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Show GEO . F . POWEll , , EARlY PIONEEROF PIONEER PIONEEROF OF MOAB , , DIESColorful DIES Coloiful COIOlful Colorful Career of Citizen 'Vho Vho Who 'VhoResided WhoResided ' WhoResided Resided Here for 57 Years Yearsis , is Ended . _ Deith De"lth Delth Death " summoned sununcned another of Moab Moabspioneers s spioneers spioneers pioneers Saturday , when George P F F.Powell FPowell . Powell , 84 , a citizen of the valley for for57 57 yeais yeals years , , passed away as a result ot of otmfirmilies ofinfirmities olinfirmities mfirmilies infirmities brought on by age In InpoInt Inpoint Inpoint poInt of years of residence in Moab he hewas hewas hewas was the oldest pioneer plOneer of the town townalthough , although several otnei othel other citizens are areolder areolder areolder older as the years are countedMr counted countedMr Mr Po\\ Po Porr Powell Poell \ \ ell came to Moab 1\foab 1 foab \ in the fall fallof fallof fallof of 1878 in company with Alfred WUson Wilson WUsonand Wilsonand WUsonand and sons Isidoi IsidOl I5Idm , . , Alfred and Irvm Irvin IrvmWilson IrvinWilson IrvinWilson Wilson , , and a man named Van Buren BurenAt BurenAt BurenAt At that time only two persons were werehving wereliving wereliving hving living in m the valley , a French Canadiantrapper Canadian Canadiantrapper Canadiantrapper trapper and a negro named Wilham William WilhamGranstaff WilliamGranstaff WilliamGranstaff Granstaff , better known to old timers timersas timersas as ' Nigger Bill These two men were werehving wereliving wereliving hving living in m the old rock fort in the lower lowervalley lowervalley lowervalley valley which had been built in 1858 b by bythe bythe the ill 111 fated Elk . Mountain Mountam missionMr mission misslOn missionMr Mr Powell continued contmued to live llve in Moab MoabuntIl Moabuntil Moabuntil untIl his hl5 death , and he witnessed the thetransformatlon th6tiansformation , tlansformatlon transformatlon of the community from froma a a frontier frontler settlement harrassed by byIndmns byIndians byIndians Indmns Indians to a thriving , , modern city ot of otover ofover ofover over a thousand people In the devel devel- development devel- devel develpment development - - opment pment ) of the community commumty he play played d a apromment aprominent aprominent promment prominent partPuneral partFuneral part partFuneral Funeral Puneral services were held Monday Mondayafternoon Mondayafternoon Mondayafternoon afternoon Horn flom fiom the L D S chapel chapeland , and ind weie wele were attended by a large crowd ot of otfnends ofTrends offriends fnends Trends who gathered to pay their last lastrespects lastrespects lastespects respects espects to an honored citizen There There.ere Therewere \ \ .ere ere . ere many floral offerings offermgs The ser- ser serirces ser ser- serVICes services - vices irces \ were ere opened by a selection , ' Whispering Whlspermg Hope , " by the Bronson BronsonQumtet BronsonQuintet Qumtet umtet followed foHowed by piayei playel by D AJohnson A AJohnson AJohnson Johnson A solo , ' In the Garden ofromorrovv of I ITomorrow iTomorrow Tomorrow romorrovv J.IMeadol , " was rendered by Mrs C J.I JI J J.Meadol JMeadol . Meadol Ieadoi The speakers \ were \ ere F M MI MShafer MShafer I Shafer hafer > and W R McConkle , who paId paida a 6 high tribute to the life llfe and record recordif record-of record of ' - ) of if the depaited departed depal ted pioneer plOneer A duet , ' Sometime , Somewhere ; , " ' was sung sungy sungby 1 1by by ) y Miss lfiss Helen Gordon and Mrs Agnes I iAshley lshley Agneslshley Shley . , followed follo\\ed follo ed \ by the benediction by byharles b byCharles Charles , harles W McConh1eMr McConkreMr McConkie McConh1e McConkre McConkieMr Mr Powell is survived by his wldo widow v/idowMis v idowMis / ' , MIs fis Irene Powell Pov.ell Povell . and a sister , Mrsouise Mrs MrsLouise MrsLouise Louise , ouise Grimm , of Moab A son , GeorgePowell Georgeowell George 'Powell Powell ' Powell ? owell , , passed away several years agoGeorge ago j Geoige GeOlge George P F ( Fred ) Powell PoweH was born bornat bornit bornat at it sea on 011 a vessel flying the Bntlsh British Britishlag Britishflag flag lag on January 23 , 1851 His father fathergas father\\as father as \ \ gas as a seafaring man , born in England England3is EnglandHis His 3is grandfather , also a sailor , was wa.s . a anatlve arattve anative natlve rattve of the state of New York Until Untilre Untilhe he re reached the age of 11 years , GeorgeP GeorgeF George GeorgePowell F Powell spent nearly all his days on onthe onhe onthe the he sea Then he entered school lin do do3ridgeport ilnBridgeport Bndgeport 3ridgeport England , remaining in the theinsbtution thenstrtution theInstitution insbtution nstrtution two years In 1864 his hismother hisnother hismother mother nother died in m England , , and fourears fourJears tourears Jears ears later he and his father came to toI toAmerica tolmerica toAmerica America lmerica and located in Illinois , where wherethey wherehey wherethey I they hey engaged in m farming Later they theymoved theynoved theymoved moved noved to the state