Thomas Edwin Ricks
| Thomas E. Ricks | |
|---|---|
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Thomas Edwin Ricks July 21, 1828 Trigg County, Kentucky, United States |
| Died | September 28, 1901 (aged 73) Rexburg, Idaho, United States |
Thomas Edwin Ricks (July 21, 1828 – September 28, 1901) was a prominent Mormon pioneer, a community leader, and a settler of the western United States.
Ricks was born on July 21, 1828 in Western Kentucky, the son of Joel Ricks and Eleanor Martin. In 1830, he moved with his family to Silver Creek, Illinois where his family started a branch of the Campbellite Church. In 1840, his family was introduced to missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and in 1841, Ricks' parents and siblings were all baptized into the church. A month later the family moved to Nauvoo, Illinois, where Ricks helped in the construction of the Nauvoo Temple.
In 1844 Ricks had an accident while breaking a horse. The horse landed on his left leg. As a result of this accident Ricks' left leg did not grow as long as his right leg. As a result, wearing a platform shoe, he walked with a limp, and later used a cane.
At age twenty, Ricks crossed the plains to the Salt Lake Valley with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He initially crossed the Mississippi River heading west with the Charles C. Rich family. Ricks left the Rich family at Garden Grove, Iowa to meet up with the rest of his family in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Ricks stayed with his family for two years in Council Bluffs while Brigham Young took the first group of Mormon Pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley. One of the teams used by this first pioneer group was donated by the Ricks family. On May 29, 1848 Ricks left Winter Quarters, Nebraska headed for the Salt Lake Valley in Heber C. Kimball's company.
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