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Show Santa Clara Pioneers Relate Early History And Developments Of City Since It Was First Founded By Mabel Jarvis , John Staheli was bora in Amers-. Amers-. Ile. Canton Thurgau, Switersland, P' 2S, 1S57, the sixth child of ,frge and Sophia Barbara "bcrli Staheli. Being four years Aa Mien the family came to ' "lorica, he retains memories of s birthplace, (which he has since Ued twice), and also recalls the, n wppk's voyage across the ISfif Allantic in tno spring of sol "'1Py came on a sailing ves-' ves-' Uh a company of some six 'nored converts from various Par,s of Europe. 1,1 Anierswile, they lived on the outskirts of the city where for some vears father Staheli operated a -small factory he had built for making cotton yarns. This factory operated by water power is still in use. However, the factory was just a side lino, as his fathers main occupation was teaching and playing band music and leading choirs. When the ship docked in New York all of the emigrants repaired to the old wharf house known as Castle Gardens. These cmiRrants came bv train from New ork to Florence. Nebraska. At Florence (Continued on page six) Santa Clara Pioneers Relate Early History And Developments Of City Since It Was First Founded (Continued from first page) they were met by one hundred and fifty wagons, each drawn by two or three yoke of oxen, sent out from Salt Lake City under the great Emigration Fund program, pro-gram, to meet them. Father Staheli had brought his cornet along and was made bugler for the caravan. Many of the emigrants emi-grants had to walk across the plains, in fact all who were physically able. Arrive In Salt L;ike Arriving in Salt Lake City the entire six hundred emigrants were temporarily located on the old Tithing Block near the present sit.' of the Hold L'lah, where they campi-d for I wo or three weeks b.'foiv leaving for the various parts of the Territory to which President Young called them. Realizing that when they reached these outlying settlements, few of them would be able to return to Salt Lake City for the religious marriage ceremonies in the Endowment En-dowment House, President Young called these people together advising ad-vising those who were eligible to choose companions and marry before be-fore leaving. This council was accepted ac-cepted and many who contemplated contemplat-ed later marriage, as well as other couples who had not previously considered each other, married with the briefest courtship, and countless happy families grew up resulting from these seemingly hasty unions. The entire Swiss company was called to the Southern or Dixie Mission to help raise cotton and such products. Though ,. they had left their homeland well supplied, the long journey had exhausted their money and they were dependent de-pendent on the Emigration fund from Nebraska west and from Salt Lake south. They had no outfits out-fits or teams, so those who were called to give sucli assistance, hauled t he emigrants from one town to another. Thus by slow stages they finally reached Dixie, repaying the fund after they were settled and producing. Asked To Teach Music Brigham Y'oung wanted father Staheli to remain in Salt Lake and teach music, but 'since he could not speak English and preferred pre-ferred to be with his relatives and friends, he was thus allowed, and came happily, even knowing it it would mean greater hardships. But he met real sorrow as the wagons crossed the Harrisburg Bench on the last lap of the journey, when his beloved cornet, which was tied to the bows of the wagon was loosed from its moorings and tumbled into the "wheel track, to be rescued only after it was mashed 'flat as a pancake' by the heavy wheels. This was a serious loss for it could never be repaired, and it was years before he could get another instrument. Arrived, Here Novemebr '61 They reached the old Adobe Yard Camp at St. George early in November No-vember of 1861, where a few families were already stationed, and drove from there down through the Toniquent Field, crossing cros-sing over to the opposite side of the Santa Clara Creek and up along that bank to the old Santa Clara Fort built under direction of Jacob Hamblin. Mother Staheli was expecting a new baby, soon so they secured a room in one of the two story houses built within the fortress. And here on Christmas Christ-mas day little Barbara was born. Just five days later came the big flood of 1862. The Santa Clara Creek till then only a small stream swirled and raged all night, and by daybreak was devouring the fort. On that early New Year's morning of 1862, John Staheli, -with his brother George, and sisters sis-ters Wilhelmina. Elizabeth and Mary stood at the window watching watch-ing the flood, while back in the room