Zion and Her Gates and Temples ~ publisher Frank S. Thayer

Pioneer Square   ~~~   Salt Lake Main Street   ~~~   The Gardo House 

colored reproductions in water color effects from photographs by

Chas. R. Savage 

Verse by Josephine Spencer ~ Salt Lake City 

EARLY DRAMATICS IN MT. PLEASANT ~~~ Judge George Christensen ~ Mt. Pleasant Pyramid ~ March 9, 1934

Rome Italy Temple

Home Along Pleasant Creek ~ torn down in the 60's

If someone can help us on this one, please do.  This home, as I remember, was between 3rd and 4th East on Main.  I would walk past it every day on the way home from school.  I believe it was torn down or burned down in the late 60s.

I think I remember Alice Hafen, (my mother in law) say that it was a the home of a Staker lady who run a laundry there at the creek side.  

The newer home on the bottom of the photo was built by Doug Heiden sometime in the 80s. 

SANPETE SETTLEMENT

This was a song believed to be written for a Mt. Pleasant Pioneer Day Celebration by Rae Woolf and Nancy Oliver.  It was found in research done by Mary Louise Seamons. circa 1980

History of the Car Radio ~ Shared by Larry Staker

For most people today it seems like cars have always had a radios, but let's face it, they didn't. Here is a short history of the car radio along with a few other tidbits you might enjoy.

Back in 1929, two young men named William Lear and Elmer Wavering drove their girlfriends to a lookout point near the  Mississippi River in the town of Quincy, Illinois, to watch the sunset. It was a romantic night; however, one of the girls commented that it sure would be nicer if they could listen to music in the car.

Lear and his buddy, Wavering, thought about that idea. Both men had tinkered with radios (Lear served as a radio operator in the U.S. Navy during World War I). That week the two buddies took apart a home radio and tried to get it to work in a car.

It wasn't easy; automobiles have ignition switches, generators, spark plugs, and other electrical equipment that generate static interference, making it nearly impossible to listen to a radio while the engine is running. One by one, Lear and Wavering were able to identify and eliminate each source of the electrical interference they encountered. When they finally got their radio to work, they took it to a radio convention in Chicago.

There they met Paul Galvin, owner of Galvin Manufacturing Corporation. Galvin made a product called a "battery eliminator", a device that allowed battery-powered radios to run on household AC current. But as more homes were being wired for electricity, more radio manufacturers were making AC-powered radios so Galvin needed to find a new product to manufacture.

When Galvin met Lear and Wavering at the radio convention, he found his new product. He believed that "mass-produced" affordable car radios had the potential to become a huge business. He convinced Lear and Wavering to set up shop in his factory, and that is where they perfected their first fully functioning car radio which they installed in Galvin's personal Studebaker.

A few months later, Galvin drove his Studebaker 800 miles to Atlantic City to the 1930 Radio Manufacturers Association Convention. He wanted to show off his new radio that was installed in his car. Upon arriving at the convention, Galvin didn't have enough money to rent a booth at the convention so he parked his Studebaker outside the convention hall and cranked up the radio real loud so every passing conventioneer could hear it playing. That idea worked and Galvin got enough orders to go ahead and put the radio into full production.

His first production model was officially called the 5T71; however, he needed to come up with a name that was a little catchier. Back in those days, companies in the phonograph and radio businesses like to use the suffix "ola" in their names – Radiola, Columbiola, and Victrola – those were the big three. Galvin decided to do the same thing with his product.  Since his radio was intended for only use in a motor vehicle, he decided to call it the Motorola.

When the Motorola went on sale in 1930, it cost about $110 uninstalled. A brand-new car back then cost around $650 and the country was sliding into the Great Depression. (By that measure, a radio for a new car today would cost about $3,000.)

The kicker was it took two men working several days to install the car radio. The dashboard had to be taken apart so that the receiver and speaker could be installed, and the roof had to be cut open to install the antenna. Since those early Motorola's ran on their own batteries, not the car's battery,  holes had to be cut into the floorboard to accommodate the new batteries.

Galvin lost money in 1930 and then struggled for a couple of years. But things picked up dramatically in 1933 when Henry Ford was so impressed with the car radio he became the first auto manufacturer to begin offering the Motorola pre-installed at the factory. In 1934 Galvin got another major boost when he struck a deal with the B.F. Goodrich Tire Company to sell and install his radios in its national wide chain of tire stores across the country.

Soon the price of the Motorola, installed, dropped to $55. The Motorola car radio was now off and running. Galvin decided to officially change the name of his company from the Galvin Manufacturing Company to "Motorola" in 1947.

