| Show SOUTHERN IDAHO TOUR VisitIng the Saints in Oneida and CawU Make HOFTZS RANCH Box Elder C Utah April 25 1S90 Correspondence Correspond-ence of the DESERET mvsIn SEwsJIn company with Apostle Francis M Ljmau I left Salt Lake City Thurslaythe 17th last for the purpose pur-pose of visiting the Saints In the Cassia Stake of Zion At Rich mond Cache County Utah we wr joined by Apostle Mariner W Merrill and continuing the journey by rail we arrived at Pocatello Binglmm Com Idaho at 4 oclock the next morning In this railway town of 3000 inhabitants situated on rortncuf Cretkthere h I a branch of the Church presided over by Elder Wm WiUIson which appears to L in a thriving condition About ISO Saints are temporarily located her most of whom are in the employ em-ploy cf the railway company they belong to the OneIda Stake Pocatello tello is 1 miles north of Franklin Leaving Pocatello In the afternoon Friday the IStb witli an Oregon short Line train we soon entered the famous Snake River Valley which at this point I about one hundred miles wide A run of twenty six miles brought us to the American Falls where the Snake River takes a leap of about twelve feet over ledge of rock As the railroad bridge spans the river immedIately Im-mediately over the fallstho traveler has the of fine Ia opportunity getting a 1ne view of the very Interesting scenery presented at this point After traveling thirtythree miles farther through a most barren and desolate country full chasms gulches and all kinds of ole rock formations ol-e arrived at the little railway station sta-tion Minldoka at 5 oclock In the afternoon Here we looked in vain for a team to bring us to Alblonand had to content ourselves with stp pIng in the sectionhouse over night Ve were comfortable however the section boss and his obliging daughter daugh-ter endeavoring to treat us to the best of such fare o the house afforded forded On Frilay morning early the team which had been despatched by cur friends at Albion for our conveyance thither was on band d k started and at 730 oclock am we started on our journey southward toward Snake River arriving at a ferry owned by our teamster Mr Gee Montgomery after having traveled ten miles I took us some time to cross the riverwbich here 1 about Sod feet wide in a ski2T and we I were astonished at this point and at other places In this extensive valley to see a number of dead carcasses of animals which had starved and oulmaL whic stafe frozen t death during the past winter win-ter The banks of the river were literally strewn with these and we were informed that many cattle owners lost during the revere win stock tee from G to 75 rcr cent of their to On the south side of the rlveran rnrln other and better conveyance was in waiting and wo continued journey jour-ney over a new road which Mr Montgomery I making in order to shorten the dlitance between the railway station and the settlements In Goose Creek Valley We were almost the flrrtperrons who traveled frtpnn over the new road which we chris te r toned Montgomerys cut cit I was very rough as yet tot our teamster informed us that he had several men employed working it every day and that I would soon become D smooth and even a the old road byway by-way of Plory ferry further t Arriving at Albion the county scat of Cassia County which I situated In the socalled Marsh Ba sIn and I separated from the lower Goose Creek Valley bj a low rpurof mountains we were met by Elder William F Brim who took u In his carriage t Oakley twenty five miles to tbe southwest where we arrived ar-rived In the evening after having traveled that day by team fifty five miles We nut a hearty welcome from President Horton D HeIght and family and the leading men of the Stake who r exceedingly pleased to Fee the Apostles and listen to their Instruction and trachinggdurlng the following two day Sunday and Monday April 20th and 21st en which the Stake Conference was held at OakleyFi cpiritcd and profitable meetings r elen a priesthood meeting were held and the meetinghouse was crowded on every occasion The Cassia Stake of Zion embrace em-brace nil the Saints living In Ca eta County Idaho and also about a dozen families residing on bL Georges Creek Box Eider Co Utah I consists of six organized wards with a total membership of 1391 souls distributed among 244 families Cunle Oakley the largest of the six wards embraces all the Saints living liv-ing in the south end of Goose Creek Volley on Goose Creek and Birch Creek John L Smith is Bishop The families in this and all the other wards In the Cassia Stake live in a very scattered condition mostly most-ly on Uielrt quarter tons and have had a pretty hard lime of I ever since they first located in the country little more than ten years 0 There have been grasshoppers aud rabbits t fight without number num-ber expensive litigations over complicated com-plicated water questions and many other difficulties j but the Saints have stuck to it and have now very good prospects belore them There would b room for many more people peo-ple in tills valley were it not for p to unsettled state of the water claims Te Goose Creek valley is an offshoot off-shoot of the great Snake River valley val-ley extending about twentyfive miles from north to south and tapering pering off from a width of about forty milesat thejnorth cud to a mere canyon on the < south