--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Anderson, Joseph F. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 18 number: 8 published: 1915-06 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Joseph F. Anderson, "Pioneers and Pioneering in Southeastern Utah—I," *Improvement Era* 18, no. 8 (June 1915): 710–716.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1808unse 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: improvementera1808unse start_page: 710 end_page: 716 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1915-06) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1808unse publication_year: 1915 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 1915, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Pioneers and Pioneering in Southeastern Utah—I Pioneers and Pioneering in Southeastern Utah BY JOSEPH F. ANDERSON, DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY 'AND SOCIAL SCIENCE, MILLARD COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL In Tzvo Parts —Part I The recent spectacular uprising of the Indians in the region of the "four corners," where Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico meet, has turned the eyes of the whole country to south- eastern Utah. The newspapers and magazines of the country at large have deluged their readers with strange tales of this remote American fron- tier. Even volumes of fiction have made their early appearance with Tse-Ne-Gat and other aboriginal renegades as leading characters. Often the press re- ports and magazine matter have failed to do justice to the ster- ling white inhabitants of the San Juan coun- try, and have attempt- ed to show them in an uncomplimentary light. A review of the pio- neering of that iso- lated region, and a JENS NIELSON look into the lives and First bishop of Bluff, which position he held from Sep- conduct of its sturdy tember 2, 1880, until his death, January 7, 1906. He will dissipate was honored by all who knew him for his unswerv- settlers impression that ing integrity, sound judgment, wise, just, impartial, any strong and kind personality. those people are a lot of uncouth "cow punchers" who are responsible for the uprising of the natives. The idea of establishing a settlement somewhere near the "four corners" originated with that master colonizer, Brigham Young, and was publicly made known in 1878, at a "district or stake conference, held at St. George. Shortly afterward eighteen young men were called to form an exploring party to make a pre- liminary trip into the then wild and almost unknown region. Most of the members of the party were from Parowan and Cedar City. In the list are many well known names. Captain Silas S. Smith was made leader of the expedition and proved to be resourceful, safe and brave. With him were his five sons, Silas, Jr., John A., Jesse, Stephen A., and Albert. Other members of the party were James Adams, H. H. Harriman and family, George Hobbs, J. B. Decker, Isaac Allan, Adelbert McGregor, Hanson Bayles, P. R. Butt, Z. Decker, Nelson Dalley, John C. Dalton, Robert C. Bul- lock, John C. Duncan, John T. Gower, Thomas Bladen, George Perry, George Urie, Kumen Jones, H. J. Nielson, J. S. Davis and family, John Butler and Hamilton Thornton. Most of these peo- ple became subsequent pioneer settlers at Bluff. These seasoned men of the desert did the work of ex- ploration most thoroughly, but it was an undertaking to daunt the stoutest heart. Many hun- dreds of miles of the roughest country in the world were to be traversed. For the most part it was a trackless, unex- plored wilderness of lofty mesas, abysmal canyons, tor- tuous arroyas, sheer cliffs, scorching sands and barren, rocky uplands, inhabited only by wild animals and hostile Indians. K. JONES The party headed south- The first superintendent of schools for San ward into Arizona, making Tuan county, and the present bishop of side trips in all directions as Bluff. He was a young man with the first colony, and has ever since been they advanced, and making a active in religious and civic affairs. He is proprietor of the Bluff Co-op. store. great many preliminary loca- tions for the proposed settlement After much difficulty in mak- ing roads and crossing the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River the travel-worn cavalcade reached the Moencoppie branch of the Little Colorado, at a point where Tuba City now is. This was made the base of operations for many side explorations. They knew nothing of what kind of country lay before them or what obstacles might be encountered. With the bravery of men led by faith, and with the keen in- terest felt at entering the unknown, they turned northeastward. They knew that they were in a country where they might travel for days without the good fortune of encountering even a "pocket" of stagnant, green water, in the rocks, to quench their burning thirst ;and more than once extreme danger from scarcity of water threatened them. Their animals, too, had to be fed, and often the desert became distressingly niggardly of its grass of- fering. Finally, upon reaching the San Juan River, near the point of its junction with Montezuma Creek, the