Archibald McPhail traveled with his family to America from Scotland in order to join with the Saints in Zion. Sadly, Archibald did not survive long enough to reach the Salt Lake Valley, passing away three days before the Willie Handcart Company arrived in the valley. However, his life of exemplary sacrifice stands as a testament to the man he was. The following account was featured in the book, Follow Me to Zion, published in 2013.
On October 23, after crossing Rocky Ridge in a blizzard, Archibald found that one of the women in his group was missing.
It was a cold, lonely walk as Archibald returned to seek the lost one. He eventually found her freezing, fearful, and without hope. She had reached a creek that she was afraid to cross because the ice might break and she would fall in. She reasoned that she was dying anyway and did not want to die with wet clothing frozen to her body.
Archibald called for her to come across the ice to him, but no amount of coaxing would change her mind. He finally went to her, gathered her up, and started back across the creek. Their combined weight broke the ice. Archibald was soaked in the frigid water, but the rescued woman was safe and dry.
After trudging almost four miles through wind and cold, they stumbled into the camp, where “few tents were pitched.” Archibald was met by his loving teenage daughter, who helped him under a handcart, covered it with a half-frozen tent, and then kept vigil by his side the rest of the night. Three times the wind blew the tent cover off the rude shelter. Three times Henrietta replaced it and brushed the snow from her father’s face.