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Show pioneer Heritage Kemain in Walker9 Hill Creek Moad Home ..Mit" ...... . . , -.t. -'AA-i. &WiAiimi? it a-. -,.. ...-J Blooming flowers celebrate the coming of spring at Mrs. Emma Walker's Mill Creek Road home. Mrs. Walker had this picture taken in 1965 but, it is a i 1 familiar scence every spring. The home was built by O.W. Warner in the early 1980's. ' N -TcrH- lyC!;:: l'' ''' Z&S' r- v ! Today Mrs. Walker's home is a spectacular scene as one drives along Mill Creek Road. Mrs. Walker still Ponds many hours in her yard. I ......... iwiw iiij".njwiJjm.w.w!.WMnwy s fivi?mHmtm- Kjmwmvm. fn rnmmmmmmHwn K . ! ' . A r- I A" early picture of tne homestead. witn the original adobe, now hangs inside Mrs. Walker's home. .. " : ""; ; r ' '. .. . ,.- s. ": ' ' : - 3 , w - , , .... erS of the John Peterson family (third from left) pause from '"fl their fruits for a picture. The picture dates about 1910 and By Linda Garrison When I first met Mrs. Emma Walker she had just come in from working in her yard. When I returned a few days later she and her daughter, Jane, had been out cutting dead tree limbs off some of their peach trees. Doing physical work is a trait that often comes from being born around the turn of the century -- a trait I've always envied and appreciated. appreci-ated. When there's work to be done these folks are out getting at it. And, as I visited with the Walkers, I couldn't think of a nicer homestead to spend time working on than their Mill Creek Road home. It was refreshing, to me, from the start to find that the home hadn't been turned into apartments; but that Mrs. Walker is the granddaughter of Mr. O. W. Warner, who built the home and has lived there most of her life. While visiting with Mrs. Walker on her patio we were surrounded by various trees and shrubs and flowers galore. Relaxing around roses, day lillies, tiger lillies and a beautiful view of the Moab ii j ' i rim, neither of us were sure rn j; HJl'it-11? what should be included in this It jt-iU, - v V j- article, and because I was so Ij - XXTtr- ' relaxed I wasn't exactly being I .T" V" ' tne inquisitive reporter. But, Jy ier "V ' A i ' through talking with Mrs. j KJr: YS,i4 (-""t-: 'j Walker and reading some I . '. 1 : information that has already I , i ' jiiwwO " 1 been recoroed by her niece, L ' j-il - -'''-i ' Mrs' Mari,yn Getts- the 'i i following information comes forth. Mrs. Emma Walker - . , -trix t V tl'-'-A I i 1 k .r' ' pf i ! ,V I .-V An: I - . L 'u This beautiful organ came across the plains with Mrs. Walker's grandmother and dates back to the 1850's. Origin 0. W. Warner was born in Syracuse, New York, in 1839. His first recollection, according accord-ing to a few notes that he wrote on the back of a photograph of himself was Nauvoo, Illinois. He accompanied accom-panied his father to Fillmore, Utah, in 1851 at the age of twelve. His father was sent to Fillmore directly from Nauvoo because he had brought some sawmill equipment with him. Brigham Young wanted him to build a sawmill in that community in conjunction with the building of the state house. O. W. Warner helped his father and brothers on the sawmill. It was because of this knowledge of sawmills, that 0. W. Warner was sent to settle Moab in 1880. He built a sawmill there that stood as late as 1884. In July of 1881 Warner returned to Millard for his family and brought them to Moab. Their first dwelling was a dugout, then a log cabin. During this period Warner was working on a two-story adobe home which the family moved into in the early 1890's. At the time the floor plan consisted of two large rooms; one upstairs and one downstairs; two bedrooms downstairs and two bedrooms upstairs with four small rooms on each floor to be used as storage rooms. The doors and windows were hauled by wagon and team from Salida, Colorado. Surrounded by Orchards The home stands on a small hill and at the time was surrounded by the Warner orchards. The Warner orchards or-chards were reported in the Grand Valley Times as producing produc-ing pears as large as a pound each. The home and grounds were used for celebrations especially on Independence Day. On the platform built on top of the apple cellar many people came to dance in the summer. A structure was later built onto this platform to be used for packing the fruit from the orchards. It is said that many outlaws visited the home for some of Warner's home-made wine. Another good friend and visitor was Sheriff Jesse Tyler who was buried in the family plot in 1890 after being shot by an outlaw in the line of duty. A great deal of activity went on at the home. The orchard . V !:, '1, "... l l .. . fjj.;. v. . - .;. '' H " -: t .