Historic Routes
 The Mormon Pioneer Trail — blazed from Illinois to Utah, beginning in 1846 — is one of the most important journeys made in America’s history. As the intrepid people braved the hazardous journey west, they passed through the southern tier of Iowa counties, leaving a lasting impression on the area’s cultural history.
From 1846 to 1869, tens of thousands of Mormons followed the trail from Nauvoo, Illinois, across southern Iowa and onward to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake, a 1,200-mile adventure. They traveled west to find a place where they could maintain their religious and cultural identity in peace. In so doing, the “Saints” — as the Mormons called themselves — opened new lands once considered worthless desert and created thriving communities.
The auto tour route is marked with the Iowa Mormon Trail signs, and follows Highways 2, 34, 25 and 92 from Nauvoo in the east to Council Bluffs in the west.
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