A King of Western Scouts, III

A King of Western Scouts BY SOLOMON F. KIMBALL

In Three Parts—Part III

Perhaps no subordinate military man, connected with the "Mor- mon" Church, played a more prominent part in the so-called Echo Canyon war, during the winter of 1857-58, than did Elder Ephraim K. Hanks. So daring was he in some of his exploits that the bravest men in his company were not anxious to follow him on his reconnoitering expeditions. One dark night he crawled so near to the army officers' tents that the cook unwittingly threw scraps from the general's table over him. Nothing went on

MAIN STREET, SALT LAKE CITY, IN EARLY DAYS

around the Officers' Headquarters that he was not familiar with consequently, he kept General Wells posted on every important movement made by Johnston's army. He captured many of Uncle Sam's teams, so as to prevent the troops from moving towards the valley, until President Brigham Young had time to make the authorities at Washington acquainted with the true con- dition of things. During the moe south, in 1858, he made his home at provo,

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and after his return to Salt Lake, that fall, he took up a ranch be- tween Big and Little Mountain, east of the city, which was named by him Mountain Dell. Here he established a trading post and did a thriving business with the emigrants who passed, during the summer months. He also kept the stage station and looked after the Pony Express boys who always enjoyed! with him a plate of hot refreshments before speeding on their way to the East or to the West. During the winter months, Mr. Hanks had great difficulty to keep the road open over the Big Mountain where the snow, near the east brink, sometimes drifted to the depth of ten or twelve feet.

THE OLD BROMLEY STAGE STATION, MOUTH OF ECHO CANYON In opening the way through this place he generally used a yoke of his oxen called Buck and Blow. On occasions of deep snow he drove the cattle into the drift as far as possible and then unyoked them. Buck, who understood the meaning of it, moved forward until he came into snow up to his eyes. He then tramped around until he secured a good footing, preparatory to the next move. When everything was ready, that old bovine bunted into that bank of snow with such vim that Eph, on several occasions, thought he had lost him forever but the old fellow nearly always backed out ;

on time. As soon as he was out of the way, old Blow lined up for the fray, and the bucking and blowing indulged in on such occasions was enough to make the student of animals smile with delight.

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The stage that passed by Mr. Hanks' place was a semi- occasional affair, but when it did arrive it was generally loaded with the kind of people who appeared to have been born hungry. The fare across the plains in those days was so high that only the rich could afford to ride, consequently his visitors were a class of people who were well able to pay their way. Eph was not long in finding this out, and aimed to give each passenger his money's worth of pie, even if sugar was a dollar a pound. In those days beef, also, was scarce and, in order to keep his ;

table supplied with fresh meat, he was compelled to resort to many schemes. His past experience had taught him that the meat of many animals not generally considered wholesome was as good as that used by the general public— it was sometimes better. When

ON THE SUMMIT OF BIG MOUNTAIN

Eph was caught in an unusually tight place for meat, he would kill badgers, or hedge-hogs, boil the meat in several changes of water until the strong taste and smell were gone, and then serve it to the high-toned stranger in a way that made him smack his lips and look for more. On one occasion, a rich banker had en- joyed several slices of boiled badger, when he wanted to know what kind of meat it was, as he had never before tasted anything quite so good. Eph, with a twinkle in his eye said, "Mr. Banker, that is cub, our common Mountain Dell cub." The banker, turn- ing to his accomplished wife, said, "Yes, I thought so, it is cer- tainly the most delicious meat that has been set before us since we left home." About the year 1860, the road through Parley's Canyon and

320 IMPROVEMENT ERA over the summit, was completed. After that, most of the travel went that way. This change, of course, affected business at the Dell, and the result was that Eph sold his mountain home and moved to Parlev's Park. He found the surrounding country there in a state of wild nature nor could a more beautiful spot be im- ;

agined. Here he built his home and commenced to raise stock. There were but two other families in the Park at that time besides his own, and the families resided about two miles apart. Maraud- ing bands of Indians overran the country hence, great care had ;

to be used by the settlers to prevent the redskins from committing depredations. Many scenes of a thrilling nature occurred during those trying times, but Ephraim K. Hanks was always at his post when danger was in sight, or at its worst. From 1856 to 1863, much of his time was spent among the hostile Indians of the plains, in the interest of "Mor- mon" emigration. He visited first one tribe and then an- other, and in this way, he by his intelligent diplomacy saved the lives of many people. All this work he did without re- — muneration for his love of God's children, which knew no bounds. Eph could go from the sublime to the ridiculous prob- THISBE READ WHO MARRIED ably as quickly and .with as EPHRAIM K. HANKS little effort as any man who APRIL 6, 1862 ever lived, no matter what the conditions were. About the year 1862 he had an old character by the name of Bill Braffett working for him. Braffett had much conceit in his bald pate. He was always boasting about what he could do. One day he had the nerve to tell Hanks that he could do anything that Hanks could. The latter was skinning an ox at the time. When he came to the skin on the back of the animal's neck he cut out a piece about two by twelve inches long. He scraped the hair off, split it in two, and then asked Mr. Braffett to take his choice. Bill, realizing what was coming, chose the smaller piece, of course, Eph, turning to Mr. Braffett said, "Now Bill, go to it, and we will see which of us can eat this hide in the shortest time." They went to work in earnest. In less than ten minutes Eph had eaten the last morsel of his piece of rawhide. He then went over to