- . . .,-J .-t ,4 .,'--"-.-v-v-; . - . ... - j-,---- - - . -i- -1 - . .. . --, - - , ' ; - various members of the family are present. Emma is fifth from the right. Anotner early snot oi me home shows man, Ojng bushes that now seclude the homestead. w i . - s.t l ' i J A westerly view from the house today displays more of Mrs. Walker's beautiful gardens. included apple and peach trees. Grapes were grown and the leaves were used to feed Mrs. Warner's silk worms. Wine was also made. They attempted to grow sugar cane and made molasses during Brigham Young's drive for self-sufficiency.- Water Rights After what seems to be a long stuggle with the Moab Irrigation Co. over water rights (Warner had first rights to l20th of the wateer in Mill 1 Creek) Warner maintained his rights but owed a lot of money in lawyers fees. In 1906 Warner sold the property to his son-in-law, John Peterson, and moved to Woods Cross, Utah. Mr. Peterson had many interests. He worked the orchard until it became unprofitable un-profitable and then had the I trees taken out for pasture land. During this time the house had fallen into neglect and there was some question as to whether it should be closed down. When Mr. Peterson remarried he asked his daughter, Mrs. Emma Walker, to move into the big house with her husband and daughter Jane. They moved in 1945. Dr. Walker died in 1946. While Mrs. Walker has lived her she has spent years farming the area with her brother, Frank. Mrs. Walker also ran a grocery store here in Moab where Lil's Fabrics is today. Description The home is a beautiful site as one drives up Mill Creek Road. It is the oldest two story adobe house in the Moab area, and one of the two still standing. It is a two-story Georgian type structure with three bays across and has a two story front porch. There are also porches on the sides of the building, which are also on both floors. It also has the end wall chimneys characteristic of many pioneer homes. The roof has a medium gable and a slight return to the corners. The house was built as a complete unit, so although it may appear so, the back end is not an addition. There has been a few alterations to the structure. In about 1910, Mr. Peterson enclosed the side porch on the west end and added a bathroom, kitchen and washroom. wash-room. The west porch on the second floor is also enclosed. Mrs. Walker did some extensive exten-sive remodeling in the late fifties. She has added a sunroom (in 1959) to the south end as well as a carport. The sunroom is made out of concrete supports and large panes of glass. The second floor has been altered very little if at all. Mrs. Walker has not changed the use of the interior space and for the most part each room serves the same function it did when she was a child. Paint Added Mrs. Walker also had the adobe painted white and the shutters painted black. Because Be-cause of the lack of a water cap, some of the bricks near the foundation were deteriorating. deteriora-ting. Mrs. Walker had these places plastered before painting. paint-ing. Although I didn't go upstairs, up-stairs, Mrs. Walker stated, "My mother did all her parloring upstairs and its practically just like she left it." Also the upstairs is used for storage of furniture and other belongings of the family. Mrs. Walker said that she intends on living in the home until her death and then the property has been willed to her only daughter, Jane Walker. She has at this time no plans for building any additions or remodeling the interiors. Most of the pictures accompanying accom-panying this article were ! loaned by Mrs. Walker; some I took. As I was leaving Mrs. Walker had her hoe in hand and urged that I come back in the middle of May when the flowers are all in bloom, and that I hope to do. |