of MissouriIn Missouri MissouriIn In the fall of 1876 Mr Powell and andfather andather andfather father ather came to Utah , locating locatmg on the theSevier theSevier theSevier Sevier river In the vicinity vicimty of or Rich Richfield Richield Richfield field ield , , Monroe and Joseph Mr powel1 Powell Powellngaged Powellengaged ! engaged ngaged in freighting from York , utah Utahr utahthen Utahrthen Utahthen ( then the terminus of the Utah SouthI South I I I PIONEER OF OIL 1878 PASSES I ItxA ! ' txA 2 sr srr srwx srr srx r x r Z wxZ wx wxa a , rr ' ' F FGEORGE . I I GEORGE F POWELL POWELLem POWELLern em ern railway rmlway ) , to St George and other otherUtah otherUtah otherUtah Utah settlements , and on into mto Pioche PiocheWhite , Wl White te Pine , Osceola and other mining miningcamps miningcamps 1 1camps camps in m NevadaIn Nevada NevadaIn ! In the spring spnng of 1878 he and his hisuncl hisuncle hisuncle uncl uncle , William Powell , came to Castlevalley Castle Castlevalley Castlevalley valley , Emery county , and remained remainedthere remainedthere remainedthere there until untlI the fall .fall . , , of the same year year.Their yearTheir . . Their destination destmatlCn was the Grand valley val- val valley val valley - - ley , . , as it was then named , now ' Moab Moabvalley Moabvalley Moabvalley valley But the Green and Grand Grandnvers Grandrivers Grandrivers nvers rivers were in flood and they decided decidedto decidedto to wait until untll fall before comnig commg on toMoab toMoab to toMoab Moab MoabIn In the fall of 1878 Mr Pcwell Pcwel1 Powell , driv driv- driving drivIng driving - ing a team of o oxen en , forded the Green Greenand Greenind Greenand and ind Colorado rivers . , and reached Moab Moabvalley Moabvalley Moabvalley valley safely He settled on a tract of of160 160 acres of land south of what is now nowMoab nowMoab nowMoab Moab town , , this tract being bemg between betweenMlll betweenUlill betweenMill Mlll Ulill and Pack creeks He cleared and andplowed andplowed andplowed plowed 40 acres of land in 1879 , rais rals- rals rais- ralsmg raising raising - ing mg good ciops ClOpS crops At that time tlme there therewas therewas therewas was no store or other source of supplies suppliesin suppliesn in n Moab , and it was necessary to tofreight to'reight tofreight Richfield Richfield.oKfLtviiipcL RichfieldoKfLtviiipcL , . , freight 'reight reight ' all provisions from . trail traiLran . . ran . . . , cn ; m\1p m 1p \ distanL rHstant U as "o o " the ' " > 111 * * : ; w "hUO hUO " vK * 00 - " . , "o o " > . * * w vK * . . - . W m mIn es Qiaiani- Qiaiani Qiaiani"o - In 1880 a mail mall marl route was \ \ as estabhshed established estabhshedbetween establishedbetween establishedbetween between Ouray , Colo , and SaUna Salina SalinaUtah , Utah via Moab valley vaney The mail mall was wasearned wasearned . carned earned on horseback once a week , the theehtire theentire theentire ehtire entire distance being bemg 350 miles nules Mr MrPowell MrPowell MrPowell Powell entered the mail mall marl service as MrI a apony apony apony I pony express ndei ndel rider . , his route extend extending extending extending ing from Moab to Placerville , Colo , the theround theround theround round trip tah1n taking four days 'Clays Clays ' He re- re remamed remained re remained - - mained mamed in m the mail mall marl service ervice foi fOl for sixmonths sixmonths six sixmonths months monthsDuring monthsDurmg During Durmg most of his residence at Moab Moab.Mr MoabMr . , I II Mr Powell engaged in m farming farmmg princi pr1ncl prnci- prnci prncipally principally ] . - . I . pally , , although he spent some timeprospecting time timei timeprospecting i prospectmg prospecting In later years he con con- confmed confined confined - fined fmed his attention to tl tluck truck uck gardeningMr gardening gardeningMr Mr PoweU Powell took a aery \ery ery very \ live interest interestin in public publlc affairs affans , and filled many posi posi- posihons positrons positions - tions hons trons of trust For perhaps 20 years yearshe yearshe yearshe he was justice of tI the t1'e t1e ' e peace at Moab Moaband , and he was also deputy treasurer and andassessor andassessor . assessor for far many yearsMr yearsMr years yearsMr Mr Powell was active actlVe in m the Indepen Indepen- Independent Independent Independent - dent Order of Odd Fellows Pellows , and until untilhis untilhis untilhis his death was the oldest Odd Fellow Fellowin Fellowm m in the stateIn stateIn state stateIn In 1908 he married Mrs Irene- Irene IreneBerry Irene-Berry Irene Berry Irene-Berrywho Irene Berrywho - - - Berry , who survives One son , George , pas pas-- pas- - passed passed passed - sed away in m 1929 , at the age of 19 yearsIn yearsIn years yearsIn In the death of George P F Powell Powellan , an interesting mteresting and honorable life hfe comes comesto comesto comesto to a close He was a citizen of the thehighest thehighest thehighest highest type , , and his death is smcerely sincerely smcerelymourned sincerelymourned sincerelymourned mourned by a wide circle of fnends friends fnendsthroughout friendsthroughout friendsthroughout " . ' throughout eastern Utah |