was their bedfast mother and liny sister, Barbara. The west wall of the fortress had already collapsed and there great trees and boulders battering the place down with the drive of the dark waters. Stringing a heavy rope from the high post in the center of the Fort across the stream to high ground, men clung to this and crossed back and forth carrying carry-ing the women and children to safety. It was this Jacob Hamblin carried mother Staheli over the flood while her children, already rescued, watched, terror stricken. "I will never forget the wild picture", pic-ture", says Mr. Staheli. "Mother was a large woman and though Jacob Hamblin was a tall strong man. her weight as she clung around his neck, nearly dragged the two of them into the stream. And brother George, being carried over by Zadok Judd did fall into, the water and was nearly drowned, More hey got him out." Truly, this was not much of a welcome . for people who had come so far to j build a new home. But their Swiss j tenacity of purpose plus faith in j their religion and their leaders j buoyed them up, and though they lost most of their possessions in J this flood, they were soon "over the river" and making preparations prepara-tions to build the present town of Santa Clara. The following July, Mother Staheli died leaving her husband with six small children, one a six months old baby. She had what was then called mountain fever, now recognized as typhoid. And from then until 1880 the settlers set-tlers suffered every year with chills and fever, until the mosquito mos-quito breeding marshes below the town were disposed of. Since then the malaria malady has been little known. Worked In St. George During 1862, when the lots in St. George were being cleared, father Staheli went barefoot, day after day, walking over in the morning, grubbing brush all day, and back at night, in order to earn provisions and clothing for his six motherless Children. Often during those first years they went as much as six months without tasting bread. Then early in 1863 he married Barbara Bliggenstorf-fer, Bliggenstorf-fer, whose husband, Solomon had died about the same time as Mrs. Staheli. "Barbara was a kind, good woman and very ambitious" says Mr. Staheli, "and was a good mother to us and a very religious woman." When the settlers came to Santa Clara there were about three hundred Indians camped along the Creek below the old Fort. For a time they were very troublesome. Having once tasted the white man's bread they wanted more and there were many unpleasant and really dangerous encounters. But the people were fortunate in having the peacemaker, Jacob Hamblin with them and their grievences were finally settled. Having no money with which to buy land, these Swiss settlers cleared the acres which had been taken up by Jacob Hamblin and others and took land for their labors. It was thus the Stahelis secured their holdings in Santa Clara, and on which they soon j raised a little wheat, corn, melons, squash and sugar cane, as well j as a few vegetables for home use. Their surplus was usually exchang-, ed in other nearby towns and the j first cash they received ,was gold , dust paid by the emigrants going j east from California. Father Staheli rented the Thomas Hall j molasses mill and with help of his boys ground sugar cane on shares. Band Instruments About three years after they reached Santa Clara, John Eaton received word that there was due him a small legacy from an estate in the old country. This word came from New York along with an offer of a set of second hand band instruments in part settle ment. This offer he accepted, allowing al-lowing a credit of eighty dollars for the instruments, which as John Staheli remembers included a tuba, two B Flat cornets, a tenor, alto and base horn and a valve trombone. And when the instruments in-struments arrived John Eaton generously gave the entire lot to the town of Santa Clara. Father Staheli was made band leader and his 'gift and training in music was such an asset as few communities of that day possessed. For when the band was organized they had no sheet music and few members could read notes. Taking small note books father Staheli proceeded proceed-ed to write the parts for the various instruments from memory of the tunes he had played so long ago in their native Switzerland. Then since they had no organ or other guide instrument, he taught them the rudiments and note reading read-ing with his own voice, which required re-quired endless hours of time and effort. This was the Staheli's Brass Band which won so much distinction in early days and soon they had one hundred and eight selections which they could render creditably. These band instruments were played by the third generation genera-tion of these settlers and some of them