COAL MINE EXPLOSIAN 1930 ~~~ VICTIMS BURRIED.

Standardville Mining Camps

 

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

 

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Helen and Neldon Rigby
Such a handsome Dad !

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Peter Hafen  a Loyal Aggie 

The father of our children 
Peter passed away on June 11th of last year.
He was a wonderful dad and friend to everyone.
Oh, How We Miss Him 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Charles Martin Rigby (A grandfather I never knew) He died after being crushed in a coal mine.

 

Charles Martin Rigby

My Grandfather who I never knew.

Born July 20, 1878

Died October 31, 1920

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Peter Hafen,  a Loyal Aggie 

Peter Leon Hafen

June 2, 1938 — June 11, 2025

Mount Pleasant

Peter Leon Hafen, 87, returned to his Heavenly Father on June 11, 2025.

Born on June 2, 1938, Peter lived a remarkable life filled with adventure, hard work, and talents few could match. A master welder, mechanic, carpenter, & blacksmith, Peter was known to be able to fix or build anything. If it was broken, he could make it work again—usually better than before.

In high school, Peter stood out as an athlete, known for his incredible speed and toughness in any sport he played. When a series of concussions put an end to his football dreams, Pete did what any determined young man would do—he started riding bulls in rodeos across the Sanpete Valley.

Music was another of Peter’s many gifts. He could play just about anything—including the saxophone, trumpet, piano, guitar, and banjo. He and his brother Donald—his lifelong sidekick and partner in crime—performed in a band called The 7 Hits & A Miss. They played for dances all over central and eastern Utah.

Peter was also a licensed barber who once cut hair in the legendary Hotel Utah. Later, he opened barber shops in both Provo and his hometown of Mount Pleasant. And if that wasn’t enough, he was also a talented baker—known for beautifully decorated cakes and delicious homemade pies.

On September 9, 1966, Peter married his sweetheart, Kathy Hafen. They were later sealed in the Manti Temple on August 9, 1977. Together, they raised three children—Michael, Laura, and Jon—and were blessed with 10 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

There’s so much more we could say about Peter Hafen. He was full of wisdom, loved his family unconditionally, & was gifted with a sense of humor that came with great advice often shared with us. To this end we finish with one of his favorite lines: “Never ride a bull backwards.” There’s a story behind that—and plenty of others that we’ll hold close to our hearts until we meet again.

Funeral services for Peter will include a viewing on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, from 6:00 to 7:00 PM at Rasmussen Mortuary, 96 N 100 W, Mount Pleasant.

A second viewing will be held Wednesday morning from 9:30 to 10:30 AM, followed by funeral services at 11:00 AM at the Mount Pleasant LDS North Stake Center, 461 N 300 W, Mount Pleasant. Online condolences at rasmussenmortuary.com

Peter Hafen
Mt. Pleasant Blacksmith Shop

Cameron Maxwell
Donald and Peter Hafen

L to R: Carolyn Hafen, Grandmother Carrie Hafen, Peter Hafen, Nicholas Bert Hafen

Yogi's BarberShop

JOHN WILLIAM PRITCHETT

 

JOHN WILLIAM PRITCHETT

Born 8 Aug 1860 in Linn County, Mo. --Died 6 Jan 1943 at Fairview, Utah. Came to Utah in 1865, settled in Fairview--farmer and stock raiser: small dairy herd 20 cows witch Maggie Ann and Martha Ellen milked each morning before going to school and again in the evening. Owned 480 acres of mostly dry land, raised wheat and hay. Ran a grist mill, was constable, stock holder in the Co-op store. He was a carpenter and builder, had a good head for business and a working knowledge of law.

 He was honest, also shrewd in his business dealings. Not a person to be easily taken advantage of. He owned horses and sheep. In his youth, an horse he was riding stumbled and fell with him landing on top of him. One of his lungs was crushed leaving him incapacitated for hard work, so he had to make his living by his witts [sic]. It is said of him that he was a good thinker and people came to him for advice. He was respected for his sound judgment and wisdom. He was a good mathematician and was good at figureing [sic] out puzzles and problems. He was a man of his word and expected others to be the same. He was from the old school when a man’s word was his bond and could be relied upon. He taught his family these same principles so they also possessed [sic] many of these sterling characteristics. He liked to figure and his third wife (Aunt Mandy) as she was lovingly called, often said to him, John, you are going to figure yourself right out of your dinner.” They were hospitable and charitable. It is said of him that he would share right down to his last crust with someone in need. I sincerely believe this to be true as my mother was the same way. He didn’t want any fifth calves, as he expressed it, looking on while the rest ate. 

