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Show HISTORICAL NOTES Lured to a rendezvous by a desire to learn more firsthand information about the historic trek and explorations of the famous Catholic padres, Escalante and Dominguez, seven "hikers" from widespread parts of Utah and California assembled at Lees Ferry on the morning of April 10, for an adventure into southern Utah and northern Arizona sections of Escalante Land. The party was made up of Harry Aleson, veteran Colorado River runner from Richfield, Utah, as guide; Spencer Ohlin, Richfield radioman; Dr. Reed Farnsworth, physician from Cedar City; Freda Walbrecht, attorney from Los Angeles; Georgie White, veteran mountain climber and cross-country cyclist also from Los Angeles; J. Allan Crockett, Justice State Supreme Court, Salt Lake City; and A. R. Mortensen, executive secretary, Utah State Historical Society. Armed with ten days supply of food, bed rolls, and assorted camera equipment, the party boated upriver from Lees Ferry in Art Greene's "air boat," spent the afternoon in and around Padre Canyon, where Ecalante's party crossed the Colorado River on his historic trek back to Santa Fe in 1776, and then returned to the mouth of Navajo Canyon to spend the night. The next morning the hike itself began up the canyon, where on the afternoon of the third day the party reached the confluence of Navajo and Kaibito creeks. It was here where the padres found a crossing across the precipitous walls of the narrow but deep Navajo Canyon. One of the few places where man or beast can cross the canyon, the well-marked but difficult trail shows signs of ancient usage. The three-day hike up the bottom of Navajo, much of the time in water from ankle to knee, or deeper, was in a veritable paradise of beauty and lonesomeness, with the sheer walls of Wingate and Navajo sandstone towering from a thousand to two thousand feet above the creek bed. After "rimming out" on the mesa above the confluence of the two canyons, the hikers followed in the footsteps of the padres for two days before reaching "civilization" at Kaibito Trading Post. Here the hike ended but the party spent two more days "soaking up" Escalante lore in the Hopi villages, which they visited by power wagon. Surely the. shades of Escalante will forgive, at least, the more sedentary HISTORICAL NOTES 295 members of the party for taking to wheels after five days of hiking in incredibly rough but awesomely beautiful country. On May 10, 1952, citizens of Utah were invited to attend the re-enactment of the driving of the golden spike, greatest single event in the history of our national transportation. The program, which included appropriate musical selections and ad* dresses, began at twelve noon, in order that the actual driving of the spike, scheduled for 12:47 P. M., would coincide with the event of May 10, 1869, exactly eighty-three years since the original ceremony. The event was sponsored by the Box Elder Chamber of Commerce, with the assistance of several other organizations. Committee members included R. M. Kaiser, Bernice G. Anderson, and C. Henry Nielsen. The program was attended by representatives from Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, and Ogden Union Railway and Depot Company. First District Judge Lewis Jones acted as master of ceremonies. A pioneer square dance at Corinne concluded the day's activities. The Society deeply regrets the deaths of three of its most loyal members and supporters, two of whom served as members of the Board of Control. Noble Warrum, Jr., who resigned from his position on the Board of Control in November, 1950, to remove to California, also served as a member of the staff of the Salt Lake Tribune for nearly thirty years. Frank K. Seegmiller, who also served for many years on the Board of Control, held a position as teacher of history, theology, and languages at the L.D.S. University. Both men will be missed not only by their many friends but by the Historical Society and its members. Dr. Herbert E. Gregory, who recently passed away in Honolulu, was well known for his contributions to geology and geography. He was also a contributor to the pages of the Utah Historical Quarterly (especially Volume XVI-XVII relating to the 1871-72 Powell expedition), and many of his scientific treatises were published under the sponsorship of the U. S. Geological Survey. In 1946 he was awarded the Academy Science Award for outstanding and meritorious work in geology and geography by the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. The regular semi-annual meeting of the Board of Control was held Saturday, May 10, at the offices of the Historical 296 UTAH HISTORICAL QUARTERLY Society. In addition to the usual discussion of financial and business affairs, Dr. Russel Swensen was appointed chairman of a committee to plan an annual meeting of all members of the Historical Society. Tentative plans for this meeting include dinner and a guest speaker. The meeting will be held in the early fall to coincide with that of the Board of Control. For many years the Society has been operating in cramped and inadequate quarters. In recognition of this fact the Board of Control has appointed ex-Governor Charles R. Mabey as chairman of a Ways and Means Committee, whose duty it will be to find more suitable quarters for the Society. At the present time it is difficult for the Society to carry out the duties with which it is charged due to lack of space. Many other state societies have buildings of their own in which to house their libraries, museums and business offices. It is hoped that through the efforts of the Ways and Means Committee the Utah Historical Society soon will have larger and more suitable quarters. Through the generosity of Mrs. W. M. Stookey, the Society has been the recipient of many of the books, pamphlets, brochures, maps, and pictures in the collection of the late Dr. Walter Stookey. Mrs. F. W. Evans has presented the Society with a photostat copy of a letter from Brigham Young to Bishop A. Hoagland dated April 9, 1861. The Society has also received either photostat or typed copies of the following manuscripts and journals: diary of Jean Rio Baker, presented to the Society by her great granddaughter, Phyllis Huss; The Record of Norton Jacob, edited by C. Edward Jacob and Ruth S. Jacob, and presented to the Society by Carl H. Jacob; Biography of Jesse Taylor Jackson, gift of Mrs. L. W. McClenahan; diary of Anthony Ivins, presented to the Society by S. S. Ivins; Orson Pratt, Early Mormon Leader, a thesis by Thomas Lyon; and the Eliza M. Partridge Lyman journal. Among the important holdings of the Society are ten letters by Irene Hascall (Haskell) to Mrs. Ursulia B. Hascall, sister and mother of Thales Haskell, whose journal appears in Volume XII of the Utah Historical Quarterly. These letters were the gift of Mr. C. Corwith Wagner, and it is hoped that some of them may appear in a future issue of the Quarterly. HISTORICAL NOTES 297 The following are some of the more important books which have recently been added to the Library, and which we feel are of interest to the members of the Society: George P. Hammond, ed., The Larkin Papers, vol. I. C. E. Carter, ed., Territorial Papers of the United States, vols. XIII - XV (Louisiana - Missouri Territory, 1803- 1821). A. B. Hulbert, ed., Overland to the Pacific Series, 8 vols. Otis E. Young, The First Military Escort on the Santa Fe Trail, 1829. Agnes Wright Spring, The Cheyenne and Black Hills Stage and Express Routes. Annie Heloise Abel, ed., Chardon's Journal at Fort Clark, 1834-1839 (description of the Upper Missouri and history of the fur trade). Edward Norris Wentworth, America's Sheep Trails. Jeanne Van Nostrand and Edith M. Coulter, California Pictorial. Frank Gilbert Roe, The North American Buffalo. George William Beattie and Helen Pruitt Beattie, Heritage of the Valley. Clarence S. Brigham, History and Bibliography of American Newspapers, 1690-1820. 2 vols. |