may still be in existance. John Staheli and his brother ; George became members at the j ages of ten and thirteen respective- ly and were present with the band to play when Brigham Young lifted i the first shovel of soil to excavate j for the great White Temple in St. ; George, and when the building was completed this band played ; from the roof during the three days of the final dedicatory services. ser-vices. Members of this early band included Father George Staheli, leader. Jacob Tobler. Gottlieb .Bliggnstorffer, Henry Coon Sr.. : Harmon Bosset, Jacob Bosset. Bastian Strausser, Charlie Hilde-brand Hilde-brand and George and John Staheli. Marries In.188'3 ' January IS, 1882. John Staheli married Barbara Tobler, daughter of Jacob and Barbara Staheli Tobler, Tob-ler, in the St. George Temple. Pres. John T. D. McAllister officiating. of-ficiating. Her mother was a cousin of John Staheli's father and came from Amerswile. Her father came from' Schonengrund, Canton Ap- penzell, Switzerland and they had met first at Liverpool. At Florence Nebraska, his young wife died, leaving him childless. He and Barbara Staheli took no thought of each other until they heard the council of Brigham Young during their stay in Salt Lake City. But two people could not have been better suited as to life companions. Mrs. Staheli was their second child and was born in Santa Clara. They likewise endured the hardships of those first few years, the losses through the recurring floods, and the months of need and hunger. When her first child was small, mother Tobler went even as far north has Cedar City to glean a little grain, setting her baby in the shade of a grain shock while she gleaned. When her husband accepted the principal of polygamous poly-gamous marriage this woman proved her great-hearted goodness, rearing two children left when the second wife died and six children likewise left by the death of his third wife. And all of these children child-ren praised her for her kindness and genuine mothering 6f them, showing her own no partiality whatever. John Staheli like his neighbors, peddled his produce, and while Silver Reef was active went generally gener-ally once each week to that place. Soon after their marriage they bought a small house, a lot and land. Lafer they built a new home. He filled a brief mission to Switzerland Swit-zerland in 1887 and another one i in 1895, being compelled to return each time on account of the damp climate's affect on his lungs. They are the parents of eleven children, two having died, but the other nine are married and rearing their own 'families. These are George Staheli, Park City; Mrs. Ida Huntsman, William C. Staheli, Clarence, Jesse LcRoyl Raymond A., and Mrs. Vilate Coleman, all of Enterprise; Mrs. Laura Tait, j of Hiko, Nevada and Lafayette j Staheli, of Hurricane. They have also sixty grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Moves To Enterprise In 1917 the Stahelis sold then-property then-property and moved to Enterprise Enter-prise staying there for three years then coming to St. George in 1920 to spend their time working in the Temple. Since most of their children child-ren reside in Enterprise they celebrated cele-brated their Golden Wedding at that place in 1932. Both have been active Church workers all their lives, and are devoted to their family and their religion. John Staheli was . ward teacher from his youth until recently re-cently when ill health made it necessary for him to discontinue. He was Superintendent of Sunday School in Santa Clara for several years, and served a similar period as Supt. of Young men's M.I.A. After the death of his father he took over the leadership of the band for many years and was also church chorister. Having learned to play the organ by ear he often accompanied the singing in church. This musical heritage has been passed on to their children, all of whom take part in this phase of community life, and three of their sons are recognized bandmasters band-masters and musicians. Barbara Staheli served for years as President of the Children's Primary of Santa Clara Ward, was counselor of the Women's Relief Re-lief Society, and later secretary of that organization, being released when they moved to Enterprise in 1917. She has always taken part at Relief Society Block teacher and is now an active member of that organization in the St. George South Ward. Married Over 55 Years After fifty-five years of life together, to-gether, both Mr. and Mrs. Staheli agree that could they have the years over, there is little they would wish (o change. They enjoy the right to be happy through thrift and adherence to civic and religious requirements, and their joy now is in their posterity and in reliving the happiness and experiences ex-periences of other years. |