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Show THE SAN JUAN RECORD Wednesday May 8, 1996 jggpr f - When the wagon Page 8 Cuba, train left Illinois, William assured Margaret he would find the gold he was seeking, and that it would be worth the sacrifice they were mak- v. Centennial sampler ing. Blinking back tears in her eyes, Margaret only knew she couldn't deny him this adventure he had his heart set on, no matter what the outcome. She didn't care a whit about gold, but she loved her husband with all her heart. ions shared a meal with a Mormon family - the people William had been told were heathens. He was more than surprised when the father called the family to order and then prayed a blessing on the for gold took him west. A week after their depar- ture, Williams group camped by the abandoned city of Nauvoo. As William wondered about the people who had built the beautiful homes he saw, he was told they were a lawless set who had been driven away for their crimes. As the wagon train left Nauvoo and crossed the Mississippi River, they followed the roads made three years previously by the food. The next day was the Sab- William rose before the sun bath, so Williams group rested as was their custom. William accepted an invitation to attend Mormon services, where he heard Apostle John Taylor address the congregation. Overcome with the Apostles sermon and testimony, he turned to his new- and made his way to a hill on the bench land of the Salt found acquaintance and said, If that is Mormonism, fleeing Mormon refugees. Lake Valley. As he watched the sun slowly cresting the horizon, he thought of what he would do this day. Two days earlier, on the 24th of July, Williams wagon train reached the Salt Dottie Laws photo Father of a multitude: William by Terri Winder It is the most unique headstone in the Blanding cemetery: an obelisk shaped from native sandstone. A monolithic shaft rising to a pyramidal point, it has stood as a monument for over 80 years, as distinctive as the man it represents. Who shaped this four-side- d stone with pioneer tools and engraved the simple words thereon? I stoop and trace the letters with my forefinger: M. Black denly feeling very lonely. Wi- and Margarets life lliam together had been ideal until the previous winter. When William married her, he brought her to a beautiful little two-bedroo- Born Feb 11, 1826 Died Jun 21, 1915 This man came to Blanding just 21 months before his death. Yet the legacy he left San Juan County will live forever. Ive heard his story since I was a child. It certainly is one worth The constant trill of crick- ets intoned a monotonous lullaby late into the night, but William Black still could not find sleep. He lay on his back, gazing up into the heavens at the brilliant stars, his bedroll loose about him on this hot July night. In a few hours it would be dawn and then he would do something that would change his entire life. He felt an irrepressible excitement as he thought of the course he had chosen. he was told. Learn more about us before you decide. But William didnt have much time to decide. The next morning his company would continue their journey. If he dropped out, he would forfeit all he had invested, losing his opportunity to find gold and breaking his promise to Margaret. fever. Twelve men came together, each paying $100 toward a joint stock company bound for the Eldorado of the West. William was one of them. When he deliberated over the prospect of a quick fortune he wasnt just thinking of himself, but of his widowed mother with five children still at home. When William Black was an infant, a young man in New York found a different kind of gold. Joseph Smith stated that he had received heavenly visitations. Concurrently he founded a church, commonly referred to as the Mormon church. After its establishment, the Mormon church grew rapidly. Because of persecution, the church moved west, first to Ohio, not far from Williams birthplace of Vermillion, Ohio, and then to Illinois, within 60 miles of William and Margarets home. Still, William had never heard of the Mormons until his quest IMONTIGEUUOIMERG Jhuzldluz Official Hardware Store of Major League Baseball. Used oil is a valuable, resource ora terrible pollutant. non-renewa- ble IT DEPENDS ON YOU! VALUABLE - When used oil is used as recycled motor oil or fuel, it keeps our limited supply of crude oil for future uses. POLLUTANT - When dumped on the ground or placed in a landfill, it endangers our underground water supply And when poured into the sewer, it really messes up the system and is very costly to remove. THE U.S. EPA - The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 60 percent of the people in the U.S. change their own motor oil and that 90 percent of that oil is disposed of improperly. PLEASE RECYCLE YOUR OIL AT ONE OF THESE LOCATIONS Blanding Lasal San Juan County Landfill Mile Post 33, State Lasal SW Transfer Highway Station East Highway 46 191 Bluff Bluff SW Transfer Station South Highway Fifteen hundred miles away, Williams young wife, Margaret, was also finding it difficult to sleep. She slipped from her bed to check on her little son who lay peacefully in his crib. As she stood looking down at him, she felt the baby within her kicking. When William had left the first of April, she hadnt even Now she been showing. on her her hand placed rounded abdomen, giving the baby a gentle love pat. I wish your father were here, she whispered, sud- - I am a Mormon. Wait", brick home he had built himself. His skills as carpenter and mason kept him well employed and he had been elected sheriff on the Democratic ticket last fall. Then the stories of California gold reached their little town, and her practical-mindeWilliam caught the d William Morley Lake Valley. The entire population was gathered at a large bowery, celebrating the second anniversary of their own arrival to the promised land". William and some compan then 191 Green River Hal's Services, Inc 138 West Mam Street Central Supply 384 West Main Street Mexican Hat Mexican Hat SW Transfer Station Northwest of Mexican Hat on County Road Moab Lube It Express 655 South Main Street Monticello Car Care Center 217 North Mam Street DeVon's Repair Service 396 South 100 East Mike Young Chevrolet 533 East Central Ifil i5! X7 iw Put Used Oi BARGAINS OF THE MONTH 80XMAlNKMONTJCELLQH58Z:2256; |