Pioneer Stories - Mary Hereford & Ephramine Wickland

Mary Hereford & Ephramine Wickland

Many individuals had personal experiences that confirmed in their minds the importance of the work they were doing with the second rescue in the Stake of Riverton Wyoming. One such person was Mary Hereford, a Lamanite member of the Wind River Branch. In the fall of 1991, Mary was given a paper by her branch president assigning her to research the name of Ephramine Wickland, a one year old girl who was a member of the Willie company. Shortly there after, the home in which Sister Hereford lived burned to the ground. In the terror of watching the fire, she remembered the paper that had been given to her with the name of the little pioneer girl. She later described her feelings as she stood outside watching her home burn: 

"Standing outside…I said a little prayer, "Please Lord, don’t let the paper burn." When the firemen said we could go in, I looked around and started to cry. The house had been very badly burned and there was a lot of smoke damage…the next day we went back to the house to see if we could save anything… the kitchen was the worst. My microwave was melted to a crisp. While looking on top of the refrigerator I found the paper.. Everything on the paper was burnt except that my name and the person whose work was to be done were white. The names seemed to be highlighted I was very surprised. Mary insisted that the only reason the paper did not burn with the rest of her possessions was that Ephramine, the little pioneer girl, wanted her temple work completed. Mary found that indeed sealing work needed to be done for the child. 

The Second Rescue was a resounding success. During the fourteen month period from August 1991 to September 1992, more than 4,200 individual temple ordinances were completed in behalf of the Willie and Martin handcart pioneers, their 1856 rescuers, and their families. Overall, 52 percent of the temple ordinances for the handcart pioneers and their rescuers need to be completed. In addition to baptisms and confirmations, children were sealed to their parents, husbands and wives were sealed for eternity, and the sacred covenants of the endowment were made in behalf of these handcart pioneers who gave so much for their testimonies of the restored gospel.