Work of Salvation

On October 20, 1856, as the Willie Company faced absolute starvation, Captain James G. Willie and Joseph Elder set out on mules into a blinding freezing storm to find George D. Grant’s rescue wagons. Having traveled nearly 30 miles through bitter mountain winds and knee-deep drifts over Rocky Ridge, the two men were on the verge of freezing to death. Unbeknownst to them, the rescue party had been forced off the main trail to seek shelter from the blizzard in a willow grove near Willow Creek. Just as hope seemed lost, Willie and Elder spotted a crude, friendly guidebook on the west bank of Rock Creek. Rescuer Harvey H. Cluff had felt an inspired prompting earlier that day to trudge through the snow and place a signboard on the main trail pointing toward their hidden camp. Finding this “guide post” saved the two scouts from bypassing the relief team entirely. Guided by the sign, Willie and Elder rode straight into the rescue camp, prompting a joyous shout from the relief party and setting the miraculous rescue of the Willie Company into motion the very next morning.