John W. Hess Company (1849)

In 1848 Hess departed from Salt Lake to assist his widowed mother and his siblings to come to Utah. They were living in Mt. Pisgah, Iowa. He received assistance to travel by being hired as a guide for a company bound for the California gold fields. He led them part way, but they became discouraged by his slow pace and left him to bring his family alone into Salt Lake.