Many pioneers died in the original 1847 trek to Utah

False, everyone made it to hear "This is the right place"

There was not a single death in the original 1847 pioneer company that came to Utah. Most groups that came had less than a 3 percent death rate and over a third of the companies reported no deaths. Only 18 of the more than 250 companies experienced more than 20 deaths while coming. This means that about 7 percent of the companies accounted for 43 percent of the deaths.

Sources: "111 Days to Zion," by Hal Knight and Dr. Stanley B. Kimball; Deseret News archives; lds.org; "The History of Emigration Canyon," The National Park Service; Mel Bashore and Chad Orton of the LDS Church History Library.