| Show CRANNIES OF THE MOUNTAINS abnor deveret no nawai ww in ID the afternoon of june I 1 left the village of teasdale bound for the blue valley ward lying eastward our journey for the first eight miles to caress carcas creek was through a rough mountainous country yet abounding with fine scenery including a sharp ridged mountain locally known as fish creek peak standing detached from the higher mountains on the south near fish creek where there are area a couple of farms from carcas creek we pass over a divide covered with pinion pines and cedars after which we go down one of the steepest hills a team could possibly ascend br or descend with any degree of safety at the foot of this extraordinary hill we found ourselves in what is called the sulphur wash where the road if such it can be called winds around among the hills bills boulders and cedars for a distance of about five miles in some places for rods together over the face of the bare rock where there is hardly a handful of soil oil of any kind while watching for the boulders and dump offs with keen eye so as to avoid tipping ov over e r our vehicle struck an unseen am sand nd bank hid under a bunch of willows and this in an unexpected moment overturning our cart and sending young david stewart the driver and myself sprawling in the sand but thanks to our athletic abilities and to our presence of mind we were on our feet again just in time to prevent what might easily have terminated in a disastrous runaway this however wa sonly the beginning of our adventures for after reaching pleasant creek or temple creek as it is named on the map which at this point runs through a genuine box canyon where the nearly per cular cliffs on either side rise to a height of about five hundred feet we found ourselves overtaken by the darkness of night with a balky horse which absolutely refused to cross the creek or go down the steep banks lea ling jing to the same I 1 must explain that in order to save ten miles of travel we had taken a sort of cutoff cut off and were following a track that was more like a trail than a wagon road and which perhaps had not been traveled by a dozen vehicles veLi cles during the past three months the distance through this box can whip which h by y the way presents some of the finest natural scenery in the world is about nye miles and the road here crosses the creek just twenty times and ohl obi such crossings in some instances the approaches to the creek were so steep that the horse with cart and all would actually have hare to be dumped into the creek a process that was brought about by one of us getting the cart ond and with main force pushing the animal and cart down at the same time endeavoring to keep the vehicle from tipping over sidewise after getting into the stream our horse would refuse to climb the opposite bank which made it necessary for one of us ue to j jump u the creek and from the opposite bank endeavor to get a hold of the horses bridle and lead him up thus wow we ended our way slowly in that canyon somewhat by the glittering moonlight which here and there had RD an opportunity to peep through the opening between the rocky walls walla above us at length toward midnight we reached a small email opening in the canyon known as aa hanks place where three latter day saint baina families reside in grave solitude far away from all other human habitations and here we met a kind reception in the home of brother U V stewart with whom we spent thi the remainder of the night the next morning I 1 was introduced to ephraim K hanks a church veteran whose lifes lifers history if it was written would indeed be stronger stranger than fl ution I 1 found him true to tits his characteristics as a minute man of long 8 standing n ng ready with his team to take me thirty six miles further on my journey and back again he proved to bea be a moot moat pleasant companion being very sociable and never dever tiring of relating his wonderful experience as a frontier man by 9 with brother hanks as tea teamster nister and pilot I 1 was again on my way and going through the lower edition of pleasant creek canyon we had to cross the same stream twenty five times which th the night previous I 1 had crossed twenty times making forty five crossings cos sings altogether in going through this wonderful canyon we again had an opportunity of admiring the grandeur of nature the massive and perpendicular cular rook rock walls huge domes and steeples carved out by the hand of df nature from the huge mountains and the numerous caverns gorges side canyons etc of endless variety which meet the eye of the traveler as he passes through palls calls forth the mit sublime thoughts and fills him with awe and respect for the great creator of all emerging from this canyon of natural wonders we reach an opening along the creek where about six a ix mil miles es below hanks place a few families of our people reside there was once a lively little branch 0 the church here but owing to reverses and other causes some of them have moved away and meetings are now held only occasionally further down the creek at the point where pleasant creek empties into the fremont river there is another half a dozen families who have quite recently been organized into a branch of the church ch from this place we continued our journey eastward over a mountain ridge thence down a wash through most moet dreary and forbidding con country w until a point on the fremont river jb reached rei ched then the road turns to tho i right winding up and up between t thih hills hilis until a summit is gained from which we go down the famous bhag dug way and again strike the rivel 4 which we now follow in a son south easterly direction until we cross tan lus creek or sandy one of the tri lanes putting into the fremont riv from the