As every Latter-day Saint knows, special prayers are offered each day in the temples of the Church. The prayers are partly in behalf of sick or otherwise afflicted people whose names have been submitted for the prayer roll, although they are also concerned with other things.

But as I take part in the temple ceremony, and particularly the prayer circle, I sometimes think also of the struggles the Nauvoo Saints had as they were being forced to abandon their beloved city, and I am inevitably impressed with the fact that, amid all the persecution and trouble, they anxiously took time to go to the Nauvoo Temple in order to receive the temple blessings that had been revealed through Joseph Smith. More than 5,600 Saints received their temple endowments before the final exodus took place.

Then, as I participate in the prayer circle in the unhurried and unharried setting of our modern temples, I sometimes think of two special prayer circles held by Brigham Young and a few close associates as the pioneers were on their way West. There were no temples or other houses of worship available, but feeling the need for special blessings they donned their temple robes (how impressive that at least some of these early pioneers had their temple clothes with them) and held a prayer circle.

There may have been more such times, but these two are recorded in William Clayton’s published pioneer journal, and are the only ones I know about. For me, just reading about these prayer circles and the setting in which they were held is an emotional, spiritual experience.

The first one happened on May 30, 1846, nearly four months after the first group of Saints crossed the frigid waters of the Mississippi. During the intervening time they had experienced perhaps more real difficulties than any of the pioneers of 1847 or later, except for the terrible year at Winter Quarters and the tragic experience of the Willie and Martin handcart companies. The winter and spring weather on the plains of Iowa brought bitterly cold storms, tents being blown over, and muddy trails to follow.

On April 15, after a frustrating night on watch during which cattle and horses broke into tents and wagons, William Clayton received word of the birth of a son to his young plural wife, Diantha, who was still in Nauvoo. It was under these conditions that he sat down that morning and composed the famous hymn “Come, Come, Ye Saints” (which, at that point, he titled “All is Well”).

On April 24, at Garden Grove, the Saints established one of two important Iowa way stations that would provide supplies and assistance for future companies. On May 18, they began settlement of the second such station, Mt. Pisgah. William Clayton and his family arrived on May 26, and Clayton described the setting as “a very beautiful situation, the prairie rolling and rich, skirted with beautiful groves of timber on the main fork of the Grand river.” Four days later, the first of the two prayer circles mentioned in Clayton’s journal was held.

That day, probably a little before noon, Clayton borrowed a temple robe from his brother-in-law, Aaron Farr, and rode about three miles out onto the prairie with Willard Richards. There Brigham Young and four others were waiting. Clayton described what happened next, as others joined them:

In my mind these two tents comprised, at that moment, a kind of temple on the prairie, as thirteen men found a secluded spot where they could dress in their sacred robes and offer prayers for the success of their historic journey. The next day, incidentally, was Brigham Young’s forty-fifth birthday.

The next such event recorded by William Clayton took place exactly a year later: Sunday, May 30, 1847. By this time Brigham Young’s vanguard pioneer company, on the way from Winter Quarters to the Salt Lake Valley, was almost to the present eastern boundary of Wyoming, near the site of what is now the town of Henry, Nebraska. About a mile east of Henry are some low sandy bluffs, visible today from U.S. Highway 26.

Unfortunately, there had been some tension in the pioneer camp. Some of the men had been acting somewhat unsaintly: boisterous, arguing, even gambling, and in other ways not comporting themselves as Brigham Young thought they should.

On Saturday, May 29, he had taken the time to chastise them and call them to repentance in a long and pointed sermon. It had the intended effect. The men were solemn and subdued for the rest of the day and on Sunday morning most of them attended a public prayer meeting. Around noon they partook of the sacrament. Shortly afterwards a select group of men went into the bluffs were they found a quiet, level spot and held a special prayer circle. As described by William Clayton:

Clayton emphasized the fact that they all felt glad for the privilege of participating in this private prayer circle. How important it was to that inner circle is suggested by Thomas Bullock’s journal entry for the same day. Apparently members of the group searched for Bullock before they went to the bluffs, but could not find him. Bullock wrote in his journal, however, referring to what Willard Richards had written in his:

Whatever really happened in connection with Bullock, it is clear that this group of men looked upon this prayer circle not only as a special privilege but also as something sacred and tremendously important.

These two events were special prayer circles, certainly not full temple ceremonies. But because this group of faithful pioneers, under the direction of Brigham Young, took time out to find secluded spots, clothe themselves in their sacred temple robes, and hold a special prayer circle, I often think of the spot three miles from Mt. Pisgah and another spot in the bluffs of Nebraska as “temples on the prairie.” And when I find myself participating in temple prayer circles I am frequently reminded of these little-known but important sacred moments in Church history.