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Show 3 The Leavitts Head for Zion X HE YEAR 1850 was the peak year of the gold rush to California. Word had gone out of the fabulous riches to be found there, and people from every station set out to get their share of it. The total immigration westward for the year was estimated at 55,000 persons, of whom 5,000 were Mormons enroute to Utah. The first Mormon train crossed the Missouri on the first day of June 1850, with Captain Milo Andrus in charge, and made its real start west on June 3. It consisted of 51 wagons, 206 persons, 9 horses, 6 mules, 184 oxen, 122 cows, 46 sheep, 6 yearlings, 19 dogs, 1 pig, and 2 ducks. The church historian estimated that between seven and eight hundred wagons carrying passengers to the valley as well as two new carding machines and other machines crossed the plains this year. They took along about 4,000 sheep and 5,000 head of cattle, horses, and mules. Just before the company left the Missouri River, Apostle Hyde called them together and spoke to them. He told them that if they would be faithful and live their religion they would be blessed with health and their lives spared. He mentioned especially the reverence for the name of God. "Keep the name of God sacred," he promised them, "and your lives will be preserved." Dudley heard the promise and was much impressed by it. In his later life he used to tell how about the third day but, one of the oxen became obstreperous, and he, forget- 30 The Leavitts Head for Zion ting himself, cursed it soundly, using the name of God. For two years before he had worked among rough, unbelieving men, and while he had always tried to be careful of his language, it seemed that the words in the back of his mind came out in his excitement. In the midst of his anger, Brother Hyde's words flashed across his mind. He was instantly filled with remorse and shame. He dropped the yoke where he stood and walked, head down, to a clump of willows, where he dropped on his knees and asked forgiveness of his Father in Heaven. He promised that he would never again use the name of Diety in anger or passion. "From that day to this, I have never taken the name of God in vain," he always concluded. The company got along very well as far as Salt Creek. Here the stream was so swollen that the bridge had been carried away. Nothing daunted, they set about making rafts on which to cross. They fell to with such vigor that they built four rafts in one day and the next day ferried all their wagons across. That was better than camping on the bank and waiting for the flood to subside. Early in the journey there were a few who felt that they could travel faster than the company. This having to stay in order and wait for the slow ones annoyed some of them. Captain Andrus, hearing of it, called the camp together. To those who wished to go ahead, he said to go on and the rest of the company would wait two or three days to give them a good start. For them he had no promise, but for those who stayed together and remained united, he had the promise that they would have a prosperous journey and would reach the Valley in safety. After this talk, no one wanted to go on. That night an incident happened which seemed to challenge that promise. A child fell out of a wagon and a wheel passed over her head and crushed it. She was picked up for dead, but some of the brethren administered to her and she was restored almost instantly. She was able to be around and eat her supper that night. It was such a miracle that all who witnessed it were impressed, and as the word of it spread through the camp, the people felt that God had his watch over them. On the Ragged Edge 31 The Leavitt family had an uneventful trip. Dudley and Mary cared for the team and the cattle; the mother looked after the cooking and camp arrangements; Thomas gathered wood and carried water and chored around generally. For the little girls, Betsy and Priscilla, now eleven and nine years old, it was one unending adventure. They played with other children at camp time, racing among the wagons in games of tag or hide-and-seek; they hunted flowers and pretty rocks; they waded the creeks; they even improvised dolls out of knotted sticks or bleached bones. One morning they wakened to find one yoke of their oxen gone, a young yoke that they had worked on lead. They had had a chance to sell them but had refused, because they needed them to draw their heavy load. They searched all around camp and circled far out, but they could not find any trace of them. In the meantime, the rest of the camp had moved on. Dudley and his mother met back at the wagon. What should they do? Hitch up and go with the group and trust their one yoke of oxen to handle the load, or risk being left behind alone by stopping to hunt further? They decided to ask the help of the Lord and make one more effort before giving up. Together they knelt and laid their troubles before Him. Rising from their knees, the mother went one direction and Dudley the other, agreeing to return to the wagon within an hour. The mother walked straight to a clump of willows where she found the missing animals. They were soon on their way and overtook the company before they camped for noon. After they