John L. Ivie

Excerpts taken from "“Indians Depredation in Utah” By Peter Gottfredson.

Col. John Levi Ivie of Mt. Pleasant, Utah was the son of James Russell Ivie. He fought in seven battles with Indians and lead three of them. Under General Warren S. Snow who took command of the Sanpete Militia July 15. With a hundred men under him he was after the Indians responsible for a double murder of two men. They wanted to head off the hostile Indians in the mountains of Fish Lake. They founds many Indians hiding in the cedars. Col. Ivie’s company were on outskirts of the Grove and did not see many Indians that after the fight some of his men wanted to go back and look for dead Indians and guns but the Col. said, “No, let the squaws go and hunt up their papooses.” The Ivie’s company drew off.

INDIAN GRATITUDE: The following is an incident as related by Col. John L. Ivie, to his son James Oscar Ivie. During the Indian troubles in the 60's the Indians had stolen some cattle and drove them up North Creek Canyon, between Fairview and Mount Pleasant. Father John L. Ivie and his company of minute men were in pursuit, and going up the mountain they gathered up several head of cattle which had been left along the trail, on account of not keeping up with the herd, and up among the timber was discovered an Indian covered with leaves, he was sick, and not able to travel with the rest. Some of the boys wanted to kill him, but father said, “No, we will not shed blood unless it is necessary.” So they left him and went in pursuit of the Indians and the stock until nearly night, when it was decided to give up the chase and return home, taking back what stock they had. On their return they came across the sick Indian up against a tree smoking a pipe. The men still wanted to kill him, but father wouldn’t let them.

Some time after that father and two other men were standing guard over some stock in the North Fort of Mt. Pleasant, they would frequently meet and report to each other during the night. They had got together at the north side of the fort, when they saw and heard the cattle getting up from their bed ground and moving away from what they thought might be a Indian crawling among them. The cattle kept getting nearer and nearer to where the men stood. When father spoke up to the other and said that they must be close by. After that the cattle started moving as if some thing among them was going away from them. When morning came nothing had been molested.

In the beginning of the 70's, after peace had been restored, an old Indian and his family came to our house and spent a day or two. He told father of the accurance at the fort explaining that he and five Indians were there that occasion and had their guns lying across a cow ready to shoot the three men, when they heard father speak and say, “They must be close by.” He knew father’s voice and would not let the other shoot at father. Father had saved his life on the mountain when he was sick. In appreciation he had now saved father’s life.

By James Oscar Ivie