Show Story of the Billings Party of 55 Sent by Church to Convert the Utes Eastern Utah and western Colorado in the were held by the Utes a roving Indian tribe of many bands The Utes for the most part were a friendly people But still they were children of nature changeable and suspicious of those who intruded upon their domains To the leadership of the Mormon church conversion of the Utes to Christianity seemed seemed seemed seem seem- ed a sensible first step in plans for colonizIng colonizing colonizing ing southeastern Utah Thus the church conference conference conference con con- ference held in Salt Lake City in 1855 called 41 men to go on the Elk Mountain Mission near the Grand river in the south of Utah territory The story of the Elk Mountain Mission is told in detail In Faun McConkie Tanners Tanner's book The History of Moab Her book in includes includes In in- eludes portions from th the official journal of the mission kept by Oliver B. B Huntington a school teacher and also portions of HuntIngton's Huntington's Hunt Hunt- ington's personal diary Excerpts from that thet diary diery tell fell of the mi missions minions oni day 20 trip from Manti Menti Utah to the Grand river a river a short hort hour six drive over oiled highways today Here Hr are ar parts of the story alory in Huntington's Huntington's Hunting Hunting- tons ton's own words I I j j I I I The company all being well together and well fitted up we started on the of May and traveled to 6 miles creek and campI camped camped camp camp- ed for the night Here we were more fully organized Joseph S. S Rawlins being chosen wagon master and O. O B. B Huntington clerk of the mission Earlier Alfred N. N Billings had isad been chosen to head the expedition Wednesday May we left Severe bottoms and nd entered Salt Creek canyon where we stopped for the night and gathered gather gather- ed our salt of the trip From here we began to have bad roads and they grew worse and andI worse nearly all the time climbing until we came nearly to the altitude of snow which fore sundown We commenced that night Snow fell on us 6 inches inch deep Ne Next t day we w. traveled over the worst wont roads I ever vr have hev seen sn The Th next neit day dey we w. traveled to Huntington Cr Creek a fine fin cr creek with plenty of feed fd 13 miles mil May left the wagon trail and took the Old Spanish trail being led by some Indians from Hunting Creek who said we could save three days travel in going to Green River Traveled hard that day and found no water until near night and that was in a perpendicular rocky canyon In holes and puddles in the bottom Some brought up water in buckets for their stock by traveling over one fourth of ofa a mile or rather climbing while others clambered down to an overhanging rock and up water witter with lassos and then passed passed pass pass- ed it from hand to hand until it reached the top By Sunday June 3 3 the party had reached the Green river There we kept the Sabbath Sabbath Sab Sab- bath gladly Invited all the Indians about us to meeting and preached to them the most honest and upright Indians I ever saw they believed all we could make them under under- stand With the hardest kind of work we had all our wagons and cattle cattie over the river by 10 o'clock on Friday June Our wagons we took to pieces and carried over in a small boat used for a wagon when traveling and about one-half one the cattle we towed over with it as it was nearly impossible to swim I any Had no bad luck except to break a fat leg that was good for we needed beef It Is 50 miles from Green to Grand river and only 2 watering places for teams be be- I tween That was a hard Job for teams and men for want of water and from sand and making road through among rocks and dug dug- ways Reached Grand river about 10 o'clock at night of the of June The official journal gives June 11 as tho gay day they reached reach reach- ed the Grand The Th story of the weeks that thet followed is all in inthe inthe inthe the record The Th Billings party perty crossed the Grand rode up lip what whet now is i. Mill Creek Cree to explore found the cache cech of three wagons and nd a plow made med by the party led Id by W. W D. D Huntington the fall fell previous The missionaries set to work at once They cleared ground built a dam dug a three-mile three irrigation ditch planted their crops They became acquainted with the Indians Indians Indians In In- of the vicinity as best they could Before Before Before Be Be- fore many weeks Huntington noted in his diary Our crops look well except wheat which is h thin and nd spotted but a good color The Th Indians are r very vry friendly and nd tho the work appears to be b. begetting begetting getting in their hearts hurts The fort was finished Eight men left to carry mail mall back to Salt Lake City and three of them returned on Aug 19 with welcome letters Two days later 13 men including Huntington started west for Salt Lake and anda a brief visit with their families it being peaceable times timeR with the Indians August passed and the first weeks of September Then for some reason the attitude attitude at at- of the Indians changed Came the morning of Sept 23 Again the official journal journal journal jour jour- nal tells the story We changed our herd ground this morning morn ing feeling apprehensive of some mischief intended by the Indians Early quite a number number number num num- ber of them came across the river up Into the fort They were very saucy and dent On inquiring why we had turned our cattle caUle in a different course some of the boys commenced loading their guns Being discovered the Indians began to cool down a little Shortly after this they left together Soon three of them started for forthe forthe forthe the field in the direction of the cattle In Ina a few minutes Brother Jas W. W Hunt started with a lariat to get his horse Charles an Indian a son Bon of Suit sub or St. St John Followed him on horseback he kept telling Brother Hunt all the time to go on ahead of him dim asking what he was afraid of Brother Hunt kept turning his head occasionally toward toward to to- ward him as though being apprehensive of ot danger They got nearly a mile from the fort when Charles told Brother other Hunt to look at al the stock He lie did so raising himself on tip toe to look That instant Charles Chari shot hot him and nd then shoutIng shout shout- Ing to an n Indian Indin not far fr off to run and nd t. t take two horses hones The Th bell ball entered Brother Hunts Hunt's back bc ranging downwards about bout one on and nd one half Inches Inch from the bad backbone bon left Ift tide side and nd four Inches inch from the small mall of his back This happened about bout half helf past pest twelve o'clock I The journal goes on to tell how Hunts Hunt's body was recovered how President Billings 1 was wounded by a ball passing through his f right hand how the Indians set fire to the haystacks how Edward Edwards and Wil Wil- William 1 liam Ham Behunin who had been away from the I fort on a h hunting trip were killed by In Indians Indians In In- I as they returned I Then comes the entry for Monday Sept 24 Early Farly In the morning the Indians came cameto cameto cameto to the fort said they were glad three of the Mormons had been killed acknowledged that they had killed the two boys I and Behunin as they were coming down the mountain It was now thought best for forI forus forus I us to move right away or we should all die as the Indians had sent runners out In Into into in in- I to the mountains for help Without eating breakfast we then got our horses into the fort packed up what little we could and I left about 11 o'clock am a.m. Thus ended the stay of the Elk Mountain Mission in the Grand Valley But they had marked a trail that many others of their faith were to follow more than a score of years later |