Pioneer Heritage Foundation of Illinois

The goal of the Pioneer Heritage Foundation of Illionis is to memorialize the 1834 Zion’s Camp so that its history and profound message will fulfill Wilford Woodruff’s prophecy that the story of Zion’s Camp “be handed down to the last generations of men” and ” live through all time and in eternity”. This will be a comprehensive goal inclusive of other important Mormon sites and historical events of the region such as the Kirtland Camp, the Potawatomi Indian Death March, and Grant’s Civil War March. This goal will be accomplished by:    

• Establishing a fixed site for a Zion’s Camp memorial to tell its story and house its artifacts.
• Identifying, restoring, and maintaining Zion’s Camp and other associated trails and sites.
• Researching historical events, people, and communities associated with Zion’s Camp.
• Connecting our pioneer past with the present generation through education, family history research, and a live Zion’s Camp experience.
• Increasing interest and association with the “waste places of Zion” and “regions round about” in order to build them up in the bonds of edification and love.
• Acquiring funds to purchase, develop, and maintain a Zion’s Camp memorial, trails, and sites and to provide a permanent Zion’s Camp educational campus.
• The long term educational goal will be to instill the knowledge, values, skills, and character traits, which accomplish the profound message of Zion’s Camp, in those that march in Zion’s Camp today.