Plot
The film focuses on the lives of Ephraim Hanks and Thomas Dobson, telling their stories in parallel.
Hanks, a rebellious young man, joins the U.S. Navy after a violent confrontation with his father. Three years later, he returns home to find that his father has died and his brother Sidney has joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Believing Sidney to be in trouble, his mother sends Ephraim to go and save him, but Ephraim ends up converting also and is baptized by Sidney.
At the same time, eight year old Thomas Dobson is baptized in his hometown of Preston, Lancashire and suffers for his faith. In 1856, a man announces that the Dobsons are departing for Zion (Utah) with the handcart brigade. Thomas, now an adult, has no desire to travel to an uncivilized area miles away from home, but his mother convinces him it is God's will.
Ephraim Hanks joins the Mormon Battalion and becomes a prominent member of the church. When he hears the handcart people are in trouble, he agrees to go and help, where his story intersects with that of Dobson.
Thomas Spencer Monson was an American religious leader, author, and the 16th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As president, he was considered by adherents of the religion to be a prophet, seer, and revelator. Monson's early career was as a manager at the Deseret News, a Utah newspaper owned by the LDS Church. He spent most of his life engaged in various church leadership positions and public service.
The Mormon Trail is the 1,300-mile (2,100 km) long route from Illinois to Utah on which Mormon pioneers traveled from 1846–47. Today, the Mormon Trail is a part of the United States National Trails System, known as the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail.
Mormon cinema usually refers to films with themes relevant to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The term has also been used to refer to films that do not necessarily reflect Mormon themes but have been made by Mormon filmmakers. Films within the realm of Mormon cinema may be distinguished from institutional films produced by the LDS Church, such as Legacy and Testaments, which are made for instructional or proselyting purposes and are non-commercial. Mormon cinema is produced mainly for the purposes of entertainment and potential financial success.
Deseret Book is an American publishing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), the holding company for business firms owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Deseret Book is a for-profit corporation registered in Utah. Deseret Book publishes under four imprints with media ranging from works explaining LDS theology and doctrine, LDS-related fiction, electronic resources, and sound recordings such as The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square albums.
Martin's Cove is a historic site in Wyoming. The 933 acre (3.8 km²) cove is located 55 miles (89 km) southwest of Casper, Wyoming, in Natrona County. It is located on the Mormon Trail and is also part of the North Platte-Sweetwater segment of the Oregon Trail. The Cove was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on March 8, 1977.
The Mormon handcart pioneers were participants in the migration of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Salt Lake City, Utah, who used handcarts to transport their belongings. The Mormon handcart movement began in 1856 and continued until 1860.
Daniel Webster Jones was an American and Mormon pioneer. He was the leader of the group that colonized what eventually became Mesa, Arizona, made the first translation of selections of The Book of Mormon into Spanish, led the first Mormon missionary expedition into Mexico, dealt frequently with the American Indians, and was the leader of the group that heroically wintered at Devil's Gate during the rescue of the stranded handcart companies in 1856.
Ephraim Knowlton Hanks was a prominent member of the 19th-Century Latter Day Saint movement, a Mormon pioneer and a well known leader in the early settlement of Utah.
John Jaques was a Latter Day Saint hymnwriter and missionary and an Assistant Church Historian for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Danquart Anthon Weggeland, known as Dan was an artist and teacher in the early Utah Territory. He was sometimes referred to as the "Father of Utah Art".
Emily Hill Woodmansee was an English-born American Mormon poet and hymnwriter. Although only one of her hymns "As Sisters In Zion" is included in the 1985 LDS English language edition of the LDS Church's hymnbook, previous LDS Church hymnbooks have included more of her works.
Marion Duff Hanks was a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1953 until his death.
Ebenezer Beesley was a Latter-day Saint hymn writer and composer. The music for twelve of the hymns in the 1985 English-language hymnal of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were written by him.
Cyrus Hubbard Wheelock was an early missionary and leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He wrote the words to the Latter-day Saint hymn "Ye Elders of Israel".
Thomas C. Christensen is an American cinematographer, film director, and writer best known for his work on films related to the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration, Gordon B. Hinckley: A Giant Among Men, 17 Miracles, and Ephraim's Rescue. He has made films about the Martin and Willie handcart companies who traversed the plains toward the Salt Lake Valley in late 1856. Christensen is also a member of the American Society of Cinematographers.
Megaplex Theatres is a cinemas chain based in Sandy, Utah. Founded in 1999 by the late Larry H. Miller, then owner of the Utah Jazz, it is currently owned by the Larry H. Miller Company. As of 2023, Megaplex Theatres operates 15 locations in Utah and Nevada, and it has plans to expand into Idaho.
17 Miracles is a 2011 historical adventure film directed by T. C. Christensen. It was released in 2011 by Excel Entertainment Group. Based on the experiences of members of the Willie Handcart Company of Mormon pioneers following their late-season start and subsequent winter journey to Salt Lake City in 1856, the film emphasizes miracles individual participants reported having during the journey. The film was released in select theaters across the United States in the summer of 2011.
John Rowe Moyle was a Mormon pioneer and a settler of Alpine, Utah. He was a master stonemason for the Salt Lake Temple, and was the carver of the inscription "Holiness to the Lord" on the temple's east side.
The Willie and Martin handcart companies were two companies of Mormon handcart pioneers that were participating in the migration of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Salt Lake City, Utah and used handcarts to transport their belongings. The Mormon handcart movement began in 1856 and continued until 1860. The trek was disastrous for these two companies, which started their journey dangerously late and were caught by heavy snow and severe temperatures in central Wyoming. Despite a dramatic rescue effort, more than 210 of the 980 pioneers in these two companies died along the way. John Chislett, a survivor, wrote, "Many a father pulled his cart, with his little children on it, until the day preceding his death."
