self-financed,
volunteer missionaries on 18 or 24 month church assignment).
The new Center is tastefully decorated. Solid maple decorative wood trim,
subtle paint, and fabric wall covering combine into a beautiful inside
structure. Added to that are paintings and a magnificent model of the
Nauvoo Temple completed and abandoned 150 years ago greet the eyes of the
visitors as they enter.
The technical personnel left the day before Thanksgiving with sufficient
number of displays completed that Preview Tours could begin. The technical
personnel will return in March and add more displays and the tours
will become more complete in mid-April 1997. The tour exhibits include
Photo murals, Maps, Original Paintings, two historically accurate mannequins
(one with a sound track journal entry story), a Log Cabin with a sound track
journal entry descriptions, a working model of the Pioneer Roadometer
(odometer), an 1850's model wagon replica complete with ox, an 1856 model
replica handcart, and an 1850's replica rail passenger car model.
To be added are a 3D model layout of the 1846 town of Winter Quarters, an
exhibit showing the industry in 1846-47 Winter Quarters, more paintings, a
model of the Salt Lake Temple, a global map showing where all the immigrants
migrated from, another ox, a 10 or 12 foot model of the steamship "WYOMING"
which carried some 10,000 Mormon immigrants from England to America, a
replica of bunks from that steamship, and a 10 minute video made exclusively
for this Visitor's center. The information given in the Center covers from
1840 to 1890.
Conducted tours are given daily from 9AM to 9 PM. The tour missionaries are
trained asinterpretive guides. Woven into the tour are the WHYs and HOWs as
well as the WHOs,WHENs and WHEREs. Those who do self tours will only be able
to pick up a portion of the WHOs, WHENs and WHEREs and virtually none of the
WHYS and HOWs. The admission is FREE and the tour length is 30 to 45 minutes
plus a 13 minute video.
The Center is expected to be dedicated by a Church Authority from Salt Lake
City on April 16,1997 but is functioning now. In April a celebration of the
150th anniversary of the trek to the Great Salt Lake Valley will occur.
Wagon trains will gather at the Center on April 17th, leave the Center on the
21st of April and arrive in Salt Lake City on the 22nd of July. There will
be activities and celebrations taking place in Omaha prior to that departure
date.
The Center and the Mormon Pioneer Cemetary are located at 3215 State Street,
phone 453-9372.
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