The Winter of 1867 and 68 .....Very Little Snow Fell

Sego Lily ... Utah's State Flower 

    To have water in the streams there must be moisture in the mountains.  All Spring there was no rain.  The residents of Mt. Pleasant and Fairview had planted crops in hopes of rain but it was a hot dry summer.  What crops did grow were poor.  Cattle were turned into the hills and there were guards to watch for the indians.  The hills west of Fairview in the spring were covered with sego lillies.  This root saved the lives of many and became the State Flower.  The roots of the sego lily were sweet but not sickening sweet and very white in color.  There was no need for cooking. Other roots for food were wild onion and cactus root.  In the spring some plants were cooked and made good greens. 

Utah Grasshopper 

 Crickets and grasshoppers had eaten most crops in the fields and the gardens. But the Lord did provide food of some kind for them to eat and there was very little sickness, and the people did keep well.

Enough to eat, Enough to wear

Always the humble will to share.

A kindly smile, a work of cheer, 

To make folks glad that I am here.

A wee, sweet baby at my breast

Three small lads watching the door...

For Papa coming home at dusk

My heart asks for nothing more.

     .......................     Mary Jane Pritchett

    The blessed rain came in the Spring of 1869.  Sage brush grew tall, some to four or five feet and was used as fence.  Children enjoyed seeing who could jump over the tall sage brush and the boys liked to see who could catch the most rabbits.  

    The railroad was finished on May 10, 1869.  The people said that fall they had the best crops they had since coming to Utah.   God moves in mysterious ways.  

the above post are excerpts from "Lest We Forget"  

by Beatrice Pritchett Budvarson.