little band found what FIRST SCHOOLHOUSE AND CHURCH IN BLUFF, ERECTED 1880. This building served as ward meetinghouse, amusement hall, and district school, from 1880 until 1893. This picture was obtained just as the building was to be taken down. The men are: (1) F. A. Hammond, San Juan stake president: (2) Platte D. Lyman, first counselor, stake presidency; (3) Jens Nielson, bishop Bluff ward; (4) Jamer. B. Decker, superintendent Sunday School, San Juan stake; (5) K. Jones, first counselor to Bishop Nielson. it thought to be the most favorable site for a settlement in the great "San Juan Mission." It is the present site of Bluff, the first settlement in southeastern Utah. All but four or five of the explorers then made their way back home, going by way of the Blue Mountains, passing "Little Grand" (Now Moab), fording the Grand and the Green rivers, threading Castle Valley and Sevier Valley, crossing to Beaver and thence to their homes in Cedar City and Parowan, after many months of wandering. Quoting from notes on this period In direct travel we made nine hundred miles, not counting side trips or explorations from the camp on San Juan river. had made We two hundred seventy-five miles of new road, maintained friendly and pleasant relations with all Indians and white men met on the way. Good order and discipline were maintained, and kind, pleasant and friendly feelings prevailed. Religious devotions were observed, on the Sabbath, and each evening, during the week, sacred or sentimental music was engaged in, and the activities of the day were closed with prayer. The general move of the settlers of the "San Juan Mission" began in the fall of 1879, when two hundred twenty-five people with eighty-three wag- ons, left central and southern Utah for the site of Bluff.All were advised take with to them at least a year's provisions of seeds, food and implements, prepared to start an independent colony. For it was known that communication with the outside world within a year was not probable. The advice was good, but there was a woeful miscal- culation, as a shortage of provisions develop- ed before two months had passed. It took six months of arduous travel for these pilgrims to work their way over the rough country to their FRANCIS A. HAMMOND destination. Even this Born Nov. 21, 1822, Long Island, New York. Fol- was an almost incred- lowed the sea until 1847, when he came from the ible feat, in view of Sandwich Islands to San Francisco, where he joined the Church by baptism, on the last day of the year. the roughness of the Ha came to Utah, after digging gold on "Mormon" Island, in September, 1848, and married Mary Jane country and the ob- Dilworth, the first schoolteacher in Utah, the follow- stacles encountered. ing Nov. 17. They went on a mission to the Sand- wich Islands in 1851, returning in 1857. He spent An efficient organ- the winter of 1858 in Echo Canyon, and in 1859 moved to Ogden, where he engaged in tanning leather. ization of the company In 1865 he went on a second mission to the Sandwich enroute was main- Islands. Later he was made presiding elder and bishop of Huntsville, and for years was foremost in the de- tained. Silas S. Smith velopment of Weber county. In 1884 he was called to preside over the San Juan stake. He resided at Bluff was captain, or presi- and Moab, and was president of the stake when, on dent, with Platte D. Nov. 27, 1900, he died as the result of being thrown from a vehicle at Bloomfield, New Mexico. No man Lyman as assistant was ever more energetic and enthusiastic in Church Charles Walton, clerk; work, nor more faithful and true than Francis A. Hammond. Jens Nielson, chaplain. A captain was appointed over each ten wagons as follows: Jens Nielson, Geo. W. Sevey, Benjamin Perkins, Henry Holyoak, Z. B. Decker and Samuel Bryson. The winter of their trek was a rigorous one. Many Utah set- 714 IMPROVEMENT KRA remember the winter of 1879-80 as one of the most severe in tiers memory. Yet every member of the company survived in spite of constant exposure in high altitudes. The roughness of the country traversed required that a great deal of road making be done, to make progress possible. The work was hard, and the movement toward the destination was dis- couragingly slow. With simple tools and no powder Tor blasting, the tremendous obstacles nature had imposed against their travel seemed almost unsurmountable. Finally a point was reached where they could go no farther without the aid of powder and better tools. A council was held, and it was decided that Pres- ident S. S. Smith should return to the settlements and solicit as- sistance from the Territorial Legislature. He was successful in (Right) PLATTE D. LYMAN, LATE PRESIDENT SAN JUAN STAKE Born on Platte river, Nebraska, August 20, 1848, while the family were crossing the plains on the way to Utah. First home in Salt Lake City, afterwards moved to Farmington, then to Fillmore, Oak City, Bluff, Scipio, then returned to Bluff, his last home. Married at 18, and immediately started on his first mission to England, later filling two other missions to the same country; at the last one he served as president of the European mission. A