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Show Rockwell name inspires dozens of stories " By TOM McHOES The Daily Herald The Old West of the United States was a time which has inspired authors and filmmakers to portray heroes and villains such as Wyatt Earp and Billy "The Kid." Utah was not without its Wyatt Earp-lik- e legend and his name was Porter Rockwell. Unfortunately for Rockwell, however, outside of Utah he was considered by many to be more Billy "The Kid"-likAlthough the mere mention of his name inspires dozens of stories of how Rockwell, known as the "Destroying Angel," was a hard-nose- d gunfighter who killed for revenge, his and historian John Rockwell says the claims are nothing more than fiction. "Thanks to Eastern magazines, dime novels and newspapers of his era. Porter is mostly remembered as a gunman," Rockwell writes in a Lehi tourism publication. "Most of those stories played upon Porter's image as 'Chief of the Danites' and 'Brigham's Destroying Angel.' Neither of these titles really applied to Porter. "It is true that he had killed men in gunfights. However, in each case it or in his role as an was in officer of the law, or in war...The truth is. Porter was a friend to all. Whether gentile or Mormon, those who knew him had a great deal of respect for 1 e. self-defen- se Orrin Porter Rockwell Porter. Whenever there was a wrong to be corrected. Porter was there. "He was the one who was willing to step in between the good citizens of Utah and those who would harm them. Those who would say different are only digging up and repeating the old legends of Porter as 'The Destroying Angel.'" Although there are many tales about him, what is known about Rockwell is that he was a friend and bodyguard of the LDS Church's anti-Morm- prophet, Joseph Smith Jr. He then served in the same capacity to Brigham Young after Young succeeded Smith as the Church's president. Rockwell had grown up next door to the Smith family, and even though he was eight years younger than Smith, they became close friends. After Smith organized the LDS Church, Rockwell, who was one of the first people to join the religion, stayed by Smith's side until feis death at Carthage jail in 1844. Rockwell then followed Young and approxmately 60,000 other members of the Church to Utah. Once there. Rockwell was elected the territory's first deputy marshall and settled in Lehi because he thought the tiny town would be more secure for his family. His legend began to grow as he captured or killed one criminal after another, doing so in spectacular fashion in some cases. Considered by many as a superstitious man, Rockwell would not cut his hair or beard because he was told by Smith that if he did not cut it. his life would not be harmed by gun or blade. According to the tourism publication, amazing occurences fueled his belief in Smith's Sampson-lik- e and he never was killed with a weapon. Legend has it that on one occasion, Rockwell was chasing an outlaw and hunted him down at a lodging known as Dorton's Dugout. Upon arriving, he knocked on the door and the outlaw pulled a six shooter and fired it at Rockwell from point-blan- k range. A witness from the scene said he actually saw the fire from the exploding gunpowder enter Rockwell's chest from the front and exit through his back. When the outlaw realized what had happened, he threw his gun down and began running away up a hill. Rockwell, still standing, pulled out his gun and took one shot at the outlaw who dropped dead immediately. Despite the accounts of his beliefs, there may be evidence that Rockwell was either not as superstitious as many believed or kinder than they thought. He did cut his long hair once and had it made into a wig for the widow of Joseph Smith Jr.'s youngest brother. She had lost her hair after a bout with typhoid fever. In addition to being a law man, Rockwell ran several businesses in Lehi and was a family man who was the father of 17 children, two of which were adopted Indians. According to John Rockwell, he was married four times. None of the marriages were polygamist in nature, each having ended ii separation or death. RockwJ. i. .ntually died of a heart attack .;i io78 at the age of 65, four months before his last child was born. Cave decision teetered between a mine, treasure By PAT CHRISTIAN The Daily Herald Before becoming Timpanogos in National Monument American Fork Canyon, the cave experienced a uncertain period where its future teetered between becoming a mine or becoming a national treasure. Nearly a decade before Utah Cave COUNTY: (Continued from Page 71) When Brigham Young and his company visited Fort Utah in they moved two miles southeast of the fort and began to lay out a city. Early records show the settlers' existence was difficult because of troublesome fights with the Indians. Utah County is one of the oldest counties in the state of Utah. On January 31. 1850, in a General Assembly, six counties were formed in the provisional state of Deseret. Utah County being one of them. County government was established to serve the local needs of the people and rural areas outside the incorporated cities. Counties may i vy and collect taxes, conduct election-., enforce laws, purchase and fi Statehood, it may have been a mountain lion that led to the discovery of what is today, Utah County's only national monument. Martin Hansen was cutting timber in American Fork in 1887, and one account says he discovered mountain lion tracks and began following them. They led to a small opening in a high, cliff face, and he entered the control property and erect buildings necessary for the use of the county, provide for public health and welfare, provide fire protection, license businesses and trades, record property transactions and other legal documents. County government is headed by a board of county commissioners consisting of three individuals. Eight other elected officials also hold county office: Assessor. Attorney. ClerkAuditor. Recorder. Sheriff. SurveyorEngineer, and Treasurer. All county officials are elected for four-yea- r terms. Provo is the county seat for Utah County government, and central offices are located in the County Administration Building at 100 E. Center Street. Some other departments are located away from the county seat, notably the Public Works department and Sheriff's office. cave. He walked only short distance inside before second having thoughts. Only aimed with an ax, the pioneer didn't want to corner the cat and have it attack him. so he left. It took nearly a year before he returned to the cave, and in his explorations, he found spectacular formations. He began guiding Utah County residents through Hansen's Cave for a small fee. Many on his tours left the cave with souvenirs they found, stripping the natural wonder of its virginity. Around 1892, the cave looked more like a natural mining resource than a national treasure to some Utah Valley residents. Utah County miners, under contract to Duke-Ony- x Company. Chicago. III., stripped beautiful slabs of onyx from the cave, some weighing as much as 15 tons. Some of this onyx may have been used to decorate the American Museum of Natural History, in New York City and the Mormon temple in Salt Lake City, some records speculate. These early incursions seemed to be forgotten, and around 1921. the cave was rediscovered, and a debate over the cave being used as a commercial mining resource or as a scenic resource arose. There was a mining claim on the cave but the claim was not yet being worked. And some were concerned about an impending sale of material from the cave to Chicago University. They argued that this would degrade the scenic quality of the cave. Members of the Payson Alpine Club, who had explored the cave and discovered the earlier rape of the cave, led a fight to protect and preserve the cave. First steps taken included the Forest Service to designating the area as a Public Service Area and erecting a locked door at the opening to prevent vandals or poachers from entering. Electric lights were installed and the Forest Service began conducting tours for $1 per person. One difference between these federal tours and Hansen's tours, was that the forest service didn't allow guests to take souvenirs from the cave. As the cave grew in popular ity, the time arrived to give it an official name. Names such as The Cave of Crystal Cliffs. The Wonder Cave. The Fairy Cave and the Cave of Elves were recommended. But the Forest Service didn't think any of these were appropriate and they ultimately named it Timpanogos Cav e. U.S. President Warren G. Harding created Timpanogos Cave National Monument bv proclamation on Oct. 14. 1922. |