Forgotten Voyage

The Mormon Sea Trek that Sparked the Gold Rush

In 1846 a clan of Mormon families fleeing persecution embarked on a six-month sea journey--crammed into one small ship. Nearly 250 men, women and children sailed from New York City around the tip of South America and up to California. They survived horrific storms and suffocating heat, becoming the first group of American families to go West by sea. Discover how they accidentally settled San Francisco for America . . . and how they ignited the California Gold Rush. This is a little-known saga of faith tested to the extreme. It is the forgotten voyage of the ship Brooklyn.