John William Pritchett and
Martha Ann Tidwell Pritchett
Martha Ann was a daughter of 
James Harvey Tidwell 
and granddaughter of
John Tidwell 

 

Grandpa liked to play checkers and whittle. He didn’t leave worldly wealth, but he did leave a noble family. They worked hard for what they got: pitched hay, rode horses, cooked for thrashers, made wedding cakes for people, and did all farm chores. Money was scarce in those days.

His wife, Martha Ann Tidwell died of typhoid pneumonia when she was 29 years old leaving him with five little girls to be father and mother to. He did a good job in this capacity as they were all astute, honest, good business heads with leadership ability, thrifty, great cooks, compassionate to others, good at sewing and quite versatile. I don’t know of anything they couldn’t do if they set their minds to it.

 The word “no” was not in their vocabulary. Grandpa always said, “I can’t is a sluggard too lazy to try.” They were taught not to say, “IQ” but “I will” and that anything was possible if enough effort were expended. It really worked in their case. They were athletic, artistic, industrious, and all of high moral character. To say nothing of being fun-loving, witty, and possessing a fine sense of humor into the bargain. They were not easily out-ran, out-spelled or outsmarted. They -- whatever they were, were real and genuine. This is not fantasy, heresay, or bragging. I knew them and it is the truth. I forgot to say that they plain spoken [sic]. They said it like it was.

      Some of his favorite sayings are as follows: “Some people want the whole world and a calf pasture on the outside.” “It is the wait that breaks the wagon down.” “You can’t put an old head on young shoulders.” “Take care of today, and tomorrow will take care of itself” “Keep your feet hot and your heads cool.” “Never go into debt for food or what you wear, or you are always paying for a dead horse.”

“A dollar saved is a dollar earned.”

John William Pritchett

Sarah Emily Rawson Pritchett  (2nd wife)

PRITCHETT FAMILY PHOTOS ~~~MEN WITH BEARDS ~~~PIONEER DAY IN MT. PLEASANT 1947

I have posted this picture before.  However, this one is so much better. I found this one while searching

 Family Search for Pritchett Family records. John Frank Pritchett and Olive Monsen Pritchett were very much involved in Mt. Pleasant Pioneer Day. For many years, they furnished the Kentucky Fried Chicken that everyone so enjoyed. 

The following photos are from the Pritchett research I was doing.  My Grandmother was Sarah Emma Pritchett Rigby. 

HOME OF JOHAN FRIEDRICH FECHSER AND WIFE IDA CHRISTIAN JOHNSON ~~~(From our archives)

 

 

 This home has since been torn down.

DIXON JOHN FARLEY~~~ A TRUE SUPERHEROE

 

Dixon John Farley

April 23, 2010 — May 5, 2026

Mount Pleasant

Listen to Obituary

Dixon John (DJ) Farley, of Mount Pleasant, Utah passed away in his family’s arms on May 5, 2026 at Primary Children’s Hospital. He was born April 23, 2010 in Nephi, Utah. Dixon suffered from a severe genetic form of epilepsy starting when he was 4 years old. Dixon always wanted to be a superhero and with the gift of his organs being donated to and gratefully received by others, his life will go on. We hope they are ready to be superheroes too, because Dixon has always been a superhero. From the time he was a toddler, he could pick out people who needed his superhero hugs. He would insist that complete strangers would let him hug them, and you could just watch the stress and worry and anxiety leave their bodies. He gave us that gift up to his final breath. THAT, is a true superhero!

Most people didn’t understand the depth of Dixon’s intelligence and personality. He was a prankster and loved jokes, but he was also a very deep thinker. He didn't just blindly believe what he saw or read — he questioned everything with adults whom he trusted and then formed his own belief system and understanding of life and beyond. Even though Dixon was often bullied, ignored or just misunderstood, he never held a grudge against anyone. He was a living example of turning the other cheek. He enjoyed hanging out with his cousin, Payton Johansen; they were like brothers. He adored his cousin John Wayne Oldroyd and looked forward to spending time with him during school holidays. Dixon was comfortable at home, but he liked spending time camping with his family, hiking and going fast with his dad in the side-by-side and riding and grooming horses with his mom. Being a typical little brother, he delighted in pushing his sister Dannie’s buttons but he knew that she would always have his back. He always had a project to keep the adults in his life busy creating and building things with him. Dixon’s honorary Uncle Colter and Auntie Teasha spent much quality time with him hanging out doing everything from playing video games to ghost hunting in the cemetery after dark.

