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Show El [ ElDown Down the Trail With Our Pioneers ] ( By Wmfoid Wmf01d Winfoid Bunce ) ! Mrs Julia Hills ( ( Eager ) John- John Johnson Johnson John-son John son - son early pioneer of Moab was wasborn \ ' wasborn as asborn born Decembci Decembcl December 20 , . 1855 , at ManU Manti MantiS-mpetc MantiS mpetc , S"tnpete Stnpete Sanpete " - county count She icsided lcslded resided at atMantl atManti atManti Mantl Manti until 1863 , " when "hen hen she moved movedwIth movedwith movedwith wIth her parents to the southem southern southempart southernpart southeinpart part of the state to help settle settlethat settlewhat that \ \ ha t is 1101.no now 110\\ 110 \ known 1.non l.nown lnown 1-.no\\ 1.no 1 .no no - . . \ n as Vn Viitrin Virgin gm Ci'v Civ City CI CityMrs Ci'vMrs tv * ' Mrs Johnson made her home home"Ith homewith homewith "Ith Ith with " her grandparents who owned owneda a I- I Irge hrge large - rge ranch in the hills not fal fai falfrom faifrom faifrom from Virgin Vlrgm City The family en- en engaged engaged en engaged - gaged c extensively .tensI\ely .tensIely .tensI tensI ely extensnely > . \ In dairying daifJmg dairsing Dur Dur- Dur- Dur During During During - ing the summci summei months cheese and andbutter andbutter andbutter butter were made and put down don do\\ do \ n in inbarlels inbariels inban barlels bariels els for shipment to Salt Lake LakeCIty LakeCity LakeCity CIty Each fall the men would load loadup loadup loadup up upIth \ ' with \\Ith Ith the pioduce ploduce produce and imke m\ke m ke make ' \ the thelong thelong thelong long trip , by wagon to Salt Lake LakeThe LakeThe LakeThe The dairy pioducts ploducts products would "ould ould " be traded tradedfor tradedfor tradedfor for clothing and provisions When Whenthe Whenthe Whenthe the family faintly had moved from Manti Manh to toVirgm toVirgin toVirgin Virgm Virgin , the they ' tiaded haded traded their holdings holdingsat at the former place for flour and andstored andstored andstored stored it at Manti ManU On return trIpe trips tripsfrom tripsfrom ; from Salt Lake , the flouras flour \\as as was washauled \ washauled ashauled hauled to Virgin VirginA A large part of theork the ' \ work \\ork ork in m those thoseearly thoseearly thoseearly early days fell on the women folk folkThey folkThey folkChey They had to clean001 clean wool \\001 001 \ and then thenprepare thenprepare thenprepare prepare it for spinning spinnmg , . then they they"ould theywould theywould "ould ould would " gather sigcbrush S'1gcbrush S1gcbrush sagebrush ' , , . alder , and andother andother andother other shrubs for coloring colormg the cloth clothafter clothafter clothafter after they had \ woven women 0\ 0 0en \ en it They did didall didall didall all the churning churmng of ot the butter and andmakmg andmaking andmaking makmg making the cheese ard and prepanng preparing preparingit prepanngIt It for shipmentMrs shipmentMrs shipment shipmentMrs Mrs Johnson s folks were fairly fairlyselltodo fairlywell-to-do fairlywell to do sell-to-do sell to do \ elI-to-do elI to do - - ' They 'I11ey I11ey employed a cook cookand cookand cookand and a special teacher tor for the chil- chil children children chil children - - dren In 1868 , the family moved to toMon'1 toMona toMoni Mon'1 Mon1 Mona ' , Juab county , and here Miss MissJulia MissJulia MissJulia Julia married Joseph HOlace Horace Hoi ace John- John Johnson Johnson John-son John son - son August 25 , 187011rs 1870Mrs 1870 1870Mrs Mrs 11rs Johnson was present at the thecelebration thecelebration thecelebration celebration in Salt Lake City when whenthe whenthe