south then we rqn turn to the northeast and anally anally cross to toche the nor north west side of the river where aih village of Caines gainesville ville is situated in HI pleasant little valley about i mile fidei wide bordered on the east by tho peculiar formation known as tah blue ridge and on the west b by another similar ride fidoe though of another color the little settlement Clai gainesville Caines neaville ville named for the hon job joett T caine consists of about a dozen families which are organized into H branch of the church presided over b by geo P J about three miles east of cain ca viller on our road to blue valley we co to another little cluster oluster of houses housea loew called elephant thus named after fe hugh cliff somewhat resembling aw elephant in shape which stands IZ im mediately north of the village at this place and at Caines gainesville ville there W room for quite a number more sett leni and the natural facilities here are go good 1 the climate being warm and pleasa pleasant and the land rich and productive aiu plenty of water in the fremont rivet riv to irrigate it 3 soon after leaving elephant where wh orson N dalton presides over tott t little branch recently organized there we reach what may properly be termed the mouth of a canyon or ahe point where the F mont river biver or dirty devil as it it here called emerges from the Bidge Ridge into a more open sandy coun country the surface of which is only about ow 0 hundred feet above the river bed leaving the river in order to avoid aj narrow canyon below the road lea us up on to a bench north of the riv and here we have a fine view of 1 henry mountains far to the and also over the tract of country ly northward toward castle valley on our left a curiously shaped m moun tain locally called the provo FAO FA tory 11 attracts our attention as M stands out in bold relief from the etheil oth mountains lying adjacent it is i portion of the blue ridge which wa apparently left standing when the au sul round founding I 1 D country in ages past w washed as h ed down to its pr level by the terrible storms sti a floods which are supposed to h badih taken place to reach blue balb valley Y war pass from the bench above down at a v very steep hill to the river bottom be below 0 which brings us to the upper end blue valley this valley to is about abou eig miles long and from one to four ml wide only about twenty families 1 side here although there are amt am facilities for one hundred and A alt fd milles provided the present settle will divide up with newcomers new comers a at not retain snore more land for their own bao than what they can cultivate to adv addan tage 1 in traveling from blue valley to graves braves valley ten miles below W w cross from the north to the south side of fremont river and pass pan over a to from which a rather steep and roua a dugway leads leada down to r valley leey this to la the lowest wa warmest t valley on the fre t tolver tf over lver it has a length of about miles varies in width from a a 4 mile to three miles and iffe AIT 4 altitude of about feet above jairel el of the lies sea the nineteen which at present comprise pu lation live in a very scattered m n on their respective quarter but the valley affords faaili quite a population say be one and two hundred families fetn a few years could grow wealthy aided vided they are thrifty and our people generally are i to ia a tendency among the people the he same a ao in some other places lad over too much ground and sue stew f ew to take up all the land to the acini other settlers sett lere owing to ate Is and other causes the progress made awe is somewhat slow and will feces so until more settlers atme in valley is about miles of richfield Bich field the bead head odthe sevier stake of which it is impart PAM and the communication be lnell that nat point and the lower valleys remont is very difficult the of the Stake and other lead leading in 9 encourage the people abd awve bureau an influence over them or od ewt here but seldom and the is that the people are ong for spiritual food I 1 henry giles resides at BaVal Jey which is considered the Wirters of the ward his first brother ephraim KH khanis KHan anks hs larton on pleasant creek reek twenty six bave and wm win bacon the counselor oun who has recently read vig his position resides at graves f ten helow below blue UMI it ri requires quires quite an effort for even ahm three men to get together if babb lar urge tract of country now included sk the eue blue valley ward was divided wards and more settlers in in and made w welcome elcome there is lOdo doubt tibt that this country would be embea svery very desirable locality butas but as irrow bow is the saints are somewhat dis linked and d look forward to a change better prom coravee valley the distance to fabeon on the rio grade western raily Is only abo about u t fort forty V five miles milea but road leading thither is very sandy lwiws im that would be the main ship bf point for this lower country alow W graves valley the fremont wt flows through a box canyon until into the colorado about fifty to the southeast curtis creek difeo called the muddy on the header of which emery one of our fry stake settlements Is situated lao into the fremont river in the end of this valley bhe blue valley ward consists of six branches of the church blue valley graves valley leplant lep bant nt gainesville Caines ville alldridge at areek creek and hanks place it ktenas from east to west for a distance about courty miles that is from the settlers on pleasant creek to the end of graves valley other teethe the ward embraces the east half of lute county extending as far east as ie colorado river the present mem of the ward la Is souls divided into fifty nine families JENSON GRAVES VALLEY june 16 1891 |
