Grand Island Nebraska

When the Mormon Saints, led by Brigham Young passed through present day Hall County in April of 1847, they followed a path defined by Indians, fur traders, and a list of previous explorers.  Camp Clerk, William Clayton described the area, “At twenty minutes after eight, the teams started again and after traveling about two miles came to a very pretty stream of good water (Wood River) about ten feet wide on the average, but at the fording place about a rod wide.  We were detained some here, but all got over safely…we camped at night close to the Grand Island where there is an abundance of rushes for cattle…” The Wood River Crossing became a well-known site on the trail, a common camping area that encompassed 25 acres on either side of the river.  In 1858, the makeshift town of Mendota sprung up on the north encampment area and aided those passing through to such places as Utah, California, Oregon, the gold mines in Colorado and the supply terminus of Fort Kearny.  The building of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1866 through Hall County brought an end to the heavy use of the trails and an end to the town of Mendota.  Source – Hall County Historical Society