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Show MUST BE STRAWBERRY DAYS Old picture, selected at random from collection of Calvin Walker's shows group celebrating some special occasion. We think it might be Strawberry Days, but it may be the Geneva Recreation Building near Utah Lake. If you know what it is, please don't call, we prefer to just think it was a party. Calvin Says . . . History of Pleasant Grove Moves Into Ninth Part of a Series of Articles; Jerry Walker Offers Complete Series This is the 9th of a series of articles written by Calvin Walker on the history of Pleasant Grove. Because of the number of phone calls and letters and the Review also getting get-ting requests for back issues, Jerry Walker, son of Calvin, has asked that anyone wanting copies of the complete history contact con-tact him at 785-4240. Zerox copies of the original manuscript will be made and can be furnished. The Review also can no longer afford to give back copies, having almost exhausted some issues. takers at that time in Pleasant Grove. In February of 1863 John Brown of Lehi was called to succeed Henson Walker as Bishop of Pleasant Grove Ward. Bishop Walker was called to fill a mission to Great Britain. Bishop Brown moved his family to Pleasant Grove at once. For one year he served without counselors, the Joseph D. Davis and Thomas Wooley were chosen to assist him. In 1870 a Retrenchment Association for Young Ladies, which later became the Young Ladies Mutual Improvement Association was ding sparks as large as your hand onto the neighboring lots. Only rain saved many of the surrounding buildings from burning. The next morning only the blackened walls remained and the people were once more reduced to the school house for their sacred services. There was a difference differen-ce of opinion as to where another church should be build and a place was even excavated. President Brigham Young came down and advised the rebuilding of the old foundation and the old walls were used again. This time it was improved and some years later a stairway was built at the back and outside of the building. In about 1900 a fire of unknown origin destroyed all of the building except the thick walls. When it was repaired, the top story was taken away and a flat roof built. The building is still standing as is used as the bakery shop. Each man employed by the United Order was paid one dollar and fifty cents per day. Each man would receive his grist from the public storehouse. this organization lasted for some years and then it was decided that the United Order was an impractical im-practical venture and it In the afternoon session, commencing at 2 p.m. there was singing by the choir, music by the band, and an address by Mayor Henson Walker, songs toasts and sentiments. sen-timents. The remaining time until midnight except ex-cept for an hour to partake par-take of refreshments, was occupied with dancing, interspersed in-terspersed with comic songs, recitations etc. The above serves as an example of the celebrations which the good people of Pleasant Grove arranged for every year on Independence day. Similar arrangements arrangemen-ts were made almost annually an-nually celebrating Pioneer Day on July 24. The ecclesiastical and civic government overlapped in the beginning begin-ning of the settlement. The pioneers had come west for a religious idea, and religion was their life, it permeated all their activities. ac-tivities. It was the bond that held them together in a foundation of a commonwealth. com-monwealth. These people had inherited a love for law and order and were anxious to have some form of government. From the founding of the settlement religious meetings were held, first in the grove of cotton-wood cotton-wood trees and afterwards afterwar-ds in private homes. William Stevens had built a house of hewn logs at about 1300 West State Road on the southwest corner. This house stood by what is known as Cold Springs. In this private residence religious meetings were held from the time Mr. Stevens built the house until the first school house was erected in 1852. It was build of adobe and was very crude. In July the people build a bowerv adjoining this school house which they met in for religious services ser-vices in the summer. On March 25, 1851, Brigham Young and several others of the authorities of the LDS church came to the colony to organize a ward George S. Clark was chosen bishop with James Duncan and Duncan McArthur as counselors and William G. Sterrett as ward clerk. In 1853 when Bishop Clark was called on a colonization mission to southern Utah, together with others, Henson Walker was called to succeed suc-ceed him as bishop He was ordained a high Priest on December 22. 1853 by Heber C. Kimball. Kim-ball. He had previously been presiding elder of the Pleasant Grove Branch, Bran-ch, mainly to take care of the spiritual affairs, the bishop's office in those days being considered of the temporal nature. In 1856 a women's Relief Society was organized with Mrs. Elizabeth Walker as president, and in 1858 this organization was made permanent with Mrs. Walker as president. It was the duty of the Relief Society to visit the sick and needy. They were to care for the dead and prepare them for burial. There were no under- organized in Pleasant Grove and Miss Josephine Harvey became tl.e president. The Young men's Mutual Improvement association was organized in 1875 with Andrew Jensen Jen-sen as president. In 1878 Eliza R. Snow came to Pleasant Grove to organize a children's Primary Association with Mrs. Mary A Pratt as president. At a special meeting held on April 20, 1890 John Brown, who had acted ac-ted as bishop of Pleasant Grove since 1863 was honorably released and Pleasant Grove was divided into three wards, namely, the First, Second and Third Wards. Joseph F. Thorne was chosen bishop of the First Ward, James Cobbley was named bishop of the Second Ward Hater Lin-don) Lin-don) and Knute Swensen was made bishop of the Third Ward (now Manila) The population was then 1,926. In 1855 the work began on a real meeting house. The basement was dug on the southwest corner of the grove and the walls were erected. It was not plastered for some time and had no windows, but canvas was hung at the openings and meetings were held there during the day in the warm weather. The next year the lower part, or basement was finished, he west end being used as a tithing office of-fice and the rest of the basement as a store house in which was put the tithing wheat. Vegetables, hay, etc, were kept in the yard around the church house. The dimensions of this house were 36 by 