Monday, September 15, 2025
Sunday, September 14, 2025
Saturday, September 13, 2025
OLD PHOTOS FROM THE MT. PLEASANT PYRAMID
Friday, September 12, 2025
DESCRIPTION OF THE MOUNT PLEASANT FORT 1859 ~~~ ANDREW MADSEN JOURNAL
July 1859
The following statement is made in Andrew Madsen's Journal:
"During the month of June, we were kept very busy in attending to our crops and the building of the large fort wall." July 10th, Apostle George A. Smith and Amasa Lyman visited the settlement, after giving much good instruction and advice to the people, proceeded to organize the Saints on Pleasant Creek into an ecclesiastical ward. William Stuart Seeley was chosen and ordained Bishop with Harvey Tidwell as first counselor and Peter Yorgen Jensen as second counselor. The office of president was thereby vacated, and Brother James R. Ivie felt very much pleased when released from the responsibility that had been placed upon him, in the establishment of the colony for which he had worked so hard. As it was a very pleasant place in which to live, the name Mount Pleasant Branch was adopted for the colony, giving credit to its pleasant location, beautiful mountains, fields and surroundings.
Work continued on the fort wall until July 18th, when it was completed, and had the distinction of being the finest fort in Sanpete County. Following is the summary of descriptions of the fort, given by Andrew Madsen, Peter Monsen, R. N. Bennett, and Peter Gottfredson. "It enclosed the block later known as the Tithing Yard. 26 rods by 26 rods, enclosing about five and one-half acres of ground, between Main Street and First North, and State Street and First East." "It was made according to instructions and was built of native rock, taken from the surface or dug out of the ground." "It was laid with mud mortar." "The wall was 12 feet high, four feet wide at the bottom, tapering to about two feet at the top.
This wall, in order that the maneuvers of the Indians could be watched from the inside, was built with port holes every 16 feet. about seven feet from the ground. The holes were about two feet wide on the inside, and about four inches on the outside, and about 18 inches high." "Later the inside of the wall was utilized for one wall in the erection of houses, 16 feet square, with one port hole in the middle of the one wall of each house." "There was a flat roofed house in the northwest corner of the fort upon which guards could stand and view the country."
"There were two large gates, one in the center of the north wall, and one in the center of the south wall, with a small gate adjoining it, giving a thoroughfare in passing. These openings had heavy wooden gates. Small entrances were in the east and in the west walls, which made it convenient, as they were not always obliged to use the same entrance." "The water supply was obtained from Pleasant Creek, which passed almost parallel east and west through the center of the fort. A large bridge was erected over the stream." "All corrals for the cattle were built to the north, just outside the fort, leaving a road-way between." At this time Mount Pleasant was a thriving community of about eight hundred inhabitants, with about 1200 acres of ground under cultivation.
Thursday, September 11, 2025
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
RURAL MAIL DELIVERY
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Rural mail delivery 1930 in Maine. Courtesy of National Archives History Office |
Here in Mt. Pleasant, we didn't have mail delivery until the new Neighborhood Box Units went in circa 1980.
In 1898 a fire destroyed the post office on Main Street owned by John N. Ericksen:
Those who sustained losses were: Dr. S. H. Allen, store building; M. G. Rolph, building and cigar factory; Dr. A. Lundberg, building, household furniture, dentist and jewelry tools; M. C. Kroll, store and bakery; Maiben & Aldrich, drug store; New York Cash store, merchandise; Equitable Co-op Store, building; Victor Nielson and Olaf Olson, Shoe Company; Kofford & Johnson, building and stock. The Post office, owned by John N. Ericksen; C. E. Hampshire, barber shop; Dr. C. McGoughan, office furniture; Dr. H. P. Morrey, office fixtures; J. C. Barton, barber shop and fixtures; Carl Kroll and Hyrum Hansen, each shoemaker fixtures. The Odd Fellows, Masonic, Workman and Woodmen lodges, their hall and furniture. Some were partly insured. The fire being checked by an adobe wall in the Lundberg building, saved the Consolidated Furniture Company, W. O. Ash & Company, and a frame building built by Nils Rosenlof, later owned by Rasmus Anderson. A year later, this frame building was also destroyed by fire.
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Monday, September 8, 2025
Saturday, September 6, 2025
FUNERAL SERVICES FOR ANNIE WILCOX MADSEN ~~~December 3, 1965 ~~~ (from our archives)



Friday, September 5, 2025
Thursday, September 4, 2025
FRIENDS OF 222D FIELD ARTILLERY ~~~MAY 22, 1941
Wednesday, September 3, 2025
JAMES WALKER AND PARLEY FULLMER ~~~ PHOTO BY GEORGE EDWARD ANDERSON
The print features James Walker as the barber and Parley Fullmer as his client who were both Mt. Pleasant residents. The photo was taken inside George Edward Anderson's tent studio. Notice that the barber chair is wooden. It is believed that James Walker was an early-day barber in Mt. Pleasant
We have had a small copy of this print in our collection, however Darlene Frandsen Blackham recently donated a 11x16 copy.
This photo was taken by George Edward Anderson.
George Edward Anderson was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and apprenticed as a teenager under renowned photographer, Charles Roscoe Savage.[1] At Savage’s Temple Bazaar, Anderson became friends with fellow apprentices John Hafen and John F. Bennett. Hafen later become an accomplished artist and Bennett was instrumental in preserving Anderson’s glass plate negatives.
The original can be found at this link:http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/GEA/id/1511/rec/25George Edward Anderson