Bucket Building

Use a youth night to create and build a 10 gallon bucket with padded seat.

Family History Search

Using the help of the Ward Family History and Temple Specialists, identify meaningful connections with ancestors.

The youth receive the name of a pioneer or do research prior to trek and bring the name

of an ancestor who demonstrated great faith or courage to overcome a great difficulty in

their life and who they can look to for strength. During the trek, they wear the name of

that pioneer and they find out what happened to that person. They have opportunities to

share what they have learned about the individual they are representing/walking with.

Equipment Check

Use a night to do an equipment check for those youth attending the 2022 Draper Trek.

Pioneer Cooking Night

Take time before trek to cook some authentic pioneer food. Here are a couple of sample recipes.

Johnnycake

2 eggs, beaten
2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons honey or molasses
2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter

Beat eggs until light. Add buttermilk and honey or molasses. Combine dry ingredients and stir into batter along with melted butter. Pour into buttered dripper pan and bake at 425° F. for about 20 minutes. Cut into squares.

Honey Candy

2 cups honey
1 cup sugar
1 cup cream

Combine all ingredients and cook slowly to a hard-ball stage. Pour onto buttered platter. When cool enough to handle, grease hands and pull until a golden color. Cut into pieces.

Rice in Cream

3/4 cup uncooked rice
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Cook rice and salt in milk over boiling water until rice is soft and mixture is thick (about 1 1/2 hours). Add sugar and almond extract. Chill, then stir in whipped cream. Can also be served with berries.

Molasses Candy

1 1/2 cups molasses
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon butter
1/8 teaspoon soda
1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine molasses, sugar, and vinegar and cook to a hard-ball stage. Add butter, soda, and salt; remove from heat and stir until soda is blended, then pour onto greased platter. When cool, pull between greased fingertips until white and stiff. Cut into pieces.

Historical Site Visit

Visit a historical site or a museum.
Examples:

  • Daughters of Utah Pioneer Museum

  • Temple Square

  • Quarry Rock Trail in Little Cottonwood Canyon

  • Draper Historical Society

  • This is the place monument

  • Ensign Peak

  • Church History Museum

  • The Mormon Pioneer Memorial Monument (Brigham Young Family Memorial Cemetery)

Family Search Discovery Night

Imagine walking all day exposed to the scorching sun, wind, or rain, and only advancing as few as 8 miles.

Ever wonder what circumstances the pioneers in your own family endured to reach Zion (the Salt Lake Valley)?

Finding the answer is fun and easy thanks to the free FamilySearch Pioneer Discovery Experience now online. About 1.5 million descendants of pioneers have been identified through millions of worldwide contributions to the FamilySearch Family Tree. Go to FamilySearch.org/Pioneer to make your discoveries.