June 11, 1856 – The second Mormon handcart expedition leaves Johnson County for Utah Territory.
In 1856, 1,300 Mormon immigrants, forced westward from their homes in Illinois and points further east, gathered here in Johnson County to make camp during their difficult migration to Utah Territory. Here, in today’s Coralville, the Mormon community built handcarts out of native woods so that one adult could haul a 600–700 pound load, covering about 15 miles per day on foot.
A Day-by-Day Calendar of Historical Events In Iowa, William J. Petersen, State Historical Society of Iowa, 1946, p 56
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