The Frozen Trail

Based on a true story THE FROZEN TRAIL details Emma Girdlestone's 1856 trek across the United States with the ill-fated Willie Handcart Company. It tells of a remarkable young woman of faith, who endured a journey wrought with peril to join her fellow Latter-day Saints in the Salt Lake Valley of the Utah desert.

The Mormon pioneers moved across the Great Plains in wagon trains and pulling handcarts to seek a new home safe from persecution. THE FROZEN TRAIL is the story of one woman, eighteen-year-old Emma Girdlestone who, along with her fellow travelers, faced starvation, frostbite, and death on the trail to Zion.

This work of historical fiction is dedicated to the members of the Willie Handcart Company. These courageous pioneers showed heroism and devotion in the face of unbelievably harsh and brutal conditions. It is especially dedicated to Willie Handcart member Emma Girdlestone who left behind a legacy of bravery, fortitude, and faith; and who, 155 years later, managed to change the life of her great-great-granddaughter Lisa Dayley, the author of this book.

This novella is written in a simple, clear style suitable for younger readers as well as adults.