60 feet. The basement was built of rocks and the main story of adobe. The main story was 14 feet to the square. The adobe was two feet thick. When it was finished it was the finest meeting house in Utah County. Several years after the completion and dedication of this building, and after an addition had been made on the east end. it burned down in February of 1871. The records of the church, tithing wheat stored in the basement, scenery used on the stage for home dramatics, furniture fur-niture and a Sabbath School library all went up in flames, the roof went down with a crash sen- wing was added to the east side. It was reseated and many other improvements im-provements were made to make it a beautiful church. chur-ch. An annex on the east end of the basement served ser-ved as a town post office. In time, the remodeled basement served as classrooms for the Sabbath Sab-bath School and as a meeting place for the MIA. Like it's predecessor, it went up in flames in the night during the 1890's and was burned to the ground. But the people went cheerfully up to the City Hall to worship and went boldly to work on a better edifice. In 1875 about half of the People in Pleasant Grove joined the United Order. This was a cooperative co-operative movement started star-ted in the different settlements set-tlements of Utah, having as its purpose, the management of the temporal tem-poral affairs of the Saints on the community basis. As far as possible all were to be equal. Everything was to be done voluntarily. volun-tarily. The farms were taken over and operated by men under supervision. super-vision. The cattle and stock were distributed so that each family had meat, poultry and dairy products. produc-ts. There was in operation a carpenter shop, a wagon shop, a shoe shop, a flour mill, and in American Fork Canyon at Mutual Dell Flat was a lumber saw mill. There was also a co-operative merchantile institution. Families occupied oc-cupied their own homes, gardens and orchards. School teachers and all laborers received credit in the Order and drew whatever they needed or wished in exchange. Young men were apprenticed appren-ticed in the line of work of their choice. A building was erected where the bakery now stands at 25 East 100 South. It was known as the Order Hall. The basement was used as a storeroom for fruit and vegetables. The first floor was divided into bins, where the different kinds of grain were stored. The top floor was used as a recreation room and dance hall. This house was built of soft native rock and had a gabled, shingled roof, windows and doors were placed in the ends of the building only. A lumber was discontinued. On July 4, 1853 the first fir-st Independence Day celebration was held at the school house. John Banks was the orator of the day, and one of the features of the program as the children's chorus, the first ever organized in town. Richard Johnson C. Perry Liston and John Banks constituted the committee for arrangements for the day. Having no flag for the celebration, the ladies made one of turkey red and bleached muslin. In the schoolhouse there were dances. Here the young and old joined hands with a right good will. Here also were the theaters, where mother or father, brother or sister played the leading roles. Upon these occasions the house was packed. There was never a lack of an audience. There was nothing mild about the methods of that day. As a signal for the raising of the curtain, a cannon was fired. By way of amusement, parents and children took two or three day outings to the Provo Bench where they had military drill to keep them prepared as soldiers and guards if it was ever necessary. Picnics Pic-nics and campfire programs were enjoyed. Picnics were often packed and the family loaded into the wagon and outings for the day taken to the shore of Utah Lake or to Battle Creek Canyon. Independence Day in 1857 was celebrated in fitting style in Pleasant Grove. Captain Samuel S. White's company of infantry in-fantry men announced the dawn of day with volleys of musketry at which time the national flag was unfurled. The band then serenaded the city. At eight a.m. in the morning, the Sunday School, under the direction of the superintendent, Hyrum Winters, met at the school house. They formed for-med a processon which was joined by a company of infantry men and bands ban-ds and they paraded the principal streets of the town. The citizens then assembled at the City Hall where Alonzo Winters Win-ters gave an address. This was followed by a speech by Joseph L. Hayward. A song composed by Thorit Peck was sung by William Frampton. 1 In 1881, as an outgrowth of the old fife and drum corps and the earlier bands, the Pleasant Grove Union Brass Band was organized with Willard Halliday as president, Blonde Winters as leader and director and Frank S. Humphries as secretary. This organization remained intact until about 1895 and was succeeded suc-ceeded a few years later by the Pleasant Grove Siler Band, a group of musicians who were much enjoyed by the community com-munity for many years. Another development for recreation came with the Home Dramatic Association. Fame of this group was carried far. Later years brought other groups of players. To provide h.-rf. . fr,r.Iliti?s for the players, George S. Clark and sons built an attractive theater above their store. There, not only home talent, but that of traveling companies com-panies had an opportunity oppor-tunity to help keep the town alive. This was before the days of the motion pictures and when radios were vet undreamed un-dreamed of. Later, the Clark Opera House was built next to the store. Cutting bees were held. The neighbors would gather at one home and peaches, apples or ap-pricots ap-pricots were cut for drying. While the older foik cut the fruit, the younger people would spread the fruit on the dryers in the moonlight. Lunch would be served and arrangements made for the next cutting. There was a Scandinavian Scan-dinavian organization in Pleasant Grove. A great number of Scandianavian immigrants came here. They were intelligent people, but were handicapped han-dicapped because of their inability to understand the prevailing language. Thus is was deemed wise to have their meetings and socials where they could receive instruction and encouragement in the religion for which they had come to this countrv. They were encouraged to attend all general meetings of the church and community and to learn as fast as possible the english language. The choir parties and rag bees were the fashion. In spite of the hard times there was much fun and frolic in the community. |
