Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
1874 Description of Mt. Pleasant (written to cousins in Denmark)
The following letter tells how one of the pioneers (Andrew Madsen) described this land to the friends remaining in the Old Country:
Utah Territory, January 21, 1874
Dearly Beloved Cousin:
"I feel like writing a few lines to you and your family inasmuch as it is too distant for me to visit you, and it is about nineteen years since I was in Denmark. I was at that time a boy, and .am now thirty-eight years old. I and the family are in good health; I have never been sick since I set out from Svinne. I married a girl from Sweden when I was twenty-three years old. We have two daughters and three sons living and two sons and two daughters who are dead. The eldest daughter is thirteen years old and the youngest, a son, four months.
"I am very well satisfied; and I feel that I have been blessed by the Lord in the forsaking of my fatherland and in the seeking of a home among His servants and children in the land of America; . . . a goodly land in which to dwell as well for the poor as for the rich, inasmuch as there is much land here not yet brought under cultivation. . . .
"When first I came to Utah, I worked as a carpenter and as . timber man for about three years; after which I went to a new place called Mount Pleasant, where I got me a piece of land measured up, built a home and developed a farm, from which I am now enjoying the fruits. At the present time I own two mules, (they are a kind of strong draught animal of great endurance), two horses, a filly, sixteen cows and thirty calves and yearlings, and some sheep, swine, etc. Inasmuch as there is a dearth here of labor help, there is a consequent high day wage, . . . from .'two to four bushels of wheat per day, or the equivalent thereof:
I have therefore provided myself with various kinds of machinery:
……a machine for mowing, it is drawn by two mules or horses;
a rake with which to rake hay or to glean stubble and which is drawn by one horse.
I have also a reaping machine which mows and rakes into windrows ready for binding; a boy of twelve or thirteen years can sit upon a spring seat and drive the horses for this machine. I have also a part in a threshing machine owned together with my brothers, which is driven by eight horses; it threshes and winnows at the same time. It stands upon two carts: we can therefore, in a short time, move it from one place to another. My wife has three machines, one for weaving, one for sewing, and one for knitting. These are very handy for accomplishing work. I also own part in a saw mill driven by steam. . . . it can saw from twelve to fourteen thousand feet of lumber per twenty-four hours. I am also part owner in a mercantile store containing wares to the value of 20,000 riks dollars. I am at the present time foreman at this mercantile and am right now busy at sending barley to the railroad, which shall bring it to the seacoast, and thence to England. Barley and other grains are very cheap here. I suppose that in Denmark it is quite the opposite.
"I shall now give you some information in brief about the Territory; its situation; its fertility. Territory is the same as Amt' - or county (rather as province). But the people here have more liberty than they had in Denmark. Each Amt chooses certain men that meet together, once a year, to enact laws for the welfare of the people. Utah Territory lies 3000 miles inland from the Eastern seacoast, and 1000 miles from the Western seacoast, or California. When we made our journey here, we came by railroad from New York to Florence, Nebraska, 2000 miles; thence we traveled by ox-drawn wagons to Utah, 1000 miles over a desolate and uninhabited desert.
"At that time, all our merchandise had to be freighted over' this desert, and consequently goods were very costly in contra., to the present cheap prices; as the railroad crosses right through the country to California, with a spur northward and one southward, and it has been decided to extend it throughout this Territory.
"Salt Lake City is the capital. It derives its name from the salt lake situated a little way from the town. The water in it is so salty that from the edge of the lake one can fetch salt just as we would fetch sand in Denmark. In the proximity of the town, there is a hot spring. . . there are really several; the water comes hot out of the mountain. A bath house has been built there and the omnibus runs there with people several times a day. There are also similar springs near here.
"Here in Utah, the mountains are so high that snow may be found lying on them from one year to another although it is warmer here than it is in Denmark. On some parts of these mountains there are forests, while in some places in them there is coal, iron, lead, copper, gold and silver. In these various places there are several thousands of people laboring to bring forth these various materials and to purify them. . . .
"Most of the land under cultivation is very fertile, but there is seldom enough rain here in the summer time to bring the grain to perfection; we have therefore so arranged it that we can bring about the streams that flow from the mountains to water it. I guess that will astonish you, but it is very practicable, and the soil yields in general, from forty to sixty bushels of wheat, oats, and barley.
"It was because of our belief in the Lord and His holy scriptures that we left our native land. I will now close my writings and hope this letter will find you with lots of health and happiness.
"Mother and my brothers and sisters are well and prospering. To you and your family we send our most affectionate greetings and ask you to remember us to our relatives, and friends, too, if there are any yet living.
"Yours affectionately,
(Signed) "ANDREW MADSEN.
Utah Territory, January 21, 1874
Dearly Beloved Cousin:
"I feel like writing a few lines to you and your family inasmuch as it is too distant for me to visit you, and it is about nineteen years since I was in Denmark. I was at that time a boy, and .am now thirty-eight years old. I and the family are in good health; I have never been sick since I set out from Svinne. I married a girl from Sweden when I was twenty-three years old. We have two daughters and three sons living and two sons and two daughters who are dead. The eldest daughter is thirteen years old and the youngest, a son, four months.