In the meantime, Galvin continued to develop new uses for car radios. In 1936, he introduced push-button tuning so a driver could preset channels. Then he introduced the Motorola "Police Cruiser', a standard car radio that was factory preset to a single frequency to only pick up police broadcasts. In 1940, he developed the first handheld two-way radio -- The Handy-Talkie -- for the U.S. Army.

Consequently a lot of the communication technologies we take for granted today were created by Galvin's Motorola labs in the years following World War II.  For example, in 1947, Motorola came out with the first television set for under $200. In 1956, the company introduced the world's first telephone pager; in 1969, Motorola designed the radio and television equipment that was used to televise Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon. In 1973, Motorola invented the world's first handheld cellular phone.

Today Motorola is one of the largest cell phone manufacturers in the world. And it all started with the idea of a car radio.

So here is the $64,000 question: whatever happened to the two men who built and installed the first radio in Paul Galvin's Studebaker - Elmer Wavering and William Lear? Well, sad to say they ended up going their separate ways and taking very different paths in life. Wavering decided to stay with Motorola and during the 1950's, he helped change the automobile again when he developed the first automotive alternator, replacing the inefficient and unreliable generator. His invention of the alternator lead to such automobile luxuries as power windows, power seats and eventually air-conditioning.

Lear left Motorola but continued inventing as well. He received more than 150 patents. Remember eight-track tape players? Yep, Lear invented that. But what Lear is really famous for are his contributions to the field of aviation. He invented the first radio direction finder for aircraft and aided in the invention of the autopilot.  He then designed the first fully automatic aircraft landing system. In 1963 Lear introduced his most famous invention of all, the Lear Jet, the world's first mass-produced, affordable business jet. Now this is what blew my mind – Lear did it all with an eighth grade education.

******************

Andrew Madsen and C. W. Anderson, of Mt. Pleasant, Purchased a Herd of Sheep in Idaho in 1886 - By David R. Gunderson

  In October 1886, Andrew Madsen and his brother-in-law, C. W. Anderson, both of Mt. Pleasant, purchased a large herd of sheep in Idaho. Andrew Madsen and two of his sons, Andrew C. (age 19) and Neil M. (age 13) went to Idaho to receive the new herd at Glens Ferry, near Mountain Home. Andrew Madsen then entrusted the new herd of sheep to his two sons and they trailed them back to Sanpete by way of Kelton, Corrine and over the desert west of the Great Salt Lake.
The sheep were wintered in Skull Valley, then, in the spring of 1887, they trailed them to the Madsen-Anderson ranch at Indianola. The ranch provided sufficient range to support the new sheep herd without interfering with the cattle which were already there and their successful venture in raising sheep had begun.


Map showing the roughly 250 mile trail route used in 1886 &1887 to
trail the sheep between Glens Ferry, Idaho and Indianola, Utah.

TWO CLASSICS

DEER HUNT ~ David L. Peterson

OLD JEFF

Seventh Grade Play (circa 1955)~ Submitted by Judith Daniels Jackson

Home of John Henry Seely and wife Margaret Folkman Peel ~ Researched and Compiled by Tudy Barentsen Standlee

Ferdinand Ericksen ~ Pioneer of the Month ~ April 2017

Ferdinand Ericksen 

Ferdinand Ericksen and his first wife, Clementina Marion Morrison
The child is Beatrice.

Tina died soon after giving birth to their third Child Tina 

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

Ferdinand Ericksen and second wife Carrie Lofgren 

Ferdinand Ericksen, son of Lars and  Stena, was born in Mt.  Pleasant, September 30, 1863.  He attended the district schools and took a two year course at B.Y. Academy at Provo.

He taught school for four years in Mt. Pleasant and then entered the Ann Arbor Law College, studying one year.  He was admitted to the bar of Michigan, June 5, 1890 and opened an office in Mt. Pleasant.


He was elected County Prosecuting Attorney in August, 1890 and County Collector in 1892.  In 1897 he was elected mayorl.  He was cashier of the Mt. Pleasant Bank from January 1893 to July 1895, and was a member of the board of directors.  He also had an interest in the Ericksen Meat and Grocery Company.


In 1894, he was elected Major of the National Guard of Utah, and in 1896 was appointed Judge Advocate, with the rank of Major, on Brigadier-General Willard Young's staff.  He was appointed a school trustee in 1896, to fill a vacancy, and in 1897 was elected to that position.

Addendum

He was one of the influential persons to bring about the construction of the Pioneer Monument that stands in front of the Carnegie Library today.