whenihe the , first train reached that city in 1870 , , , 1870J J H Johnson worked In a sa- sa saw- saw samill sawmill saw sawmill , - mill near Mona and \ was as engagedin engagcdin engagcd engaged in the cattle business there until until1883 1883 . , when he and1fe and \ wife \\1fe 1fe and their theiryoung theiryoung theiryoung young family left Mona for south couth- couth south- coutheastern southeastern ; southeastern - eastern Utah They passed through throughMoab throughMoab throughMoab Moab and San Juan count county , and andsettled andsettled andsettled settled at what was known as Oleo OleoNew , New Mexico on the San Juan and andAmmaS andAnimas andAnimas AmmaS Animas rivers After a n t \ very cry hard hardinter hardwinter hardwinter \\inter inter winter \ \ there , during . which v.hich vhich they theylost theylost theylost lost great numbers of their livestock livestockthey , , they decided to come back to Moab MoabIn MoabIn MoabIn In 1884 they settled in upper Moab Moabvalley Moabvalley Moalvalley valley , known as Poverty Flat Flatwhere Flatwhere Flatwhere where they engaged in ! farming arnung and andstockrai.sing andstockraising andstockralsmg andstockralsmgMr stockrai.sing stockraising . stockrai.singMr stockraisingMr Mr . Johnson was very active inpublic in inpublic inpublic public affairs in Grand county , and andVIas a andwas publicprominent VIas prominent prominent Inra Inraupbu in upbu upbuilding upbuUding ding dinga dingof of ol the Mormon chuich chUlch church in the valley valleyHe valleyHe valleyHe He sen served ed in m many positions of ofprommence ofprominence ofprominence prommence prominence in the county andchurch and andchurch andchurch church andas and was \\as as \ \ county cOlmty commis- commis commisSIOn"r commissioner commis-sion commis sion - SIOn"r SIOnr sioner " r for many veais yeais ealS Some 10 or or12 12 years ears ago Mi Ml Mr and Mis Mrs Johnson Johnsonmoved Johnsonmoved Johnsonmoved moved down dO"l1 dOl1 " from their lanch ranch on onthe onthe onthe the Flat and and built a comfortable comfortableMrs ; , , ' 1 1r r ! 4J4 J4 . r iii111yy1 , 4 , N , 4 * ' . S7U .1 1 . r ! . " > r1w 1w " ' 5 ' t f fit it itq itMrs q r itr \ Mrs l\Irs l Irs Julia 11111 Hills < ; Johnson and the theV1.te theLate theLate V1.te V1te Late . J . II H Johnson . home in town Mr Johnson died diedabout diedabout diecabout about two years agoAfter agoAfter ago agoAfter After Mr Johnson's Johnsons ' death , thaged the theaged theaged ( aged agedidow \ - widow \\-idow idow disposed of hei hel hen cattle cattlebut , but she still owns the 13.1 131 laige large . ge ranch ranchin ranchin ranctin in the upper valley which she and andhusband andhusband anchusband husband homesteaded in 1884 'I110 I110 The 'I110house Thehouse ' Thhouse ( house which they built bunt then is 5t111 still 5t111standing stillstanding stilstanding standing and i in use were to toMr Mr and Mrs Johnson , . eight of ofv.hom ofwhom ofwhom v.hom vhom whom . arc living hving She has 68 grand grand- grandchildren grandchildren grandchildren - children 57 great-grandchilden great grandchilden great-grandchUden grandchUden - and andfive andfive andfive five great-great-grandchildren great grandchildren - - At Atthe Atthe Atthe the age of ot 81 years , Mrs Johnson Johnsonis is extremely active and takes a agreat agreat agreat great Interest in life Ilfe . She is very veryproud veryproud veryproud proud of her large family faml1y and andspends andspends andspends spends much of her time tracingtheir tracing tracingtheir tracingtheir their geneology and keeping the therocords therecords therecords rocords records up-to-date up to date - - |