Near here, in a grove of young hickory trees, stood an important rallying point in 1855 and 1856 for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints emigrating to the Rocky Mountains. The campground was a temporary village covering about 150 acres, made up of the grove, a large pasture fenced by native sod and a ditch, and a burial ground on the elevated ridge between the grove and the farm. Although one or two permanent structures were built, most residents lived in tents, wagon boxes, or makeshift dwellings. During the peak year of emigration in 1855, nearly 2,000 Latter-Day Saints with 337 wagons left from here for the Salt Lake Valley. It was also a tragic year for U.S., British, and European Mormons at the small way station, where many died in a cholera epidemic. In 1856, Iowa City, Iowa, became the major jump-off point for Latter-Day Saint westward travel, and Mormon Grove became a forgotten gathering place.