A Biography of Ezra Thompson Clark

Ezra Clark, page 020

20 EZRA THOMPSON CLARK gave new life to the pioneers. Heber C. Kimball's com- pany, with Ezra Clark and his family, arrived in October. The city was enlarged. Ezra Clark with some others went north of the city to a canyon southeast of Bountiful. He hauled logs for building purposes and fuel to Salt Lake that fall and winter, and was near enough to the head- quarters of the Church to attend Sunday services, con- ferences, etc. This winter of 1848-49 is remembered as one of the most serious in the history of Utah. Half of the crops had been destroyed and immigrants continued to arrive in the val- ley. Sego bulbs were used for food and in the spring weeds were cooked for greens. Even these were scarce. The Saints were in need of comfort and encouragement. "At one of the meetings, at which the half-starved and poorly-clad Saints had gathered, Heber C. Kimball, in one of his prophetic outbursts declared to the people that State goods (goods imported from the States), food, and raiment to supply their needs would soon be sold in Salt Lake City cheaper than they were sold in St. Louis." r. The prophecy was fulfilled in the summer of 1849, when eastern merchants had loaded a large number of teams with merchandise for the miners in California. The excite- ment was so great in the rush to the gold mines that travel- ers, on arriving in Utah, were glad to leave their goods in exchange for fresh teams to continue the journey. Three yoke of oxen and a new wagon were given for one good mule, etc. Ezra Clark often made contact with these travel- ers and had many opportunities to avail himself of his in- herent genius -trading. He was well equipped to establish a farm and went to Farmington in 1849 and did some plowing there. There was less fear of the Indians, so the