came to the steep mountains, they knew that they could never have made it without that extra yoke of oxen; without them, they must have left a part of their load by the roadside. In setting up their new home in Zion, they would need everything they had been able to bring. At this most difficult point, Uncle Horace Fish and family were met by their daughter Sarah and her husband, John C.L. Smith, who had come over in 1848. Now they brought a load of fresh vegetables and green corn, and an extra team to take the place of their jaded one. 32 The Leavitts Head for Zion Several others from the Valley came also, making everyone take on new hope. These were allowed to go on ahead, so they reached their destination one day in advance of the main company, for there were still many miles to cover. The morning dawned clear and bright. Dudley was stirring as soon as it was light enough to see, his mother and the girls preparing breakfast. An air of eager expectancy hung over the entire camp. Today they would be in Zion! Three long, hot months they had been on the road. They left on the third of June, and here it was the last day of August. He just remembered that it was his birthday. Twenty years old, he was, and though there was only a light fuzz on his face, he felt he was a man. Had he not brought the family across the plains safe and sound? On the whole, it had been a good trip. They had all taken the counsel of Elder Hyde seriously, and there had been a good attitude throughout the camp, no swearing and no trouble among the immigrants. Though there was sickness and death before and behind them in other trains, they had remarkably good health. They had one birth and one death in their company, and so arrived in Salt Lake Valley with the same number they had when they started. This is remarkable, because the cholera raged along the road that season. Jesse W. Crosby's journal tells how he passed them sick and dying: "(June 21) Cholera still bad, nearly every wagon had lost some; one wagon of three men had lost two; one woman said she had lost her father, mother and sister; herself and another sister remained alone." Another correspondent said he counted forty graves in sixty miles. On June 7 he saw "three wagons with only one man able to sit up; originally twelve; six dead and buried; four dying of cholera . . . sixteen out of seventeen of one train were sick; another buried seven, and had five or six sick, one dying" In two instances the correspondent passed trains where all but one had died. He saw five graves beside one tent standing and another struck."Thinks 250 had died in the last On the Ragged Edge 33 fifteen days." With some 55,000 people on the trail headed westward, some to Utah, some to Oregon, but most of them to the goldfields of California, it is not strange that disease should run rampant. The remarkable thing is that this company should escape. Dudley did not think of all these things; his only feeling was a wish that they would hurry and get there. If only he might go on ahead. But he knew that would never do. He must keep his place in the line, the third wagon of the second ten. Finally, after what seemed an endless wait to him, they were on the move, the wagons ahead moving up the canyon, those behind taking their places in the long line. The sun was high when they pulled out of the canyon, round a curve, and into the open. The broad expanse of the Valley stretched out below them. Captain Andrus directed the teams to pull out and stop, so they all could get a view of their new home. Though it was hardly noon, they would rest here and feed their animals. At the first glance the Valley was covered with a mist, but even as they watched, it dispersed, melted in the sunlight. There lay the broad lake glistening; there were squares of brown earth freshly plowed and green and yellow fields outlined with young cottonwood trees for fences; there were city squares etched in black and green. He saw his mother wipe her eyes and move her lips in a prayer of thanksgiving. Mary, sober and sweet, stood with some other girls, while the irresistible tomboys, Betsy and Priscilla, climbed on the wagon wheel, waved their sunbonnets and shouted, "Hurrah for Zion! Hurrah for Zion!" As for himself, Dudley could not swallow the lump in his throat. He could not breathe deeply enough. The sight filled him with such exultation that he could hardly contain it. He walked away, took off his hat, rumpled his heavy light brown hair, and looked as if he could never get enough of the scene. Home at last. No more drivings or burnings or mob-bings. No more trouble. Now they could settle down and make a home and be happy, free of fear of any enemies. 