--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Cluff, W. W. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 4 number: 8 published: 1901-06 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'W. W. Cluff, "An Incident in the Life of President Brigham Young," *Improvement Era* 4, no. 8 (June 1901): 572–574.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0408unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera0408unse start_page: 572 end_page: 574 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1901-06) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0408unse publication_year: 1901 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1901, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # An Incident in the Life of President Brigham Young AN INCIDENT IN THE LIFE OE PRESIDENT BRIGHAM YOUNG. BY ELDER W. W. CLUFP. It is one hundred years since Brigham Young was born. The work of the Lord with which he was so closely identi- fied, has had remarkable growth; his guiding mind, by the bless- ing of God, did much in his time to accelerate its progress. He was a mighty power in the founding of this commonwealth; a force so potent that the fruits of his influence and thought are still with us, as we stand looking back at the century that has vanished since he was born in Whitingham, Windham County, Ver- mont, June 1, 1801. His works are grand inspirations to the youth of Zion, who may well ponder upon his life, and learn lessons therefrom. I know that Brigham Young was an inspired leader; and, in his career, I have personally noticed many incidents that prove it. I submit one taken from my journal, for the readers of the Era, which I think shows his sagacity and far-seeing wisdom, born of inspiration, and applied to common, but very important everyday affairs: On May 10, 1854, in company with eighteen other elders who had been called on missions to the Sandwich Islands, I left my home in Provo, taking the southern overland route to California. We traveled as far as Cedar City, in southern Utah, with President Young's party who were making a tour of the southern settlements, and were holding meetings in all of the principal towns en route. At the meeting at Cedar City, President Brigham Young and INCIDENT IN THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT YOUNG. 573 the brethren accompanying him, togetljer with the leading men of the settlement, walked out to view the townsite which had been laid out around the stockade fort in which most of them were still living; a few families had built upon their town lots. The Presi- dent noticed that a great many large boulders were scattered over the surface of the country, and he readily perceived that they had been washed down from the mountains. Walking up to one of the largest of these rocks, and placing his cane upon it, he said, addressing the leading men of the colony, "Brethren, how did these immense boulders come here?" "Oh!" replied one of the settlers, "they have been brought down here by a flood, from those gulches, in the mountains yonder." "Ah !" replied President Young, "it must have been a terrible flood to have brought these massive rocks all that distance." "Yes, there can be no doubt about that," readily admitted the settler. "And, judging from appearances," replied Brother Brigham, "there must have been frequent floods, for you see some of these boulders are almost entirely buried with soil, while others lie on top of the ground, showing, clearly, they were not all brought here at one time." "There have been floods at different times," said the settler. "Yes; that is very evident," said the President, "and what has so frequently occurred, is liable to happen again. Now," said he, "suppose you build your town here, and there should come such a flood as any of those which brought these great rocks here, the people and their effects would be washed down into the val- ley below, and many perhaps perish. This is no place for a town. Find some other location, and lose no time in moving from here." The next day, he went out again with the principal men of the colony, and after looking the country over carefully, decided on the present site of Cedar City. The sequel was: in July or August of that summer, sure enough a great flood did come down there and had the town been ; built on the originally selected site, many of the people of the town doubtless would have perished, with their property, as the President foresaw, and of which he gave timely warning. His — 574 IMPROVEMENT ERA. wise insight perhaps saved, in that instance, the lives of many of his brethren and sisters, with their children and their worldly pos- sessions! Such was the sagacity and great wisdom of the man, who, under the inspiration of the Lord, founded most of the settlements in these valleys of the Rocky Mountains. His life is full of such incidents, showing his wisdom and foresight, in great affairs and small!