Cooke's Peak, Cook, Hadley & Jose -- Some History

On May 13, 1846 a state of war was recognized between the United States and Mexico.

That same year Mormon leader, Brigham Young, agreed to the paid enlistment of 500 of his best young men to help fight the war with Mexico...thus establishing the Mormon Battalion. To the Mormon heirarchy, this meant 500 men would be taken to California at federal government expense to assess the land for possible emigration. The government hoped to conciliate this persecuted religious minority.

The Mormon Battalion left Council Bluffs on July 16, 1846 marching to Fort Leavenworth. On October 13, the Battalion reached Santa Fe, where Colonel Philip St. George Cooke had assembled supplies for a 60-day march.