Pioneer

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Coins From the Mt. Pleasant Union Pavilion or Opera House owned by the Madsen family. ~~~ Contributed by David R. Gunderson

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Home of David Edward Young and wife Mary Ann Clark ~~~ Researched and Compiled by Tudy Barentsen Standlee

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Journey of Faith ~ Eric and Caroline Gunderson ~ written 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.

Because specific records of Erick’s work and contributions are not available, the following sections will describe the importance and magnitude of the various projects and situations that we know he and Caroline participated in as they helped to “Build the Kingdom”. Mt. Pleasant became the home of our Gunderson1 family for three generations (some of the. family still lives there) and it is still our spiritual home.

Mt. Pleasant Scene in Pioneer Days Note Pleasant Creek and Fort

Many of Mt. Pleasant’s earliest settlers3 had crossed the plains with Erick, Caroline, her Mother, Jens, and his family as follows:

 At least 25 of Mt. Pleasant’s early settlers came in the Canute Petersen wagon company with Erick Gunderson.

 At least 20 of Mt. Pleasant’s early settlers came in the Cowley Wagon Company and the Christiansen Handcart Company with Caroline and her Mother and Jens and his family, (C. C. A. Christensen, whose memoirs are noted above, was one of these early settlers.)

Therefore, they were not joining a settlement of strangers but a settlement of proven friends. The story of the settlement of Mt. Pleasant, still known as the “Queen City of Sanpete County”, follows

9.1 The First Settlement of Sanpete

The first settlement in Sanpete was made in 1849 at the invitation of the Ute Indians. Longsdorf, in her book4 “Mount Pleasant” describes this as follows:

“In June of 1849, scarcely two years after the arrival of the first company of pioneers in Utah, Chief Walker (Wakara, meaning yellow or brass) and Chief Sowiette with a band of Ute Indians visited President Brigham Young in Great Salt Lake City, and asked that colonizers be sent to the San Pitch Valley5, named after the Indian Chief, Sanpitch, a brother of Chief Wakara, to locate there and teach the investigate. They camped on the present site of Manti on 20 August, where they were kindly received and entertained by the Indians. After remaining there a few days, they returned to Great Salt Lake City and reported conditions favorable for settlement.” Soon after, Manti, Ephraim, Spring City,

In 1853 – 1855 trouble with the Indians erupted and the so-called Wakara War occurred. During this war all of the settlements in Sanpete except Manti had to be abandoned and all of the settlers had to gather to Manti for their defense. One of the settlements that was destroyed was Hambleton, which was located on Pleasant Creek near the present site of Mt. Pleasant

1 Many decedents of Erick and Caroline Gunderson still live in Mt. Pleasant.

2 Art work by C. J. Jacobsen (born in Mt. Pleasant) : Longsdorf, p. 221

3 Longsdorf, p. 43

4 Longsdorf, p. 15

5 The name Sanpete came from the name of Chief Sanpitch’s grandfather Pan-a-pitch who was captured by the Spanish while on a trip to Santa Fe, to sell Piede and Paiute slaves in the 1780 time frame. They tried, unsuccessfully, to force him to reveal the source of the Ute gold then held him for several years. During that time they gave him the Christian name of San Pedro (Saint Peter). In time it was shortened to “San Pete”. His people had a hard time saying it and it became San Pitch and the valley in which they lived, came to be known as the Sanpete Valley and the river was called the Sanpitch River. (Note that a river and its valley having different names is a middle eastern custom.)

6 Hambleton is the correct spelling. It is often mistakenly rendered as Hamelton. (Longsdorf, p. 18) and other settlements were established

9.2 Consent Sought for Establishing a New Settlement on Pleasant Creek

After the Hambleton Settlement was burned out in 1853, nothing was done, so far as it is known, about re-establishing a settlement on Pleasant Creek, until about the middle of August, 1858. This was shortly after the arrival at Manti and Ephraim1 of the Big Move Caravan. The Big Move was caused by the arrival of Johnson’s army in 1858 as part of the Utah War. This army had been dispatched by Washington to put down the so-called “Utah Rebellion” in 1857.

