Larry Howell spends most of his time pushing the boundaries of technology, but the BYU professor has stepped back in time and taken an engineering cue from Mormon pioneers.

Howell combined modern gear theory and notes from the pioneers to create a replica of the odometer used to measure the distance on the 1,000-mile trip to Zion.

"When I realized that although the pioneers were in tough circumstances out in the wilderness they took the time to do a research-and-development project to help other people, I wanted to do my own project to recognize their contribution," he said.

Joseph Jacobsen, a student in the master's degree program in mechanical engineering, helped build the device. He said he saw it as a fun side project that put him in touch with his heritage.

"I'm not sure I had any grand connecting moment with them, but it was really fun to try to think like they thought, to put yourself in their shoes and say, 'What if I was out on the plain and I just had the tools that were in their wagon to make it?'

"They were really good at what they did," Jacobsen said. "We don't give them probably enough credit for how skilled they were."

The dimensions of the device were previously unknown. Using the pioneers's notes from the mid-1800s, Howell was able to use gear theory to extrapolate the exact measurements of the device.

Howell will present a paper about the project at the History of Mechanisms Symposium in Philadelphia in September. The project was a diversion from his usual research into microscopic devices.

Jacobsen said it took him longer to build the device than it likely took the pioneers, even with the benefits of modern technology and computerized design.

"Some people think that such a simple machine is insignificant, but it had a major impact on society," he said. "It is important that we are recognizing that."

The team that came up with the original odometer was organized much like modern engineering teams, Howell said. "They had Brigham Young that was essentially the manager; Orson Pratt that was the engineer; William Clayton, who was, in engineering terms what we call the customer. He's the one that described what he needed and used the device. And Appleton Harmon was the guy who actually fabricated it, built it -- the craftsman."

While there are limitless opportunities to explore modern engineering topics, Howell said it never hurts to look back, to learn lessons about being bold and thinking ahead.

"It is really interesting and a good example for us to see the vision they had and how bold they were," he said. "Here they are, they were out in the wilderness, they were somewhere in Nebraska, and they decided to measure the distances that no one had ever done before."

The pioneers stood to gain nothing from creating the device and recording the distance, except helping their brothers and sisters who would come later, Howell said.

"That's a valuable lesson for us to learn, that the things we do, to do it in a way to help other people," he said.

Anna Chang-Yen can be reached at 344-2549 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it