34 The Leavitts Head for Zion Already he found himself planning for a farm. They had good cows along, so they would have milk and butter for the winter; their supply of flour and bacon would last until he could earn more. It was about five o'clock in the afternoon when they passed through Great Salt Lake City, then a town of some five thousand people. There were adobe homes of one or two rooms on the blocks on the outskirts of town. As they neared the business district, two-story buildings outlined their bulk against the sky: the Tithing Office and the Council House and the Deseret News Building. Captain Andrus had two large banners painted and fastened to the cover of his wagon, the first one of the train. One read, "Holiness to the Lord," the other, "Hail to the Governor of Deseret." People came out of the houses to wave them greetings. The trees along the wide open ditches were getting large enough for shade; flowers bloomed in the yards; corn stood ready to tassel; and bean vines were climbing long poles in the gardens. Truly this seemed like a Zion indeed, a haven for weary travelers. They pulled into Union Square just before sunset. Captain Andrus, on horseback, directed the camp. He sat more erect than usual, his large hat and his black coat brushed, his neckerchief clean. Even his horse seemed to sense that this was an important occasion, for it curved its neck and pranced, as it had not done for days along the road. When the last wagon was in place, he lifted his hand for attention. "Brethren and Sisters," he said, "we are at the end of our journey. We have been blessed in it. The Hand of God has been over us. After we separate here it will be up to each of you to locate according to your own judgment and the counsel of the authorities. Let us unite in thanksgiving to the God who has brought us here in safety." Instantly a hundred heads were uncovered, as men, women and children bowed together in the brief thanksgiving. As soon as the Amen was said, the bustle began. People from town were gathering to meet friends or to inquire of others still on the road. On the Ragged Edge 35 They knew that Lem would be there to meet them, but in the crowd that was assembled none could find him, until Priscilla recognized the tall, bearded young man pushing his way toward their outfit. "Here's Lem, Mother!" she called. "Here's Lem!" as he caught her up and tossed her into the air, waiting to give her a bear hug on the way down. Yes, indeed, it was Lem, grown taller and broader and with this heavy beard to proclaim himself a man. The greetings over and the supper eaten, they had still a long evening in which to visit. All were eager to learn more of their new location and neighbors, so Lem explained as best he could. A part adjoining had been called Centerville, but the little group of cabins where he lived were known as "The Deuel Settlement," because Brother Deuel had built the first log house there. Some relatives were there: Uncle James Adams whose wife was a Leavitt, George Leavitt, John Leavitt, and Edward Thompson whose wife was their cousin, Julia Fish. Uncle Horace and his family had come ahead with their daughter Sarah and husband, John C.L. Smith. Aunt Mary Smith and her two sons, Silas and Jesse, were also there. Besides these there were the Deuels, the Kettle-mans, the Brinkerhoffs, Porters, Parrishes, and perhaps one or two more. Some of them had already decided to leave the next spring. Lem had one log cabin finished for himself, because he was engaged to be married in a month or so. But he had another cabin under construction, a little larger than his, to which he thought they could add a lean-to as an extra bedroom for Dudley and Tom. The girls and mother could sleep in the larger room, or they might make different arrangements after they looked things over. The important thing now was that they were all together and all in Zion, or that this many of them were here. It was too early for supper. Dudley took the little rawhide-bottomed chair from the back of the load, placed it in a level place, and taking his mother's arm, led her to it. 36 The Leavitts Head for Zion "Here," he said. "Sit here. Lem had something in his hind pocket that he's forgot to bring out. Open it up and look it over. Might be something interesting in it. The Deseret News, it says." Sarah unfolded the paper to its full size - such a large paper, so closely filled with print. Scanning the first pages she noted: A. NEIBAUR, SURGEON-DENTIST 3rd Street East 2nd South of the Council House Will attend to all branches of his profession The Scurvy Effectually cured How interesting. They had known Brother Neibaur in Nauvoo when he had his dental office in Brigham Young's front room. They knew, also, that for a while, he spent some time every day reading German with the Prophet. How wonderful to have him here. On the next page: BLACKSMITHING In the 17th Ward a little NW of the Council House and a few blocks west of Messrs, Livingston & Kinkade's Store All who want Blacksmithing can be accommodated on the shortest Notice & Reasonable Terms WILLIAM McBRIDE Lem explained that these two men had carried identical notices in every issue of the News, while some notices were only in once. Here, now, was one he had not seen before: J.M. VAUGHAN MD. PHYSICIAN, SURGEON, & OCCULIST At the home of Timothy B. Foote. Block 138 NEAR THE BATH HOUSE Sarah knew this man all too well, though she had never seen his name spelled out before. He had boarded at her home there in Winter Quarters, and thought Sarah was too strict with her daughters because she On the Ragged Edge 37 would not let them walk out with him. So here HE was again! Another of whom she was suspicious read: "Dr. D. Dame will Phrenologize on any person's head for the price of one dollar.'' They must remember that