Although Mormon Church leaders had tried to put a temporary hold on emigration due to the uncertainties incident to the Utah War (1857-58), the Scandinavians in this company came to America anyway. Most of them were tradesmen and mechanics and had previously sold their property in anticipation of their move. On February 20, 1858, seven Swedes, two Norwegians, and a larger group of Danes gathered at Corsoer, Denmark. Led by a returning missionary, Iver Nicholes Iverson, they traveled overland via Hamburg to Bremerhaven, Germany. This journey was not easy. On May 5, the emigrants left Bremerhaven for Hull in England aboard the steamer Move, but a storm drove them back. Finally, on the 12th they again set sail, arriving at Hull on the 14th. The next day, they traveled to Liverpool, where, on the 18th they boarded the John Bright, a large, triple-decked square-rigger. This vessel embarked on March 22, 1858. Among its passengers were 90 Mormon emigrants, most of them Scandinavian, but 9 were from England.
On April 24 this company landed at Castle Garden, New York, and then some of them continued on to Omaha, Nebraska Territory. Here, a Danish family, whose 1857 trip across the plains had been interrupted by the premature birth and death of a child, joined the company. Other additions included at least one missionary returning to Utah from Massachusetts; a young man from England; and an older American who drove a light wagon filled with merchandise. All together, the train consisted of eight or nine wagons, drawn either by oxen or mules. It left Florence, Nebraska, on July 6, with Iver Iverson as captain. On the trail at some point, a wagon overturned, nearly drowning a woman and two children. It was hard to revive one of the little ones, but the rescuers succeeded. After this, the train stopped for a day to dry things out. Another daylong delay resulted when one of the wagons broke an axle.
Before reaching Fort Laramie the company caught up with military units that were headed to Utah, and the emigrants and the soldiers traveled together as far as Devil's Gate on the Sweetwater. A Peace Commission had settled the trouble between the United States and the Mormons on June 12. Meanwhile, an army soldier hired one of the emigrants as a teamster at one dollar per day, plus board. The troops also shared food with the emigrants, who opened their last 100-pound bag of flour at Fort Laramie. From Laramie, on August 13, Captain Iverson wrote a letter to Albert Carrington, editor of the Deseret News, reporting that all was well with the company. Later, a few of the emigrant's oxen died of alkali poisoning, so they had to lighten their loads. Some buried new stoves and other items in the ground, marking the spot in the hopes they might retrieve their goods later. After this all who could do so had to walk, although the soldiers let one emigrant boy ride because he helped watch the livestock. At the Sweetwater River, the soldiers left Iverson's train behind and pushed on to Fort Bridger. Finally, the emigrants arrived in Salt Lake City on September 20. Since many early residents of the city had fled southward at the approach of Johnston's army and had not returned, housing and land were available to the newcomers quite inexpensively.