This action was taken because of false accusations made by two Territorial Officials who had abandoned their posts in Utah and a US Mail contractor who had lost the mail contract to a Mormon transport company. In addition, the U S President, and Southern Leaders in Washington, wanted to get the US Army out of the way because Southern secession was being considered. (The Cowley wagon company and the Christiansen Handcart Company both encountered this military expedition while crossing the plains as has been noted.)

Gov. Brigham Young, was not at all pleased by this development, and vowed that the Mormon people had “built for the last time for others to occupy”. As Governor, he placed the Territory under Martial Law and ordered the people living in the northern parts of the territory to abandon their communities, prepare to burn their homes, Pioneers2 cut down their orchards, burn their crops, and destroy their irrigation systems if the army caused any problems . In addition, He caused Johnson’s Army to be delayed on the plains through the winter of 1857 -1858. He also had fortifications built all along the north ridge in Echo Canyon (which are still visible as shown below) and he had the Utah Militia3 stationed behind those fortifications, ready to interdict the army if they caused any trouble.

About 30,000 people moved south as a result of this order. Thus it is referred to as the Big Move. Many stopped in the Provo area but many many more continued further south and filled the new communities in Sanpete and other areas to over flowing.

Needless to say, this caused a great strain on the local economies. Many of the Big Move Caravan did not return to their former homes in Northern Utah but stayed to help build the new communities in Sanpete and Sevier Counties, etc.

Government investigators, who came with the Army, found that the claims made by the truant territorial officers and the disgruntled mail contractor were false and issued pardons to all territorial officials who had been wrongly accused. It was further agreed that the Army would make a camp on the western side of Utah Lake, at least 40 miles from any Mormon settlement. This camp was called Camp Floyd.

As a result of the crowding and economic strain, James R. Ivie, and six others were chosen at Fort Ephraim as an exploring committee, to select a suitable location for a new settlement in the northern part of the valley. They decided upon a site on Pleasant Creek. They then returned to Fort Ephraim and stated their views to the immigrants and others, who had reached Fort Ephraim and planned to remain over the winter.

1 Longsdorf, pp. 29 -34

2 Art work by C. J. Jacobsen (born in Mt. Pleasant): Longsdorf, p.11

3 Then called the Nauvoo Legion. My great grandfather Andrew Madsen, who came in the Petersen Wagon Company with Erick Gunderson, was stationed in Echo Canyon when the army arrived.

Three Breastwork Defenses in Echo Canyon

A breastwork on a high cliff It could have been used for defense or its stones could have been rolled down to block the wagon road in the bottom of Echo Canyon.

The inset is a close-up of the remains of the original breastwork.

Jerry Irvin Conlon

Jerry Irvin Conlon

08/01/1939 ~ 9/13/2016

Jerry Irvin Conlon, beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother passed away peacefully on September 13, 2016 in Provo, Utah.

Jerry Irvin Conlon was born August 1,1939 in Mount. Pleasant Utah to Irvin and LaRue Conlon. He was raised in Mount Pleasant later moving to Scofield later coming back to Mount Pleasant where he played football and graduated from North Sanpete High School.

In 1958 he joined the Navy where he served until 1962. In 1959 he married the love of his life Patricia Ann Bohne from Fairview, Utah, in 2000 their marriage was solemnized in the Manti Temple. Jerry served in scouting for many years, he was a mission leader and 2nd counselor in the Branch Presidency in Quarzsite, Arizona.

He had a very outgoing personality and had a love for life, he will always be loved and remembered for his ability to make you laugh and leave with a smile. He was a self taught artist, he worked in oils and wood burning. He will also be remembered for his cartoon drawings.

Jerry worked for Western Electric, AT&T and Lucent Technologies as a Telecommunications Technician, while in this field he attended school in Columbus, Ohio, Bel Labs in Boston, Massachusetts, he attended Princeton University and Maramec Valley College where he furthered his education which he used to help train others. He worked all over the United States as Telecommunications Technician installing, training and managing telephone and fiber optics from 1963-1993. Among his many professional accomplishments he installed the first fiber optics system in the County, it was in Dugway Utah. In 1985 he accepted a position in Tague and Soul Korea where he was a Telecommunications Manager for the U.S. Army 1st Signal Brigade. He installed the fiber optic Communication system there for the entire Country of South Korea. He spent 5 years in Korea military rank as a 5 Star Colonel. He retired at age 53 from Lucent Technologies.

