Monumental story, the Mormon Battalion

When the Mormon Battalion finally reached the Pacific Ocean on Jan. 29, 1847 — their feet scarred and bloody, their rations depleted and their clothing tattered — they had completed a march of nearly 2,000 miles to what is modern-day San Diego. They endured one of the longest military marches in history, forging their way over largely uncharted territory because a prophet of God asked them to go.

To tell this monumental story of sacrifice, faith and love of God and country, a newly designed Mormon Battalion Historic Site was reopened to the public exactly 163 years after the nearly 350 men, women and children arrived near this site below Presidio Hill.

"This is an incredible building that becomes a missionary tool to tell one of the greatest untold stories in the history of our people," said Elder Richard G. Hinckley of the Seventy and executive director of the Church's Missionary Department.