Show + + 4 + OO OO + i + + II I PiONEER RFMIN18CN8S I I I + + aHE + i + + + + HE PIONEERS OF 1817 are especially interesting in-teresting figures in p this jubilee year Among those who I liii came to Utah in 47 Is 1l Henry Heath who lll lives on Third South Lc4 street two doors west j of Second West ando I and-o p p 0 sit e Pioneer square where the pil T nv A I grims encamped upon Jf r nncampe Sir Heath is 6 years of age and was a husky youth able as he expresses I to af drive a bull team across the plains when ho arrived He was a member of Doremus ten Pfoutzs 50 and Hunters 100 and in the same ten were exPolice Justice Laneys father and mother Henry says that while his memory is not a it was in those times he has a vivid recollection of the trip which was one never to be forgotten While he doesnt recall any more of the incidents perhaps than others who were wiiti the party he can tell several tales of interest inter-est to the r > Ion eels Those who came with the first party will remember the old crossing at Green River some distance dis-tance below where the town now stands This crossing was rough at times and the Mormons were glad when Heath and Charles Sperry determined to go back and construct a ferry r w Talk about cutting lumber with a whipsaw he said yesterday Why Ser and I worked there with a whipsaw whip-saw cutUnjr cottonwood logs until we had made two flatboats W e had a nice time of it too Cottonwood logs especially especi-ally when green and wet do not saw as easily as other kinds of wood I am familiar with Before we went to work I the only ferry they had was a government govern-ment wagon bed with a log on each side and they used to charge 2 a team to I ferry one over When we finished we mado the price 5 I < v 0 I remember well that there was considerable con-siderable travel in those days The trail was lined with peoplegoing overland to California Well Sperry and I had been I without flour for days and days Couldnt I get a bit from any of the people goin over and we lived all this time on these little navy beans and bacon and mighty I little bacon 1 tell you finally I told Sperry that I had just got to have some bred An emigrant came along and he i i had what appeared to be a pretty good I load I tackled him and told him we had U U just got to have some flour I My friend he replied I have just got flour enough to get to California with and dont like to part with any I Oh thats ill 1 right I said you can got all the flour you want when you get tt Joe f1 I t the forks and we cannot leave hereto here-to ro over I that the case he said I will sell you a sack and he did for S50 Then Mr Heath Indulged in a laugh We had a joke on that man He hasnt cot to the forks yet l of which means that there was no j such place But you couldnt blame us could ydu yduMr < > 0 0 Mr Heath declares that the second year the Mormons were here they received re-ceived some Cattle from the east Bishop Kimball went over to meet the drover who had charge of the herd He met them on the north fork of the Platte The cattle were all well and in good condition and thanks to the vigilance of the party in charge the Indians tot > t-ot away with a single head How are you Brother said Bishop Kimball I a so glad to see you God bless you for your work Heath declares this benediction didnt teem to phase the old man a little bit I Ho wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his coat shook hands with Bishop Kimball Kim-ball arid then drawing him to one side I remarked Say bishop driving cattle Is awful dry work Never was so dry in my life You havent got a spare bottle with you have you i I History fails to record what the bishop I replied but the head drover was seen to I smile several times during the course or the next days march Thy got the cattle cat-tle in the valley all right and they did te well wel < < S > < i > I I But I didnt tell you the first man we ferried across on our new ferry said Mr H ea th Ho was a Scotchman and how do you buorose he was traveling AH by himself him-self with a wheelbarrow and he was I I making better time than n great many j r of the teams He carried his blankets I I and a little grub and when he reached wates all he had to do was camp and I up agaIn early and off while others i would have to stop and feed We never heard of him afterwards He told us he traveled early in the morning and late in the evening A man like that ought to get rich I took pluck In those days to march from the Missouri to the coast o ci < > After abandoning the ferry business Mr Heath came to this city and settled The1 big trees In front of the neat little home which he has down on Third South were planted by him over SO years ago They arc among the largest if not the largest In the city t A nan from the east came along In front of my Place a few days agro Tie said and asked me how old those trees were I told him 30 he years and e asked mp how old I was when they r ero started and when I told him that 1 had boon here 2 year before they began to grow he looked at me a much as to say What an olfl la this man Is and then asked me how old I was When 1 told him that fellow actually walked away from me like a man does when you tell him something which he is certain il not true 0 John Nebeker the father of Aauila Nebeker was a pioneer and J is claimed that he raised the first crop of wheat ever grown In the valley It was southeast south-east of old Union square where the university uni-versity now stands and a portion was grown where the street now is I wasnt a firstclass crop either but it looked big to them in those days and every grain was carefully guarded and saved tor seed the nest year 444 Shortly after the pioneers had established es-tablished themselves In this section a young man named Parker came here from Philadelphia and decided to unite with the church In his minds eye he saw this country was destined to be a great one and the Mormons were to become be-come a great people He hadnt been a member 48 hours ere he was called to goon go-on a mission and in company with four or five others went away Over in the settled portion of Iowa the party stopped at a ranch and the others to test the mettle of the new convert asked him to say grace I Is recorde that no one ever said grace exactly like that before or since He grew red in the face vhen asked to pray stammered hemmed and hawed but finally began The beginning Is not recorded but the ending is It was For Gods sake pass the biscuits a huge plate of those moist and jovial viands forming a large portion of the meal When he got back to the states he left the church and was never heard of afterwards 000 Before the days of ferries across the Green river immigrants had to drive their teams across the stream When the river began to rise it was a rood thing to get over as soon as possible for a delay of one night meant that the party either had to float across or wait until the water went down and that usually required several nays weeks oV months even according to the season One of the parties came to the river one evening and were about to camp for the night when e leader f who wits fge of the first to I come Across the plains discovered the water was risIng < r7e must get over tonight he said Tomorrow we cannot I can-not In the party was a boy who is now a white haired old man He and the I leader swam across on a horse The man landed him until he found the regular I crossing and then said You will have t ito i-to stay here till we all get across Build n fire at this pont and keep It burning I for that will be our only guide i The youth did as he was bidden and j i made the best fire he could which was a i poor one at best During the time hr was there rtD half dozen cayotes j came down to see what he was and made I matters interesting 1e indulging I in the I j Prairie Chorus The lad was a tenderfoot ten-derfoot who had never heard anything like the howl of a cuyoto before and he I was scared almost to death But he remained re-mained at his post and the entire party j got across in safety f |