His Speech

"Judge Ferdinand Ericksen, in his presentation speech, gave a brief history of all that had been done by the committees and the source of obtaining the necessary funds for the erection of the monument on the beautiful spot on which it stands, and thanked the ecclesiastical authorities for the privilege of locating it there without cost or consideration for an indefinite period of time. He explained in brief, the inscriptions upon the Monument, the names of the persons inscribed, he said, being representative of many nationalities, and among them were names of noted scholars.. musicians, artists, teachers, etc. Men who would, because of their skill and ability, have achieved distinction in any community. He stated in brief that this determined band of fearless and God-fear¬ing men, together with their wives, who shared their labors and who had come here under most adverse conditions; he said that the now vast rich fields with growing crops, were then covered with sage brush, and that the roads, bridges and canals were yet to be constructed, the churches and temples of learning had not then even been planned. The Opera Houses and Amusement houses were unknown. In fact, there were none of the attractions, or features of civilization to induce those pioneers to come, but on the contrary, the existing conditions at that time were such as to discourage."

"Not only were the elements to be subdued and the arid soil made to produce a livelihood, but the roving and uncivilized Indians had to be met and conquered. In conclusion he stated that it was indeed fitting that we perpetuate the names and deeds d such worthy ancestors, and that this was the underlying and controlling thought and desire in erecting the Memorial. He said that he took great pleasure in performing the duties his commission imposed, and presented the Monument to the community in behalf of all those who had in any manner aided in its construction, to honor of all the pioneers, both men and women, who settled in Mt. Pleasant, as a memorial of the esteem in which the pioneers who had made the present Mt. Pleasant possible, were held."

from Mt. Pleasant History pp 188-189; Hilda Madsen Longsdorf
He died on April 20, 1927 in Salt Lake City.
He married Clementina Marion Morrison in December of 1885, a daughter of William and Mary Margaret Farquhar Morrison. New Family Search shows them to be the parents of three children, Clementina Beatrice, William, and Clementina Marian.  His wife, Clementina died while giving birth to Clementina

He was also a partner to Henry Ericksen in the Ericksen Meat and Grocery for short time.  Henry was a brother-in-law.  Ferdinand had a law office on the second floor of the grocery business.


"In 1898, during the time Ferdinand Ericksen was mayor of the city, the city purchased the north brick schoolhouse, (the now mortuary) corner First North and First West, and in due time, after remodeling it, placing in a heating plant, vaults and cells, suitable furniture, etc.,it became an up-to-date and creditable city hall, and was the first real home the Mt. Pleasant city council had ever known.

The north Public Square was cleared of the brush and burrs, and trees and grass were planted for a city park".  from Mt. Pleasant History pp 179-180 by Hilda Madsen Longsdorf

