| Show written t for thu pa papa AT st JO JOHN HN KANSAS ST jonn JOHN stafford oo co kan sept 7 1895 our party arrived at this place at 1210 this mor morning alog all well we were joined at hutchinson Hutchine oo on our way here from burton by elders wallace vincent bowring margetto margette and others on their way to conference irom from their fields of labor it was waa a happy occa occasion siou to ito meet friends friende from utah elder wallace W was 11 poorly in health but will eoon recover he to la fat fast improving after writing you irom from denver in the afternoon we took the sixteenth street estreet cable oar which runs rune through the heart of the be city to the eastern northeastern northern and southeastern boundaries of the city the two rides with transfers give the visitor a very good idea of denver and afis i gardens garden ai d beautiful coer and other points ot of interest not leaving out the union depot feet loog long the tower la Is feet high it la 18 it a beauty and cost coat we left denver just at evening in A commodious spring back ob chair it ir oar car arriving at elisworth Eli worth about 10 am where we take a arose road over a branch of the santa fe railroad 70 miles to burton we left Elo wurth 15 minutes to 2 pm it la 68 miles irom from burton to tit john where we arrived at 1210 am we were met by the elders elder and on saturday the dib we belu behl a reet vrest hood bood meeting and bad a good time giving instructions in the evening we had a general meeting the tolling bell caused hie people to lo fill fid the church with other I 1 made some remarks to the were received with every appearance of goud will we were removed from the hotel to the family guilly ti of mr calvin glasscock the gentleman who donated several lota to the church tor for the I 1 purpose of buil building dlAg a meeting house upon there are some peculiar circumstances connected with theme city lote lot and church building which I 1 will mention the items referred to I 1 have gleaned irom from eider ehler george baker a lormer former member of mr church eh arch mr bickerton Blo kerton came to thle this place st john in the tali tail of 1874 about one cue and ft a half miles milea northeast of our mormon church charob building mr bickerton Bio kerton wag waa heard to about more inure than a mile SWAY away he said bald it was wan revealed to him a stake of zion should be built up ua he procured a spoke drove a nail in it and planted it on those grounds out of bight father bakery daughter bad an open vision and told old her bar father that she ebe saw mr bickerton endeavoring to build up a stake of zion but be was confused dwindled away failed ballej and finally disappeared balte a dumber of the Bickerton ites gathered here bore but mr air bickerton 0 uld not find fata big stake after he bad planted it miss baker further said that in her vision a house was built on the apoi where the meeting house now stan stands dir bickerton Rio kerton would lail fail but there loulu be a success after she saw raw the pres pree ont nt church building pointed out oot the spot pot of ground and said it would be the county seat brother baker in telling tellin if us ua these wings bat at the time of the it was waa the corner or of tout four boniv ales but with earnestness he be said now here is ia the meeting house bouse or recalled be church thereto there is the county court winne house the vision la Is fulfilled bickerton Ric kerton Is ie broken up and has baa disappeared into the abe shade obade N several who left mr Rio kerton have dined J lined the church the day of cur arrival we held a priesthood meeting with twenty four utah elders in the evening we held a public meeting lo in the church building which we nicely filled sunday a sunday school was organized dedicatory prayer of and a crowded meeting held bed at which great interest was takeo taken the crowds which came land and some ten miles from the the church and carriages were drawn up to the windows the good citizens of st john clubbed together and hired the large pavilion or three nights sunday night a al houg hough h a thunder cloud come came up there was a great crowd to bear a lecture previously announced in the town proper as an illustrated lecture by elder edward stevenson which was concluded on a part of the next even lo 10 log and a very interesting lecture followed by elder andrew kimball on conference continued and a free ride was te tendered by the city on Tuesday the letb two meetings were hold held A photograph of the church building and a great crowd grouped around was takeo taken in the evening a grand free concert was held in the pavilion the great interest taken by the people of st bt john is rather marvelous marvelo us rhey have donated several lots iwo subscribed towards moving a beautiful ul lul church building on to the grounds ground and now are about putting a windmill pump on the lots so that a lawn and shrubs may be planted the mayor officers and several preachers turned to an astonishing extent we are invited to remain over wed sod and give a lecture iu in the pa vii llou on our travels to 0 o utah experiences per perien lences ces there and our irrigation system the water system here is in very good water waier is twenty feet feel below surface and is pumped up by lots jots of windmills the water seems to be very sweet and pure it can be drawn up easily for irrigation purposes the wind to is almost constant here bore were it not dot so 80 it would be very sultry our people say ay they perspire so easily the atmosphere is so different from our mountain air we are invited out often and one baptist salu be would take iu in two elders and furnier a fat beep I 1 expect that ane minutes of the conference will be finished hence I 1 leave that portion portico only I 1 will add that the church building stands upon arm an emlo eminence ence and ats s aline a fine structure painted wh white ito it is in not surpassed by any of the churches in town the ox lots were donated to the mormon church by mr calvin Ulas soook a merchant of the town the ci lizane also alo donated 50 to aid in moving the building which was puro purchased based by the elder the dimensions of the six lots are in the agiz aggregate regate feet by feet the oozy little church to ia feet 14 feet to the equate and 18 feet to ate te center ceurter of the belling cel ling the bell pounds the steeple is 70 feet high it was estimated that souls bouls occupied the church at confer ence and many were outside at the win windows dowe great interest was mani tested and we are welcomed on every bano EDWARD STEVENSON |