the advertisements were but a small fraction of the paper. When Sarah could read the longer articles, she would really appreciate the Deseret News. A list of migrants passing through Salt Lake City en route to California had left their names and addresses and paid for the paper to be sent on to them. Another issue had the names of more than 300 persons who had letters awaiting them at the post office. These were alphabetically arranged, so that the names could be easily found. One item from the national capital, another from elders in England made the paper seem all the more important and truly worth preserving. Sarah was held by a notice that the Council of Health was meeting for a discussion of the medicinal value of various herbs and roots. How she would like to sit in on that. She knew a great deal about the value of some herbs as medicine. Another notice announced that the band would give a concert at the bowery next Saturday. How she would enjoy a band concert. For the immediate present, the newcomers were advised to stay two or three days in the city before going on to their various locations. They should take time to call upon friends here and to visit the stores and business houses where they might find articles not available in the smaller settlements. Their animals, too, needed the rest. Lem suggested that they look up the Sisters Snow who had been so helpful when their mother was ill at Mount Pisgah. Dudley should take it upon himself to locate the Snow family and report that his mother had arrived. Dudley walked out into the street and asked the first man he met if he could direct him to the homes of the Lorenzo Snow family. No, he couldn't, but an approach- 38 The Leavitts Head for Zion ing lady could. At least she could point in the general direction and tell him to inquire again as he neared the place. This was not the time of day, he told himself. He would wait until early in the morning. Before daylight he was out and headed in the direction given him the night before. Finally he decided on what he thought was the right place: a two-seated buggy in a shed, several horses in the corral behind. A large pile of newly cut willows and tree toppings were behind the house, and a chopping block with an ax in it nearby. Here, now, was something he could do while he waited for the family to get up. This was an art with him, retained until he was an old man: stand the limb on its end and peel off the branches, then with the left hand hold it the right length on the chopping block, and with one stroke reduce it to a stick of stove wood. In less than an hour, he had a neat pile of stove wood on the opposite side of the chopping block. Before he had finished the whole pile, a little boy came out of the house, talked to him briefly, and ran back inside again. Soon his mother came out. Yes, she was Sister Snow, and she remembered his mother, Sister Leavitt, very well, indeed, a remarkable woman. He must come in and have breakfast with the family; after all this work, he would be hungry. He accepted the invitation gladly. Sister Snow would be glad to take his mother out to see the city. Back at the camp, he told Lem his plan. He had provided the buggy, now he wanted to ride Lem's horse and explore for himself, while Lem took over the family for this one day. Lem consented, and all were happy. How wonderful to ride a horse. How it enlarged the view. From this elevation, places and objects fell into their proper perspective. Dudley felt that he had earned the privilege of having the horse for this one time; he had walked beside the ox team almost every foot of the way out. One thing he could say for Lem, though: his horse was in good condition. Lem and the family would likely go straight uptown toward the Council House and the Tithing Office. Well, On the Ragged Edge 39 he'd not trouble about them; he'd start out to circle the valley in the other direction. He had heard of the Chase Mill and its importance; now it looked even larger than he had expected it would be. A few miles beyond he found the sawmill. Archibald and Robert Gardner had to build a millrace two and one-half miles long to bring down the water power with which to operate it. "The first canal of any importance to be made in Utah," someone had called it. Piles of lumber were already stacked. Turning west, he skirted some large farms, and came soon to the Jordan River. It was much narrower than he thought it would be, but deep - at least it looked to be. Here was a bridge across, a sturdy big bridge. But he would not cross it on this trip. His chief interest in this area was the fact that in Nauvoo he had known Dan Jones and had heard over and over again about his night in the prison with the Prophet, just a day or two before the martyrdom. Joseph had told Dan that his life would be spared and that he would go back to his native Wales, preach the gospel, and bring many to Zion. In 1849 Dan Jones brought a company from Wales, and they settled first "over Jordan." They were there right now. Dudley knew they were not the first; in 1848 Brother Joseph Harker had built the first house in the area; Bill Hickman also lived there, along with several Bennion families, a total of nine altogether. As he turned back toward the city, he could see quite clearly the outline of the first fort in the valley with a few of the first buildings still standing. Just to think that more than 1,600 people had wintered here during 1847-48. By now - August 1850 - the city had been laid out in blocks with eight units to a block, each block supporting eight families. These, in turn, were grouped together as stakes, each of which should be responsible for its own meetinghouse and school facilities. A few stakes had built log fences around their entire area, evidently to help control cattle, for all had gardens, lucerne patches, young trees, and vines to be protected. 