Mapping the Alberta Route of the 1887 Mormon Trek from Utah to Cardston (Migration Route from Logan, Utah to Cardston, Alberta‪)‬

The exact route travelled in 1887 by the first Mormon (2) pioneers from Logan, Utah, to Cardston, Alberta, has remained relatively unknown. However, through an application of modern satellite mapping technology, (3) combined with a correlated review of period maps, documents, and pioneer accounts, it is now possible to determine with relative accuracy the route of this first party of Mormon pioneers. The two objectives of this paper will be to identify the contemporary trails that aided the first Mormon migration from Utah, and a specific description of that portion of the trail that led from the Canada-United States boundary to the original settlement site of Cardston. While the fur traders and explorers entered Alberta from the east, it was not long before there was a north-south connection between Alberta and Montana territories. After the Civil War, the United States government attempted to suppress the sale of alcohol to First Nations people. This prompted the growth of whiskey trading on the Canadian side of the line, centred at the trading post of Fort Whoop-up, located near the present city of Lethbridge. This trading success led to increased use of what became known as the Whoop-up Trail between Montana and Alberta.