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Show 1. if . ' i if - , r y 4 v1 -JK -I f rt' A fi I 1 LOT SMITH HOME By DONETA GATHERUM Editor Note: This is the second article in a series on the life of Lot Smith. After Lot Smith was discharged dis-charged from the Mormon Battalion Bat-talion in 1847 he traveled to San Francisco, Calif, and then to Sutter's Mill where he panned pan-ned for gold. The $6,000-$7,000 $6,000-$7,000 in gold dust he acquired in California he carried with him to Utah. The story says he gave one-third of the gold to his father's family; one-third to the church and one-third he kept himself. He used his portion por-tion to purchase a farm in Farmington. LOT'S FATHER, William Orville Smith, his youngest brother. Hyrum and his oldest sister, Emily Jane Smith Burk. had already established themselves them-selves in Farmington before Lot arrived in Utah in early 1849. William Orvill Smith died July, 1849 and was buried in Farmington. THE LOT Smith home was a large rock house about three blocks south and east of the present Davis County Courthouse. Court-house. In June of 1851, Lot married his first wife, Lydia Minerva McBride, by whom he had two sons. A little over eight months later he married Jane Walker Feb. 14, 1852. In 1 855 Lot's younger brother, Hyrum, died suddenly. sudden-ly. He left a disconsolate fiancee, fian-cee, Julia Ann Smith. Lot stood as proxy when she was married to Hyrum for eternity in the Endowment House. At the same time she was married to Lot for this life. Julia Ann became his third wife. LAURA LOUISE Burdick, the jirl who became his fourth wife, was fascinated with the sight of the handsome red-bearded red-bearded Lot riding his spirited and prancing horse. She told her friends, "Some day I'll have him for my husband." Laura Louisa and Lot were married in 1858. Not long after Lot settled in Farmington he was selected as the first sheriff of Davis County. Coun-ty. According to court records this was re-confirmed on This is a picture of the old Lot Smith home in Farmington where several descendants of the famous Mormon pioneer lived. March 7, 1859 when he was appointed to another term of office. John Bair was given the job of presecuting attorney. ON JULY 24, 1857, the Mormons Mor-mons celebrated their tenth year in Utah when word was received that a U.S. Army detachment de-tachment under the leadership of Albert Sidney Johnston was en route to Utah. The first of 2,500 troops left Fort Leavenworth Leaven-worth on July 18, 1857 and the entire force was on the way within two months. This included in-cluded soldiers, civilian teamseters, wagonmasters, suppliers and sundry employees, em-ployees, the total "army" numbered about 5,000 men. The troops were acting under orders issued by John B. Floyd, secretary of war under Pres. James Buchanan. Official Offi-cial documents stated, "The community and in part the civil government of Utah Territory are in a state of substantial rebellion re-bellion against the laws and authority au-thority of the U.S. A new civil governor is about to be designated desig-nated and to be charged with the establishment and maintenance mainte-nance of law and order. Your able and energetic aid, with that of the troops to be place under your command is relied upon to insure the success of his mission." THE CHARGES were based on information supplied by a displaced main contractor, W.M.F. Magraw, an appointed associate justice of the Utah Supreme Court, W.W. Drummond and Thomas Tho-mas S. Twiss, Indian agent on the Upper Platte. Each man characterized Brigham Young as a despot with no respect for the rights of non-Mormon minorities. No investigation of the charges were made by Pres. Buchanan before he sent Johnston's Army to Utah. Lot Smith's role in stopping Johnston's Army has given him his greatest claim to fame. ACTING UNDER orders from Gov. Brigham Young and Daniel H. Wells, commander of the military, Lot Smith and a few men burned the U.S. Army wagon trains and drove off their beef supply and so, aided by the winter's deep snow, succeeded in hampering the progress of Johnston's Army to the extent that they did not enter Salt Lake City but were forced to endure a severe winter under trying circumstances cir-cumstances in a temporary camp outside the fire-destroyed fire-destroyed Fort Bridger in Wyoming. This delay gave officials on both sides time to discuss the problems and work out solutions. LOT SMITH left us a firsthand first-hand account of the Echo Canyon Ca-nyon War. Exerpts from his writing tells the story very well. "We rode nearly all night (Oct. 3, 1857) and early the next morning came in sight of an ox train headed westward. I left half of my men to get breakfast and with the others proceeded to interview the bullwhackers. I informed Capt. Rankin that I wanted him to turn his train the other way and go until he reached the states. ..He faced about and started to go east but as soon as out of sight would turn again toward the mountains. "With 23 men I started for Sandy Fork to intercept trains that might be approaching in that direction. Scouts reported a train of 26 large freight wagons. After traveling 14 miles we came up to the train but discovered that the teamsters teams-ters were drunk., remembering remember-ing my positive orders not to hurt anyone except in self defense, de-fense, we remained in ambush until after midnight. "I ARRANGED my men and we advanced. I discovered that we had the advantage for looking back into the darkness. dark-ness. I could not see where my troops ended and could imagine im-agine my 20 followers stringing out to a hundred or more as well as not. I inquired for Capt. Dawson. I requested him to get all of his men and their private property as quick as possible out of the wagons for I meant to put a little fire into them. He exclaimed, 'Don't burn the trains.' I said that it was for his sake that I was going to burn them and pointed out a place for his men to stack their arms and another where they were to stand in a group. "Capt. Dawson and I went up to the second wagon train. Dawson shouted loudly for Bill, the wagon master. He exclaimed, ex-claimed, 'Damn it man, get up or you'll be burned to a cinder in five minutes.' "ON COMPLETING this task, I told Dawson that we were going just a little way off and that if he or his men molested the trains or undertook under-took to put the fire out they would be instantly killed. We rode away leaving the wagons all ablaze." Similar attacks followed on other wagon trains. On Ham's Fork, Lot Smith and his men joined with Orrin Porter Rockwell, Rock-well, Thomas Rich and about 30 additional men. Lot Smith said, "Rockwell and I were good friends on the following basis: I did as I pleased and he darned me for it." His account continues: "WHEN WE arrived within sight of the camp, I discovered a herd of cattle numbering about ab-out 1400 on the botton lands below. We were on the bluff... We had to run about two miles to reach the cattle and by the time we got to them the guards had yoked up teams to three wagons and started with the herd at double quick pace for camp. We intercepted them, unyoked the cattle and turned their heads the other way so that the poor cattle which had been in the rear were now in front. The boys gave a shout and the steers started away pell-mell. The guards were frightened as badly as the cattle cat-tle and looked as pale as death. "The men wanted to know if I would give them their arms back. As we hadn't seen their arms, this request led to an inquiry. in-quiry. We found that on seeing us coming down the bluff so much like a lot of wild men, they threw their arms away someone saying is we found them unarmed we would spare their lives." OFFICIAL U.S. documents testify as to the accuracy of Lot Smith's report. A statement state-ment dated Nov. 30, 1857 says, "The loss of battery horses, draught mules and oxen has been very great... Our marches were necessarily short. ..The Troops have borne the hardships hard-ships and privations of the march with patience, cheerfulness cheerful-ness and continued in fine health some few of the different diffe-rent regiments are still suffering suffer-ing from frost bite." A.S. Jon-ston, Jon-ston, Colonel 2nd Cavalry Commanding. |