40 The Leavitts Head for Zion The Council House stood alone in its unfinished majesty. How it towered above everything else in the area! The large black foundation stones, the rock walls of the first story, turning to brick for the second story, gave evidence that the builders were trying to speed up the work. All of the chimneys were finished, and workers were busy with timbers on the roof. Word was out that it was to be completed before the year was out, when it would be dedicated with appropriate ceremony. The busiest place in town was the Tithing Office. Its porches were flush upon the sidewalk, its fences stretching out to enclose a fourth of the block behind. Dudley did not stop but turned to ride up Main Street. Along Third Avenue was a long line of log houses adjoining each other, where Brother Brigham's families were waiting for their new home to be finished. Here, too, a little above them was a little mill which "chopped" barley and ground wheat into unbolted flour. Above this, Arsenal Hill was too high and steep for his pony. Anyway, he had heard somewhere, from his mother reading from the Bible or from a speaker quoting, a sentence that went something like this: "Now the city was large and great, but the people were few therein, and the houses were not builded." What a true picture of Great Salt Lake City in late August of 1850.. Back at the wagon Tom and the girls were all so eager to tell of their experiences: how they had gone into the Council House and were ordered out by the watchman. But not before they had seen enough to be impressed with the greatness of it. Then at the Tithing Office. What a lark that was. Lem had talked with the manager in the yard at the back of the house - found him to be a young man that he had known in Nauvoo. Anyway, they would stop there on their way out in the morning and get grain and hay for the team. Dudley thought his mother was unusually silent as she went about getting supper. Just tired, maybe. Maybe a little discouraged. All the way on the road she had been the one to be cheerful, to encourage them all, to On the Ragged Edge 41 look forward to better things in Zion. Now she just occupied herself with getting everybody served and then promptly clearing up. The two little girls had literally run themselves out with the long day until they could hardly get themselves to bed. The others sat around for the usual evening visit. Dudley took his regular place beside his mother, close enough to pull her over to relax and lean against him. "What's the matter, Mumsy? Too tired? Did anything go wrong?" "No, I guess not. We had a beautiful day. Sister Snow was so gracious and friendly. It's only that, having come this far, I wish that I could stay here. In Zion. Where there are band concerts and a Shakespearean Club, and a Council of Health, and people who read books. I mean that the Zion I have dreamed about would have these things in addition to the prophets and the power of the priesthood. It seems that we have never been IN Zion. We only 'Hang on to the ragged edge,' as your father said just before he left me for the last time." "But Zion is more than just Salt Lake City," Dudley reminded her. "Zion is a large kingdom, and the outposts are important, too." "I know. I know," Sarah conceded. "I know that there's not an inch of land for sale within the city limits, even though some folks are moving out." "That's the very reason why we're going on," Dudley reminded her, "to get land free for the taking. In town here you might build up a good business sewing or cooking. Mary, here, and the two younger girls might be trained to help, or maybe get work in stores or offices. But your sons must have land - enough land to support their families." "I know it all too well. I've pondered over it day and night. But just being here and going about the city today meeting some of my old friends has done something to me. I envy them being able to live here; I'd like to be a part of this society. 'The ragged edge' may have some advantages. I only hope that I may be able to find them." 42 The Leavitts Head for Zion So the family went on to the Deuel Settlement, where Lemuel was set up, and his girl friend was ready for marriage. County lines were pretty tenuous and indistinct, for the census taker that fall recorded them all as residents of Tooele County, giving only age and place of birth. This does verify their location, however. Sarah Leavitt 53 borninN.H. Dudley Leavitt 20 Lower Canada Mary Leavitt 18 Lower Canada Thomas Leavitt 17 Lower Canada Betsy Leavitt 12 Illinois Lemuel Leavitt 24 Lower Canada Melvina Leavitt 18 N.Y. |