"I am very well satisfied; and I feel that I have been blessed by the Lord in the forsaking of my fatherland and in the seeking of a home among His servants and children in the land of America; . . . a goodly land in which to dwell as well for the poor as for the rich, inasmuch as there is much land here not yet brought under cultivation. . . .
"When first I came to Utah, I worked as a carpenter and as . timber man for about three years; after which I went to a new place called Mount Pleasant, where I got me a piece of land measured up, built a home and developed a farm, from which I am now enjoying the fruits. At the present time I own two mules, (they are a kind of strong draught animal of great endurance), two horses, a filly, sixteen cows and thirty calves and yearlings, and some sheep, swine, etc. Inasmuch as there is a dearth here of labor help, there is a consequent high day wage, . . . from .'two to four bushels of wheat per day, or the equivalent thereof:
I have therefore provided myself with various kinds of machinery:
……a machine for mowing, it is drawn by two mules or horses;
a rake with which to rake hay or to glean stubble and which is drawn by one horse.
I have also a reaping machine which mows and rakes into windrows ready for binding; a boy of twelve or thirteen years can sit upon a spring seat and drive the horses for this machine. I have also a part in a threshing machine owned together with my brothers, which is driven by eight horses; it threshes and winnows at the same time. It stands upon two carts: we can therefore, in a short time, move it from one place to another. My wife has three machines, one for weaving, one for sewing, and one for knitting. These are very handy for accomplishing work. I also own part in a saw mill driven by steam. . . . it can saw from twelve to fourteen thousand feet of lumber per twenty-four hours. I am also part owner in a mercantile store containing wares to the value of 20,000 riks dollars. I am at the present time foreman at this mercantile and am right now busy at sending barley to the railroad, which shall bring it to the seacoast, and thence to England. Barley and other grains are very cheap here. I suppose that in Denmark it is quite the opposite.
"I shall now give you some information in brief about the Territory; its situation; its fertility. Territory is the same as Amt' - or county (rather as province). But the people here have more liberty than they had in Denmark. Each Amt chooses certain men that meet together, once a year, to enact laws for the welfare of the people. Utah Territory lies 3000 miles inland from the Eastern seacoast, and 1000 miles from the Western seacoast, or California. When we made our journey here, we came by railroad from New York to Florence, Nebraska, 2000 miles; thence we traveled by ox-drawn wagons to Utah, 1000 miles over a desolate and uninhabited desert.
"At that time, all our merchandise had to be freighted over' this desert, and consequently goods were very costly in contra., to the present cheap prices; as the railroad crosses right through the country to California, with a spur northward and one southward, and it has been decided to extend it throughout this Territory.
"Salt Lake City is the capital. It derives its name from the salt lake situated a little way from the town. The water in it is so salty that from the edge of the lake one can fetch salt just as we would fetch sand in Denmark. In the proximity of the town, there is a hot spring. . . there are really several; the water comes hot out of the mountain. A bath house has been built there and the omnibus runs there with people several times a day. There are also similar springs near here.
"Here in Utah, the mountains are so high that snow may be found lying on them from one year to another although it is warmer here than it is in Denmark. On some parts of these mountains there are forests, while in some places in them there is coal, iron, lead, copper, gold and silver. In these various places there are several thousands of people laboring to bring forth these various materials and to purify them. . . .
"Most of the land under cultivation is very fertile, but there is seldom enough rain here in the summer time to bring the grain to perfection; we have therefore so arranged it that we can bring about the streams that flow from the mountains to water it. I guess that will astonish you, but it is very practicable, and the soil yields in general, from forty to sixty bushels of wheat, oats, and barley.
"It was because of our belief in the Lord and His holy scriptures that we left our native land. I will now close my writings and hope this letter will find you with lots of health and happiness.
"Mother and my brothers and sisters are well and prospering. To you and your family we send our most affectionate greetings and ask you to remember us to our relatives, and friends, too, if there are any yet living.
"Yours affectionately,
(Signed) "ANDREW MADSEN.
Monday, January 29, 2018
Sunday, January 28, 2018
Journey of Faith ~ Wriitten by David R. Gunderson
With permission of David R. Gunderson, we include the following book to our blog. I will do a few increments at a time, as I have done with the Andrew Madsen and James Monsen histories. I will also paste the pages over to David's own blog page: http://davidrgunderson.blogspot.com/
This book will be of interest to not only the Gunderson Family but also to the Brotherson, Ericksen, Peel, Madsen, Larsen and more.
JOURNEY OF FAITH
Erick and Caroline Gunderson
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Letter to Alice from Her Grandmother Wihelmina Morrison Ericksen
Alice had gone to Los Angeles, California to work as a nanny for a Mrs. Frame. It was her first time away from home of any great length. Then a terrible earthquake hit on March 10, 1933. It was a shocker not only for Alice but it it killed 115 people and caused millions of dollars in damage .