There a tens of thousands of o level and fertile fer-tile land ns any Latterday Saint would desire to locate on if there was only water wherewith to Irrigate Irri-gate it Timber for building purposes pur-poses and fuel is plentiful in the mountains both cost and west and there I an abundance of good building build-ing rock Mot of the houses in Oakley and the other settlements are log dwellings with dirt roofs but a number the brethren are preparing to erect houses of mole durat le material MarIon named in honor of Apostle Frances Marion Ljman IK ono of the smaller wards of the Stake I consists of R families who live in a scattered condition north of Oakley principally on the west clde of Goose Creek in a string extending a distance of five miles north and south There are n number num-ber of comfortable dnclllngs The ward house Is pleasantly situated on rising ground at a lllnt four miles northwest of the centre of Oakley Adam G Smith is Bishop this ward VIn Spring BaSin ward presided over iiy Bishop Enoch It Daj ley con slsis i of 20 families who reside in a beautiful little valley or basin the centre of which is about five miles east of the Oakliy meeting house a low spur of Pout through whIch there is a natural gap separating sepa-rating this little valley from the Goose Creek country below Besides these three settlements there ore a few scattered families of taints living at the socalled Thatchers Ranch about eighteen miles north of Oakleyand at different differ-ent other points In the valley On Tuesday morning April 22nd ApUt Lyman and Merrill r turned to Minldoka expecting to hold a meeting with the taints at Pocatello o they passed through and I started east over the mountains mount-ains for the purpose of vIsIting the other settlements in the Stake Bishop Dayiey of Spring Basin with whom I had spent the night took me in hlswagon t a point on Birch Creek her I met Bishop Tho O King of Almo and Brother Durfee with whom 1 traveled veled oer lie mountains by way of Emery Canyon and the CIty of Hock to Almo twentylhe miles southeast of Oakley Almo Ward named after the Almo Creek a tributary of halt River embraces all the Saints who live at different points on the numerous num-erous mountain streams in Upper I Raft River Valley This valley is about twenty miles from north aut mit long Crm norl t south and from four to twelve II miles wide the south end of It where about a dozen families of Saints are located on George Creek extends Into Utah The whole ward consists of abut forty families besides a number who do not belong t the Church I water was more plentiful in this valley there would b land and all oilier facilities to sustain a large Imputation On Wednesday after speaking to the Saints cf Almo at a funeral held In their log meeting hou e in the afternoon Elder Chas R Ward took me to Elba I or Cassia I Cretk ki twelve miles to the north where 1 was joined by Andrew KImball of Salt Lake City and according to previous arrangement we addressed the fcjjlnts in the evening The pianecr log schoolhouse was crowded crowd-ed and we ha atrood time Elba Word embraces all the Saints who live on the headwaters of Carets Creek They numbered about fortthree families the majority of whom are young and lw 8 middle aged people who have mostly come from Willard and Box Cider Counties Utah Bishop Thomas Tnylor I resides over this ward and ilr the membeis a very good character for integrity and faithfulness faithful-ness to the principles of the Gospel This I the only place in the Cassia Stake where water is more plentiful than farming land The valley is Julio narrow and the laud suitable for cultivation lies in narrow strips between the creeks and the foot of the mountains The smallest ward in Use Cassia Stake consists ot about twenty families fam-ilies of Saints residing In the Marsh Basin in the immediate vicinity of Albion the county eeat and Is known a the Albien ward Bishop Wm T Harper presides The majority of the InhabItants of tnul section of country are lionMor mons Throughout the Cia Stake we found a spirit of union and peace prevailing among the Saint p a general thing They a mostly loor u regards this worlds goods having met with Is8 many disap polnmenta and hardships in tlitl endeavors t bring these sterile wilds under cultivation Mast nf the people arc a have been Induced In-duced to leave the more thickly populated sections of Utah and seek elsewhere for room where they may dwelL Yesterday morning early Elder KImball and myself took eve oft he good people of Elba and traveled byway by-way of Raft River Hound Mountain mr r Spring Rices Bench and Pilot Springs to this placewero wearrlved after dark having traveled dunng the day abut 55 miles Soon after arriving here one of our horses belonging I be-longing to the B C M M A of Brigham City the house which Elder Kimball represent died leaving U her In the midst ofHhe wilderness unable to proceed any Cure until another animal can b secured but we are in meantime kindly entertained by Mr Peter Glllesple who has charge of the ranch here HouUs Ranch is located in tho Great Curlew Valley at he sink of Deep Creek 21 miles northeast of Keltou a station on the Central Pacific Ilv I 1 a fine summer ranch but we a told that the winters are very pet and the snow fall is unusually greatcompar ed with that In adjacent valleys AXDBEV JK2SOX |