strong, sweet, clean Christian gentleman; one of the ablest defenders of the truth the "Mormon" Church has produced. The exploring instinct was very strong in him, making him a first class pioneer. (Left 1 ) ALBERT R. LYMAN, First Counselor to President L.H. Redd, San Juan Stake "A Chip off the old block," oldest son living of Platte D. Lyman; author of "Voice of the Intangible," that splendid story in volumes 16 and 17 of the Era. getting five hundred dollars from that source and also an equal amount from the Church. He returned with blasting powder, tools and much-needed provisions. Before returning to the camp of his people, President S. S. Smith had a full set of county officers appointed, so that when the settlers reached their destination the limits of the new county of San Juan were vaguely outlined, and its civic organization com- pleted. James Lewis, from Kanab, was made county judge; Charles E. Walton, county clerk L. H. Redd, assessor and col- ; lector; William Hutchings, sheriff, and Kumen Jones, superin- tendent of schools. The fisrt task of the settlers was to dig a canal to divert water from the San Juan river to the farming land. One of the pioneers writes that Sundays and rainy days were devoted to devising means for an equitable distribution of the land, so that each head of a family would have some land near the settlement. It soon developed, however, that there was not enough good land near Bluff to " go around." The river formed a boundary to the south and the great bluffs formed an obstacle to expansion in other di- rections. It is from these magnificent vari-colored bluffs that the settlement got its name. It was decided to draw lots as the only way out of the difficulty. Thus began the settlement of the southeastern gateway of the natural thoroughfare extending from Canada on the north to Mexico on the south. It was the route followed by the Indians who, in early days, trafficked in Mexican slaves and captives from other tribes. It was the thoroughfare of desperate whites, out- laws and all sorts of adventurers who often proved a great men- ace to the little colony. The Lymans, the Redds, and others of the early settlers, had many a thrilling adventure in dealing with outlaws and renegade Indians. The year 1884 was one of the most troublous from roving outlaws. It was in this year that the notorious Eskridge outlaws spread so much terror. In pursuing these desperadoes, some of the leading men at Bluff proved their bravery and scoutcraft. Among them were L. H. Redd, Hyrum Perkins, Joseph A. Lyman, Bishop Nielson and Platte D. Lyman. The latter had his leg broken by a bullet fired by the outlaws. Chief Posey was at that time an impetuous young man and caused the settlers no end of trouble. At one time, by a ruse, he evaded the officers who had him in charge and swam the San Juan river with a bullet wound in his leg. Once free and with his peo- ple he did all he could to incite an uprising among the Indians against the settlers. Of life in early Bluff, Bishop Kumen Jones, a member of the first company, writes "Looking back over those early clays, some of the inconveniences and experiences passed through almost convince one that the early settlers of the San Juan country had a taste of real pioneer life. Over two years without any mail service, three hundred miles to the nearest railroad, flour eight to ten dollars a hundred, the country full of rene- gade Indians, and not a few desperate whites. But through it all, surely Providence had a watchcare over this little 'Mormon' colony, for since Bluff was first settled there have been upwards of thirty white men killed by these Indians, and only one of our number (A. M. Barton) has lost his life at their hands. There have been scores of Indians die off and killed by one another, but there are some of them leftyet— enough at least to be a good big healthy nuisance. But the country is filling up with a good, progressive citizenship, and it is just being discovered, the last few years, that San Juan county is the best on the map." (The author acknowledges indebtedness to Bishop Kumen Jones, of Bluff, and J. M. Redd, of Monticello, for much of the, information contained in these articles. Mr. Redd was a boy of fifteen with the first settlers at Bluff. As a guide with the Utah Archaeological Expe- dition of 1913, of which the author was a member, he made the camp fires lively with tales of adventure in that wild region. — j. f. a.) SCIIOOLHOUSE AT CLJFF. Judge Not "Judge not!" for what as verity appears Is oft untrue and only doth bemean; Leave not unguarded thine own soul, to scan Another's eye to seek therein the beam. "Judge not!" for with the measure thou shalt mete, Shall it be given unto thee again; With meagre scales can never be obtained The weight entire of all the race of men. "Judge not!" This wisdom spoken from the Mount, Hath echoed and re-echoed thro' the years, And yet withal mankind continues on, Unmindful of the cost in blood and tears. "Judge not!" e'en tho' thine horizon expand Beyond the limits of the common sod; "Judge not! Judge not!" lest thou in turn be judged, For never yet hath failed the word of God. Grace Ingles Frost.