The following is a letter sent to Alice from her Grandmother Wilhelmina Morrison Ericksen. It is full of the spiritual strength and encouragement that Alice needed at that time. I have transcribed to letter below these copies. 
Mt. Pleasant Apr 16, /33
Dear Granddaughter Alice, I guess you will be somewhat surprised to get a letter from me , and while I am not in the mood for writing the last while I have thought much about you all during the terrible experience you have had to endure during your short while in California and the terrible shock that has come to us all since you left us. How little we know what the future has in store for us, or what one day from another will bring . How necessary it is to live near the Lord that we may be prepared to meet what ever comes and ask the Lord to help us with strength and fortitude to bear our grief and sorrow in all humility. for he alone can and is the only source to look to for solace. We must put our trust in him and live as he has planned for us in order to enjoy his blessings.
I have thought so much of you so far from home and among stranger it is an experience you will never forget, but remember you are not forgotten for my prayers ascend daily for your welfare as all others in like condition. The lord is ever ready to bless and sustain those in trouble and weakness. I am sure you have suffered through it all but when ones nerves give away, it is worse than pain. I can feel for you as I have had similar conditions in the past with weak nerves. Don't let that worry you although I know how hard it is to fight it off.
Margaret and Lon or Mr. Child (her friend) as Willa Rae calls him, he asked her the other day if she remembered him. "Yes of course, who am I?" "Margaret's friend " was his reply .
Have been home the past three days spending th U. vication, returns this p.m. train, so I am sure the folks have enjoyed their visit although as usual she has been busy, made herself a new dress and Lon has engaged himself doing a little work which I am sure will be appreciated by all . He has moved the barn and carried the light out to the yard now. Don't you think that will be nice for the folks as well as for the animals.
Well my paper is filling up and I don't know whether I am telling you anything you don't know. This is Easter. Gladys had to go to Fairview with Harry to attend Sunday School Convention being held there today. She only had to stay till noon so Chesley and I had the children. He went up at noon and brought her home. This afternoon they are out with all the little folk for a picnic. Kent, Willa Rae, Grand, Marjorie and Naoma, Maryland included as Mrs. Jacobsen has gon to Provo to attend the wedding of Ralph (What do you know?) Barbara was with the Dredge bunch.
Well now about myself, As you no doubt heard I was coughing with the other kids. Poor things, I don't know how they ever pull through. It certainly worked a hardship on me. I am glad to say that I am now improving, but it has left me feeling weak at times. I am hardly keep up. I must rest part of the day in order to keep able to help a little.
Grandpa complains a great deal, came home today from Sunday School quite sick. Uncle Chesley is not very well either, but glad he got over a spell we feared might be scarlet fever, but as he had it when a child, it did not prove to be so. He is working in the garden every day now fixing things nice. The storm is getting up and clouding . I guess we will have another storm. It is so dry and dirty now. Had a letter from Canada the other day. They had snow and wind aplenty as well, so cold and in some parts 4 1/2 feet of Snow.
Well dear Alice before I forget I want to thank you for the beautiful dress pattern you sent me. Hope I can do something nice for you some day and do try to keep up good will while you are there and tell the girls from there I think of them all and hope they will enjoy their stay in California, but good old Utah for me. Now be good to yourself and build up your nerves. I can feel for you. And thank Mrs. Frame for her kindness to you. Helping you over your sad moments when you were so bad. We all sorrow and mourn our loss. It seems terrible but must make the best of life. Sterling and the kids are living at home now, what a change for them. May the Lord bless you and give you strength to keep up. With much love and every blessing attend you. Affectionately, Grandma Ericksen.
Monday, January 22, 2018
John Brewer Caves
John Heinerman tells of his involment with John Brewer, who found an ancient tomb in central utah that housed two giant mummies in stone sarcofiguses. This tomb also contained ancient records written on gold, lead, copper, and stones. These ancient records were stored in stone box's covered with cedar bark and pine pitch. The AHRF had some carbon dating done on the bark that covered one of the box's. The date came back at 50 to 350 BC.
This video shows our report on the carbon dating of this stone box
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtLhX...
Armed with this information I decided there was enough information to support this story so I went searching for anyone and anything that had to do with this find. This video is the story of just one of the people involved in this story.
To learn more about Brewers cave you can go to our forum and web sites at:
http://www.ancienthistoricalresearchf...
http://www.ancientlosttreasures.com/f...
or you can visit us on our Facebook page at
ancient historical research foundation
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Friday, January 19, 2018
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Johns Gym ~ Wasatch Academy
In 1922 "John's
Gymnasium" was built and named for the school principal Charles Johns.
Charles Johns served as principal of Wasatch Academy from 1912 to 1916 and then again from 1918 to 1924.
Ground was broken for the new Gym on May 16 1921. The total cost of the Gymnasium was $40,000 (equipment excluded).
Monday, January 15, 2018
THE GREAT SALT LAKE ~ taken from Zion, Her Gates and Temple
Colored reproduction in water color effects from original photograph by Charles R. Savage . Frank S. Thayer, Publisher
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Saturday, January 13, 2018
Friday, January 12, 2018
Thursday, January 11, 2018
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
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