History of Thomas Bingham, Sr. and Thomas Bingham, Jr.

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-9- Father and Issac McKay who was an uncle of David o. McKay and Printis Burt went withthe surveyor and took up claims. Soon aft er a company of saints came into the valley and settled on the South Fork ot Ogden River. Captain Jefferson Hunt, a captain of the Mormon Battalion had charge of the company, and when Huntsville was located the town was named far Hunt. Hunt was the first presiding elder. The first of March, 1861 father and I wen.t into Ogden Valley with an ox team. The snow was to and on-half to three feet deep. Father bought some hay trom a man by the name of Hackshaw. We broke the road for about t wo miles taking the hay with us over on South Fork making a camp by putting up sticks in the shape of a tent then covering these with hay. We went to cutting down poles. I had a small ax, which I used when I went with father, I soon got so I cold cut 50 poles a day. We hauled the poles over to the farm and made a larger tent. Father fastened three poles to­gether, stood them up; then leaned other poles around, thus fanning a tent •. ' We returned to Ogden through a pass at the north end of the valley and down by Ogden hole (now North Ogden} as there was ho road up Ogden Canyon. In the spring of '61 father went up over the mountain east of Ogden City into a place now called the basin at the head of Wheeler Creek and tound nice timber which would make shingles. In June father moved mother up into the basin. The shingles made that summer were made mostly ot quaken asp. Father went to Ogden for supplies and left Kalip Hartly to cut polea with which to make a corral. The man rode his pony up io the grove about a mile away. The first tree he cut scared the horse, the horse broke loose and returned to the house. Mother seeing the horse and some one in t he distance wondered if it was an Indian. She told me to get on the horse and ride up and have Kalip come right down. W:b.en I got to the place Kalip was ready to fall another tree. I was told to get off and hold the horse. As the tree fell the horse jerked away from me and ran back to the house. I told Kalip that mother wanted him to come down to the house. He .aid wait until I trim this tree. When we didn't return as s oon as mother expected, she thought the Indians had killed us. Being afraid that the Indians would come and kill the children, she bundled them up and was ready to start dwon the canyon when she saw us coming. In June father moved the family up to the shingle mill. A few days later father had to return to Ogden to get supplies. He took me with him to bring the spade back which he had used to help make a torn across the river. After father had finished the ford I started home. Going up the hollow where the grass was about waist high on each side of the road I looked up and saw a bear. I didn't kbow what to do. Father had corssed the river so I couldn't go back to him and I daresn•t go up by the bear., The thought came to me, "I cane go back down the road aways and go around the hill, then come into the road above the bear."