In 1965 Jerry and Pat moved to Brigham City, Utah where they raised their family. In 1993 he retired, and in 1999 they moved back to Sanpete County where they built their summer home at Skyline Mountain Resort in Fairview, Utah. They also had a home in Brenda, Arizona where they spent the winters.

Jerry spent the last six weeks of his life in the hospital. He fought hard until the very end. He passed away at the Utah Valley Hospital in Provo Utah on September 13, 2016 due to Multiorgan System Failure.

He is survived by his loving wife Patricia Ann Bohne Conlon, Son, Robert Conlon, daughter Robin (Kirk) Head, son, Roger Conlon, 11 Grandchildren and 17 Great Grandchildren. He is also survived by sister Carolyn Allred, sister Louise Nielson (Bruce Johnson), sister Bonnie Draper, brother in-law Robert (Judy) Bohne, sister in-law Linda (Chris) Larsen, an Uncle, two Aunts, numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents Irvin and LaRue Conlon.

“His memories will be remembered by his cartoon drawings, story telling and; his jokes”

Funeral services – Monday September 19, 2016 at 11:00 A.M. in the Mount Pleasant North Stake Center (461 N 300 W) Friends may call Sunday from 6:00 – 8:00 P.M. at Rasmussen Mortuary (96 North 100 West, Mount Pleasant) and Monday from 9:30 – 10:30 A.M. at the Mount Pleasant North Stake Center. Interment in the Mount Pleasant City Cemetery.

Friday, September 23, 2016

School Class 1909 ~ Unknown Submitter

Thursday, September 22, 2016

1950s Testing in Nevada and “Downwinders”

Taken from
http://ilovehistory.utah.gov/time/stories/index.html

1950s Testing in Nevada and “Downwinders”

The "Dog" atmospheric nuclear bomb test at the Nevada Test Site, conducted in 1951. Photo from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection.

During the 1950s, the U.S. government tested atomic bombs on in southern Nevada. They chose this area because the population of the area was not large, and only thousands of people, not millions, would be affected by radiation. The fallout from the bomb tests drifted over southern Utah. Livestock died, and over time people became sick, some fatally, from their exposure to radiation.

More of the story:
After World War II, the U.S. military continued its interest in developing new weapons. In particular, it wanted to improve the atomic bomb. The government looked for a place to test these weapons. The ideal area would be flat, not very populated, and with good weather conditions--meaning that the wind would blow the debris, or fallout, away from big concentrations of people.

The government found that area in the southern Nevada desert, not too far away from where crews trained for the Enola Gay bombing missions.

U.S. citizens as guinea pigs.

The first test bomb exploded over the Nevada desert on January 27, 1951. The fallout drifted east, into southwest Utah. The commission that oversaw testing, the Atomic Energy Commission, promised residents of southern Nevada and Utah that the testing was safe, and residents believed them. Even when livestock began dying, many of the residents didn’t question what the government was telling them.

Unfortunately, the Atomic Energy Commission lied, and they did it knowingly. Their own scientists knew that radioactive fallout could kill or harm both animals and people, but the Commission did nothing to warn residents or stop testing.

Dead and deformed sheep.

By 1953, sheep in Iron County showed clear symptoms of radiation poisoning. Animals had burns on their face from eating radioactive grass. Birth rates dropped as animals miscarried at an increasing rate. Many of the young were born so deformed or sick that they did not live long past birth.

The Commission investigated the livestock deaths and deformities, but it falsified the reports so that no one knew that Iron County was slowly being poisoned by radioactive fallout. It was not until a Congressional investigation uncovered the massive fraud of the Commission in 1979 that the real picture began to come to light. By then it was too late for many families in the area.

Many believe that there are too many cases of leukemia, infertility, and birth defects in these communities to be a coincidence. Those affected by the testing fallout call themselves “Downwinders,” because the wind blew radiation from the test site over their communities.

Seeking justice.

Many people filed lawsuits against the government, and though the courts have been reluctant to state for sure that the testing caused cancer and other problems, Congress passed a compensation bill in 1990 that apologized and provided money to help survivors deal with their diseases and other problems that may have been caused by the Nevada testing.

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