Show oo < xx > o < x > 0 < < O NJ i f PASt CELEBRATIONS OF I 0 + PIOflEERNJ I + 10 4 OJEER J I r < < < Ir Sarah Jane Rich Miller living at 146 Second street in this cIty is I one of the pioneers of 47 and one whose reminiscences are of an unusually interesting I in-teresting character She was just S years of age when she started for this valley In speaking of her early recollections yesterday Mrs Miller said My father General Rich was captain of our company of over 100 persons One of the first things that impressed me on the journey was the day on which we overtook the companies at Elk Horn The date was Juno 16 1847 and there we went into camp until the arrival of the whole pioneer train I was on the same day that Mr Jacob Weatherby one of the company who was sent back to Winter Quarters with two companions as escort to Nancy Chamberlain a poor demented de-mented woman who insisted on coming with us and who the authorities thought should be sent back to Winter Quarters was shot by Indians In-dians within a very short distance of the camp Nancy and the others were unharmed and it was decided that she should be brought with us rather than run the risk of losing any more lives in an attempt to send her back We remained at Elk Horn until Monday the 21st of June for the arrival of the artillery I consisted of one powder wagon one cannon and a boat on wheels which was provided with a hanging bell and which on the journey jour-ney was used to call the companies together in time ofdanger I was after 1 I EMIGRANTS ON THE LONG TOURNEY ACROSS THE PLAINS GOING INTO CAMP FOR THE NIGHT wards used for many years at the Temple for the purpose of calling the people to meeting during the existence of the Bowery The next thing that impressed itself on my mind was seeing away off in the distance a large body of people riding in our direction The bell was rung and all the companies went into camp until it could be ascertained who they were Upon using spyglasses it was discovered they were Indians i There were 500 of them in the party and all rode into camp 12 abreast chanting some weird song and waving a large flag They had heard of our expected arrival and had ridden out from Fort Laramie to trade with us They remained three days and the chief fell a victim to the charms of my fathers wife and wished to buy her He would not take no for an answer but hovered around camp a number of days in a vain endeavor to gain possession of her herThe The days were not all filled with hard work said Mrs Miller We some times went into camp for a few days rest and as there were musicians along we often had a dance the discomfort of tripping the light fantastic on the ground being made light of by the pioneers Although Tr Miller was such a small girl she was one of the few people peo-ple who helped drive the which carried the wagon cannon into this valley val-ley With all the impatience of a small girl Mrs Miller found as they neared the valley that traveling in the company was slow work and as her grand A 4Puiu Jjj LI ii II H 4 vttA f l f iI t ERS SARA RICE MILLER father intended riding ahead of the train she determined to accompany him and accordingly ran away from her parents after giving her grandfather to understand that she had gained their consent In this manner she arrived in the valley 24 hours ahead of the company I remember my first glimpse of the valley said she it appeared like a vast field of sagebrush with City creek winding its way along towards the river and the only bit of green to be seen was the willows on its banks The company arrived on October 1 and camped outside of the old Fort square until their houses were built which was not until after snow fell The winter was a hard one Provisisions were scarce and the rations consisted con-sisted of four ounces of flour a day and a very small allowance of meat The next summer the crops were almost totally destroyed by the crickets They i swept down on the fields from the mountains like a huge black cloud and I remained until the gulls appeared and destroyed them The corn that was left did not ripen well but it was ground into flour by a handmill which stood in the fort During the winter they were again rationed on four ounces of flour a day As a vegetable the roots of the sego lily were used The first molasses made in the valley was made from cornstalks in 1848 The cele bration of Pioneer day that year was a unique affair and its observance 12 months after the pioneers entered this valley shows that the importance of the occasion was well understood Although it is not known whether there was at that time any plan formulated for making the 24th a general holiday through the years to come The celebration 50 years ago took place at the Old Fort square and the contrast between it and the one that will occur this year is startling The members of the Pioneer band marched around the square bearing aloft staffs to which were fastened corn wheat potatoes and other products of the soil That constituted the original Pioneer day parade Afterwards the company assembled in a bowery on the square where a dinner was served while speeches and music made up the programme In 1849 the residents at the old Fort moved to their new homes in different parts of the city The crops this year were exceedingly good In honor of the occasion the 24th of July was celebrated in an elaborate manner at the Temple square The first store of goods ever brought to Utah was brought in the summer of 1819 by Livingstone Kinkead On the first day of the opening of the store they realized 8000 in gold coin and sold their goods at what was then considered reasonable prices rces Mrs Miller has some very interesting relics principal among them being a masons apron which was presented to her father General Rich he being mason bv the Propi Jo 1 Mmih This with other thiijjs nny bt ix hibited in the hall uf rdirs during the Pioneer Jubile I |