Birth:	Sep. 30, 1863 Mount Pleasant Sanpete County Utah, USA
Death:	Apr. 20, 1927 Salt Lake City Salt Lake County Utah, USA Ferdinand Ericksen, son of Lars and Stena, was born in Mt. Pleasant, September 30, 1863. He attended the district schools and took a two year course at B.Y. Academy at Provo. He taught school for four years in Mt. Pleasant and then entered the Ann Arbor Law College, studying one year. He was admitted to the bar of Michigan, June 5, 1890 and opened an office in Mt. Pleasant. He was elected County Prosecuting Attorney in August, 1890 and County Collector in 1892. In 1897 he was elected mayorl. He was cashier of the Mt. Pleasant Bank from January 1893 to July 1895, and was a member of the board of directors. He also had an interest in the Ericksen Meat and Grocery Company. In 1894, he was elected Major of the National Guard of Utah, and in 1896 was appointed Judge Advocate, with the rank of Major, on Brigadier-General Willard Young's staff. He was appointed a school trustee in 1896, to fill a vacancy, and in 1897 was elected to that position. Addendum He was one of the influential persons to bring about the construction of the Pioneer Monument that stands in front of the Carnegie Library today. His Speech "Judge Ferdinand Ericksen, in his presentation speech, gave a brief history of all that had been done by the committees and the source of obtaining the necessary funds for the erection of the monument on the beautiful spot on which it stands, and thanked the ecclesiastical authorities for the privilege of locating it there without cost or consideration for an indefinite period of time. He explained in brief, the inscriptions upon the Monument, the names of the persons inscribed, he said, being representative of many nationalities, and among them were names of noted scholars.. musicians, artists, teachers, etc. Men who would, because of their skill and ability, have achieved distinction in any community. He stated in brief that this determined band of fearless and God-fear¬ing men, together with their wives, who shared their labors and who had come here under most adverse conditions; he said that the now vast rich fields with growing crops, were then covered with sage brush, and that the roads, bridges and canals were yet to be constructed, the churches and temples of learning had not then even been planned. The Opera Houses and Amusement houses were unknown. In fact, there were none of the attractions, or features of civilization to induce those pioneers to come, but on the contrary, the existing conditions at that time were such as to discourage." "Not only were the elements to be subdued and the arid soil made to produce a livelihood, but the roving and uncivilized Indians had to be met and conquered. In conclusion he stated that it was indeed fitting that we perpetuate the names and deeds d such worthy ancestors, and that this was the underlying and controlling thought and desire in erecting the Memorial. He said that he took great pleasure in performing the duties his commission imposed, and presented the Monument to the community in behalf of all those who had in any manner aided in its construction, to honor of all the pioneers, both men and women, who settled in Mt. Pleasant, as a memorial of the esteem in which the pioneers who had made the present Mt. Pleasant possible, were held." from Mt. Pleasant History pp 188-189; Hilda Madsen Longsdorf He died on April 20, 1927 in Salt Lake City. He married Clementina Marion Morrison in December of 1885, a daughter of William and Mary Margaret Farquhar Morrison. New Family Search shows them to be the parents of three children, Clementina Beatrice, William, and Clementina Marian. His wife, Clementina died while giving birth to Clementina Marian. He was also a partner to Henry Ericksen in the Ericksen Meat and Grocery for short time. Henry was a brother-in-law. Ferdinand had a law office on the second floor of the grocery business. "In 1898, during the time Ferdinand Ericksen was mayor of the city, the city purchased the north brick schoolhouse, (the now mortuary) corner First North and First West, and in due time, after remodeling it, placing in a heating plant, vaults and cells, suitable furniture, etc.,it became an up-to-date and creditable city hall, and was the first real home the Mt. Pleasant city council had ever known. The north Public Square was cleared of the brush and burrs, and trees and grass were planted for a city park". from Mt. Pleasant History pp 179-180 by Hilda Madsen Longsdorf
Obituary:  Judge Ferdinand Ericksen, for many years prominent in legal business and political life of Utah, died Wednesday at St. Marks, hospital in Salt Lake City, after an illness of several months.He suffered a heart attack about six month ago and was ordered to a lower altitude by his physician. At that time he went to Dallas, Texas, to visit his sister, Mrs. O. C. Anderson. When his condition became worse he returned to Salt Lake and had been in the hospital since. Judge Ericksen was active in the Democratic party for many years and was a factor in the development of Sanpete county in a business and political way. He was the son of Utah pioneers, Lars and Christina Hansen Ericksen, born in Mt. Pleasant September 30, 1863. He received his early education in the Sanpete county schools and later attended the Brigham Young academy at Provo. For a time he taught school in Mt. Pleasant and then attended the law school at the University of Michigan where he graduated in 1890. He was admitted to the bar of Michigan and Utah in the same year and returned to Utah to take up his profession. His political life was long and varied. He first entered politics in 1890 when he was elected Sanpete county attorney Later he served as county treasurer and was a candidate for state senator in 1894, but was defeated. In 1897 he was elected mayor of Mt. Pleasant, in which capacity he served for several terms. In 1904 he was elected judge of the Seventh judicial district and served a four year term. The same year he was a delegate in the national Democratic convention at St. Louis, MO. he was also a candidate for Representative in the House of Representatives of the United State. After serving as judge he returned to private practice in Mr. Pleasant. In 1912 Judge Ericksen moved to Salt Lake and became the law partner of the later Marks P. Braffet. This firm handled the legal business for the Utah Fuel company. In 1915 the partnership was dissolved and Judge Ericksen became general counsel for the Fuel company. He is survived by the following children; Clarence E. Ericksen, Hollywood, Cal.; Mrs,. A. W. Proctor of Sterling, Alberta Canada; Mrs. Obed Nielson, Mt. Pleasant; Mrs E. W. Lambert, William M., F. Harlan, D. Alleen and Elroy L. Ericksen all of Salt Lake. The following brothers and sisters also survive; Mrs. Anderson, Dallas , Texas; Mrs Camilla Noland, Mount Pleasant; Mrs. John Pritchett, Huntington; Mrs. Lena Sorenson Provo, Louis, Orem and Amasa Ericksen, Mt. Pleasant.

Below is the Family group sheet of Ferdinand's Father,  Lars Ericksen.