Dixon’s epilepsy made him think more deeply and respond more slowly than many of his peers. Luckily, his first teacher was “Miss Debbie” at Head Start, who was patient and caring and taught him in a way which he understood and she wasn’t afraid of hugging him. Tara Syme was the only one of Dixon’s teachers in middle school who allowed him to learn at his own pace and she taught him to love history. Dixon finally came into his own in high school. Cami Christensen and her SPED team finally gave Dixon an educational home with expectations, boundaries and the opportunity to learn at the highest level he was capable of. He felt secure in this environment — he made friends, he participated in sports, he was invited to the Preference Dance and was great friends with Boston Toomey, who always treated him as just one of the guys.

Dixon is survived by and will always be cherished by his family: his mother, Sydnie Farley; his father, Seth Farley; his sister, Dannie Farley; and his grandparents, Danny and Marles Oldroyd and Dixon and Beverly Farley. Dixon is also survived by his uncles, Justin Farley and his wife Stacy, Weston Farley and his wife Savannah, and John Oldroyd and his wife Jo; as well as his aunties, Amanda Alejandro and her husband Vic, Donnell Johansen and her husband Ben, and Megan Jessop and her husband Samuel, and a wealth of cousins. During his time in the ICU, Dixon was surrounded by his grandparents and his many aunts, uncles, and cousins from both sides of the family. This outpouring of love, support, and kindness is an ongoing gift to the family.

Memorial Services were held on Saturday, June 6th at 1:00 pm at the Wasatch Academy Music Conservatory (formerly the First Presbyterian Church), which is located at 92 South 100 West in Mount Pleasant, Utah.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, please donate to:

Donor Connect at (801) 521.1755 Info@donorconnect.life OR

The Epilepsy Foundation of Utah (801) 332-1000

To send flowers or plant a memorial tree in memory, please visit our flower store.

AN ELEPHANT AT SHEEP CAMP (from our archves from David Gunderson)

 

RELIEF SOCIETY POETRY CONTEST ~~~ 1962 (From our archives)

 

BARBERS REMEMBERED (From our archives)

 

Straight Razor Display


A display to honor the local barbers throughout the history of our established community. It is a collection of straight-edge razors once used to shave the beards of pioneers as well as the more modern day gentlemen who preferred to go to a barber than to do it themselves.


The first two barbers on record, found in Hilda Madsen Longdorf’s History of Mt. Pleasant are J. C. Barton and C. E. Hampshire. Both of these barbers lost their barber shops in a devastating fire in the early morning of July 24th 1898. Many other businesses on the north side of Main Street were a total loss as well.


Peter Hafen has been working on this collection for some time. He has been able to collect straight-edge razors from the families of known barbers of our community. For those barbers that he was not able to find a razor, he has substituted from his own collection, as this is a hobby for him.


Peter is a licensed barber and has given many gentlemen a clean shave. He once worked in the Hotel Utah Barbershop. He also owned and operated his own shop in Provo, called Yogi’s. After moving back to Mt. Pleasant, he cut hair at night in his barbershop on State Street.


The barbers remembered in this collection are: J.C. Barton, C.E. Hampshire, James Walker, Bill Rowe, Slim Borg, Lorraine Beck, Keith Allred, Wayne Stansfield, Deb Miller, Bardell Beck, Bernard Burnside, Jim Fillis, Dewey Scow, Alt Brotherson, Orval Simons, and Peter Hafen.


It is hoped that this collection will be viewed by many generations in the years to come. It marks a very important trade practiced here in Mt. Pleasant, and brings back memories of those days when the local barbershop was not only where locals went to get a haircut or shave, but also to catch up on the news of the day.

HUNTING ???

Standing: Alvin Christensen, Sitting: Boyd Waldemar 

 

IN THE YEAR 1905, THE ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH'S BIRTH THE CHURCH ERECTED A MONUMENT

This info is taken from the booklet "THE BIRTH OF MORMONISM IN PICTURE " published by Deseret Sunday School Union , Salt Lake City, Utah .

The photographs are by George E. Anderson.

The narrative and notes are by Prof. John Henry Owens.

MT. PLEASANT GUARD UNIT STANDS AT READY ~~~ Chesley R. Christensen ~~~ July 1976

 

SANPETE COUNTY FAIR ~~~ 2026