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Show Myron Tanner 287 Myron made himself useful around Winter Quarters that fall and winter until time for the folks to go West in 1848. But, George A. Smith requested that he remain another year on the Missouri Rivet, assist him in planting another crop, and then to Utah in 1849. George A. Smith's farm good crop was harvested in 1848. help him was move his family in Kanesville and Since he had been around farm animals all his life, Myron a knew how to manage teams and wagons and was placed in charge of George A.'s Ten. He managed the Ten with such skill, that he was soon placed in charge of the entire train which was under the direction of the George A. Smith and Ezra improvements he made in T. Benson. Myron explains one of the method of travel: Whenever we reached a place where I thought we were likely to be stuck in the mud, I would double my teams and put the wagons through one at a time. Such waiting until the wagon trying to pull it out" than method was so much more became fastened in the expeditious mud, and then Many of the people in the train were not as experienced as Myron, and he must have seemed wise beyond his years. He made proper excuses for the leading brethren in the train saying: "Some.of these brethren whose lives had been given largely to the ministry were hardly familiar with team work and many of those who were driving had little experience." Myron had great respect and admira tion for George A. Smith, and would have made any sacrifice to assist him. A. Smith-Ezra T. Benson wagon train reached Salt Lake in October of 1849, and Myron continued his services to George A. Smith by hauling his winter's wood and doing other chores. The George Hearing that his father was ill with acute rheumatism, Myron hastened to his home in south Cottonwood. He describes his father's last illness: were obliged to turn him on a sheet and his suffering was so intense that we sometimes occupied half an hour in changing him from one position to another. For six months, with but two excep tions, I remained with him every night until four in the morning." We with the cares and labors of the past sixteen years, must have seemed very old to the stalwart John, seventy-two years old and worn |
