| Show VISIT TO IDAHO on monday the dinst brother judson A boiman pol man conveyed me ten miles from his residence at chesterfield to squaw creek station on the oregon short line whence I 1 traveled by train thirty miles mostly through the upper ort neuf canyon to McC arnmon station on the utah d northern railway where I 1 was met inet by bishop joseph E capell who drove me to his ward garden creek six miles further west ghere I 1 addressed an attentive audience in the eveni evening tig the following day I 1 preached to the saints at marsh couts after which bishop squires spat me by team to oxford where I 1 was joined by patriarch milo andrus and in his company had a pleasant time with the daiuto lr in the evening speaking of and bearing testimony to the divine mission of the prophet joseph smith on the following day wednesday brother andrus and myself proceeded to clifton where we held meetings with the saints in the forenoon and continuing the journey to weston wv we again spoke to at an appreciative assembly in that little burgh in the evening yesterday we returned to this place marsh mariah Valle yiu yin bingham county idaho i 1 about thirty miles long and from three to twelve miles wide it extends south to the cherry creek mountains and the malad divide west to a low range of mountains separating tinz it from the snake river biver country and north and east to the Port portneuf neuf mountains marsh creek rises in the mountains east and enters the valley to which it has given its mine at the tee extreme southeast corner and then flows ila ia a westerly and afterwards northerly d direction n through the valley taking up from the right nine mile creek and irom from the left cherry creek birch creek hawkins creek and ana garden creek it finally unites with the euf river in the north end of the val ley when marsh valley was first settled bythe by the saints it belonged to box elder stake stage as a part of the malad ward was afterwards transferred to cache valley stake and finally when the oneida stake of zion was organized in 1884 it became a part of that stake there are two organized wards in the valley namely the gardle creek ward presided over by bishop joseph E capell and containing all the saints who reside in the north end of the valley and marsh valley ward embracing the saints in the central part aud south end of the valley including branch organizations at cambridge marsh Maish ville and calvin this ward is presided over by bishop charles M squires there is quite a num ber of outsiders residing in the valley but they are generally friendly and live in perfect peace with the saints in fact some of them attend the ward meetings quite regularly donates for the benefit of the poor and for other purposes as liberally as many of the saints do and in some rome instances they even send for the elders to administer to their ai sick ck there is a large tract of good level land in the south end of the valley but it Is not yet taken up and for which water can be secured for irrigation purposes hy by building reservoirs ervo irs hence more latter day saint set settlers tletA are invited to come and join hands with those already there in buil building dInk up tha country the present settlers live in a very scattered condition upon their farms and ra ranches nelies along the creeks and on the nu numerous springs with which the valley abounds it is cout contemplated em to bo divide the south end ward in two in the near future marsh creek enters the valley at a point known as red rock bock a curious granite formation guarding the pans pam which by many is supposed to be the old outlet of the great salt lake prom from this point the creek will run both ways by simply plowing a few furrows it could be conveyed into swan lake a few miles to the south and thence through deep creek and bear river biver to ther the great salt lake immediately south of red bed rock bock is the farm which was owned by the late captain je jefferson fferson hunt of mormon battalion fame and where the veteran soldier spent the last years of his life and finally died in the year 1879 his remains rest at his own request at the toot foot of a little mound in his bis field which is easily observed by travelers a short dis distance to the right of the main road oxford is a beautiful little town pleasantly situated at the foot of the mountains mou and at the edge of some fine and extensive meadows it was first settled iu in 1864 and was fur for a number of years a regular battlefield between th e antii Mornion southern idaho on I 1 he one side and the saints on the other while the oneida stake authorities desired to make oxford the stake headquarters the gentiles too a determined stand to prevent it the result was that the presidency of the stake removed to Fr franklin auklin ly l y which oxford lost its importance and the gentile lawyers and judges finding nothing to do moved to other pastures oxford has consequently been reduced to a town of ordinary importance ortance but still has a mixed population lation of mormons cormons and gentiles indeed it is so mixed that scores of women who once belonged to the church are now unequally yoked joked with unbelieving husbands which has resulted in much suffering and unhappiness young women of zion beware let the sad condition of affairs existing in such families in the town of oxford serve as a warning to others I 1 be ye not unequally yoked joked together with un believers for what whal fellowship hath bath r righteousness i with unrighteousness and w what it communion hath bath light with dankness dai kness and what concord hath christ with or what part hath he that believeth bell beli eveth with an infidel fidel W wherefore he come out from among them and be y ye e separated saith the lord and touch n not at the unclean thing and I 1 will receive you au ant will be a father unto you and ye e shall be my sons and daughters saith the t 11 e lord almighty 2 cor vl vi 1418 14 18 oxford ward presided over by bishop neriah nenah R lewis embraces all the saints residing in oxford town and also at swan lake at red bed rock and in a string of houses ex tending south toward clifton into oneida county clifton ward consists of all the saints living in the valley of clifton and neighborhood including about a dozen families residing on battle creek about ten miles baet the ward is not in a prosperous condition at present weston is improving since the complicated and vexatious lawsuits caused by a few selfish and uncontrollable troll able individuals was settled a few years ago the people feel more secure and are building substantial houses and making extensive improvements prove ments one of the ers once a Bis bishops hopPs counselor in the suits which threatened the set clement with destruction has through a series of unlucky circumstances been brought to a state of abject poverty and now lives on the charity of those whom he endeavored to defraud this is la in fulfil fulfill ment of a prediction made by a prominent man in the church a few years ago T 0 peter micheleen is the acting bishop of weston at present and there are families of saints residing in the ward only a few of these however live on the townsite the union pacific railway company who are shortening their utah A northern track by buildt building ng a cut om off road by way of the canyon through which bear river passes from cache valley into the lower country bring their new road within half a mile of weston this will undoubtedly be a benefit to the town A separate branch organization known as dayton e embracing mb racing the settlers on five mile creek five miles north belongs to the ward tomorrow I 1 go north to attend the bannock stake quarterly conference which will be held at Lewis lewisville ville next sunday and monday ANDREW JENSON OXFORD Blugh bingham ain county idaho may 16 1890 |
