Beginning in early 1846, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints driven from their homes in Nauvoo, Illinois, trudged along in southern Iowa over the rolling hills of mud caused by rain and snow.
A Mormon Trail interpretive panel in Bloomfield, Davis County, notes that few of the Saints were completely prepared with all the supplies they needed to make the journey west and ultimately to the Salt Lake Valley. Consequently, it was a common thing for the Mormon travelers to stop along the way to seek opportunities to work for food or other commodities that would help sustain life.
One day spent building a log home or splitting rails might provide enough corn to last several days. Although what they earned never seemed to be as much as they needed, it did make the continuation of the journey possible.
Historical panel at Bloomfield, Iowa, interpreting the role of Latter-day Saint pioneers who passed through on their way west. | Kenneth Mays
Several sites on the Mormon Pioneer Trail in Iowa note the skill and craftsmanship of the Mormon workers seen in homes and structures that are still extant. One of those is a log home in Bloomfield, now situated on the property of the Davis County Historical Museum. Local tradition says this home was constructed by Mormons passing through in exchange for various goods needed by both the Saints and their animals.
The brick structure that presently houses the museum was built as a private home in 1844. It would have been there when the Latter-day Saints passed through Bloomfield in 1846.