A KING OF WESTERN SCOUTS 321

where Braffett was standing and asked him what had become of his portion of old Blue's neck. Bill said he had eaten it long ago. The words had no more than escaped his mouth, when Eph pulled the one-by-twelve-inch strip of rawhide out of Bill Braffett's bosom. George W. Naylor of Salt Lake, and other parties who witnessed this amusing incident, laugh to this day when they tell about it. Eph was certainly a man of many ideas. It was hard to catch hirn napping. Brother John Walsh, of Farmington, who lived in Emigration Canyon during those stirring times, said that the last time he saw Mr. Hanks he had a pair of live cub bears hung across his shoulders and was "making for home" as fast as his horse could carry him. He had probably killed the mother bear and was on his way to secure a wagon to haul her home. The experience of Ephraim K. Hanks along certain lines was most mar- velous, and all who knew him were astounded at his resourcefulness. For in- stance, there was a man moving a steam boiler from Salt Lake to Heber City. Just before he reached Eph's place, he came to a mud-hole in Sam Snyder's slough. The moment the front wheels struck the s 1 o u g h-crossing they WALTER E., THE OLDEST SON OF dropped almost out of EPHRAIM K. AND THISBE R. HANKS sight. The man worked around there for a day or two, but accomplished nothing. About the time he had given up all hopes of getting the boiler over, Eph happened along. He said to the stranger, "Mr., what will you give me to land that thing on the other side of this slough between now and sun- down?" The man, looking dubiously at Hanks, said, "If you will get this boilerover there by dark I will give you thirty-five dollars, cash down, and furnish you with five yoke of oxen besides." "Enough said," was Eph's reply. He had three hours to complete the job, with no time to "spin yarns." He pulled off his coat, felled two quaking-asp trees, stripped the bark from them, rounded the butt-ends in sleigh-

322 IMPROVEMENT ERA runner fashion, slipped the timbers under the axles, lashed one to either side,and hitched six yokes of oxen to the big end of the poles, with his Mountain Dell pets in the lead. When all was ready,

He grabbed a whip and let it slip. He yelled at Buck and Blow He goaded all, both great and small, till things began to go. And things did go, until that 7,000-pound boiler was landed on the other side of the Sam Snyder slough. The stranger, looking on with amazement, said, "That's a new one on me," and at the same time handed Eph his thirty-five dol- lars. The Reese boys, and other Salt Lake residents were wit- nesses to-this little incident, and often enjoyed a good laugh over it. Eph built his home under the hills just north of where Park City is now located, and was the first man to discover silver quartz

SCENE IN THE BLACK HILLS, WYOMING, IN EARLY DAYS, NORTH OF THE OLD PIONEER TRAIL

neighborhood. He lived in Parley's Park until the Black in that Hawk war broke out, in 1865, and then moved to Salt Lake City. For the next two or three years much of his time was spent in helping to subdue the savages of the south who were making life a burden to the inhabitants of that part of the state. In 1877, he was advised, by the Church authorities, to pur- chase Lee's Ferry, on the Colorado river. He made all 'prepara- tions to remove thither, when his plans were frustrated by the death

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of President Brigham Young. He had already sold his home and so, on the advice of President John Taylor, he moved his family to Burrville, in Wayne county, Utah. That being- a cold country, he changed his location to the mouth of a box canyon some distance east of that place, on a small tributary to the Fre- mont river, called Pleasant Creek. Here he built a comfortable home and set out about two hundred fruit trees. It was in this location that Assistant Church Historian Andrew Jenson visited Elder Hanks, in June, 1891, and gathered from this King of Scouts many interesting incidents of his life, some of which are contained in this series of articles. Just prior to the death of President Woodruff, he sent Elder Brigham Young, of the Quorum of the Twelve, on a special mis-

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AN OX TRAIN IN THE EARLY SIXTIES sion to southern Utah to ordain Elder Hanks a Patriarch, realiz- ing that he was worthy of that high and exalted office. Ephraim K. Hanks was first counselor to Bishop Henry Giles, of Blue Valley ward, Wayne county, Utah, up to the day of his death which occurred June 9, 1896. President Brigham Young, in speaking of the virtues of Elder Hanks, once said, in substance, that there is a man who has always been ready to lay down his life for the authorities of the Church, as well as for the cause of Zion and her people, and in due time he will receive his reward. It would require volumes to place properly before the Latter-

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day Saints all the heroic deeds performed by this remarkable man. He was certainly an instrument in the hands of the Lord in heh> ing to make it possible for the thousands of emigrants who came dwell in peace in these valleys of the to Utah, in early days, to mountains. The Indians of the plains learned to love and respect him and. in later years, he wielded an influence among them that ;

was nothing short of marvelous. There was not a man in the Church who had more influence with them than he had. So many

A GROUP OF UTAH INDIANS

cures he performed among them that they almost looked upon him as a superhuman being. They fed him when he was hungry, clothed him when he was naked, and cared for him when sick. The Spirit of the Lord was with him, and no one realized that fact more than did the redmen of the plains. He was naturally intelligent, God-fearing, and liberal to a fault. Of course, he was somewhat rough, as he had but little opportunity to attend school, or to enjoy the comforts of home life. He was good at relating stories and never permitted any point to be lost in the story's telling. Under the most trying circumstances he was always cheerful, and scarce a word of complaint was ever heard to come from his lips. His life was marvelously and often miraculously spared while he passed through terrible dangers. This generation of Latter-day Saints will never fully appreciate