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Show Feature SOUTHERN UTAH NEWS Th Last Wagon Train By Barbara Pyles was a spiritual experience for I Writers note: met Sank and them, as well as for me, he said. Louise Flake, and a few of their Louise Flake joined her huscousins in Kanab on August 17. band in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. g Sank, a Snowflake, Arizona resi- Although the dent, was amongthose who made wagon train followed along the the entire trek with the pioneer trail as much as posMormon Trail Wagon sible, Louise saw the trail from Train. Somewhere along the the road. Her days were filled trial, Sank decided to extend the with shuttling vehicles back and trek to Snowflake, the town his forth from last nights campsite Mormon ancestors settled many to the next nights campsite. years ago. When his kinfolk Our biggest day of driving cars heard the news, the rest of the back and forth was 350 miles, trip became a family affair. As she said. One bad day, we had you read this, the Flake family 38 flat tires. should be in Snowflake. Louise recalls driving Mrs. Utahs outfit. As I was driving As the 1997 Sesquicentennial down the road, I pulled my bonMormon Trail Wagon Train net down so people wouldnt Enactment rolled out of Emi- think she was ugly, and I waved gration Canyon on July 22, a so that people would think she crowd of zealous onlookers was friendly. cheered and applauded. Sanford At about 300 miles into the Sank Flake, sitting tall in the trip, the Mormon Trail Wagon Train 150 years went up saddle, was overwhelmed. a retired Flake, against the sand hills of NeBack in the 1800's, the had ridden braska. police chief, roughly 100 miles across prairies, sand dunes were a challenge for I,mountains, and byways on his man and beast. The modern-da- y spirited horse, Denver. But it pioneers stopped for a demondidnt mark the end of a trip that stration of what it was like for began more than three months their predecessors. Taking a step earlier on April 2 1 in Omaha, forward then sliding back, the Nebraska. After a short rest, pioneer got a taste of Flake would make the final lap what walking through soft sand of the trip to Snowflake. It would was like. Faith in Every Footbe a tribute to his ancestors, step took on a new meaning. Mormons like him, who made There were times when some the same journey 150 years ago. trekkers wondered if they would Flake is the great-gregrand- make it to Salt Lake. It was son of James Madison Flake and difficult through Nebraska in the great grandson of William many ways. It was unseasonably J. Flake. After crossing the cold, windy and rainy. People plains, these men and their fami- who were not committed, it was lies were sent on a colonization really hard for them to go on, mission into Arizona by Brigham says Flake. At first I thought, Young. They purchased the this torture is going to go on for Stinson Ranch on Silver Creek, more than three months. But and took possession of the ranch some days were wonderful and on July 21, 1878. The townsite other days. ... It would have been was named Snowflake after Wil- nice to sit in front of a TV and a liam J. Flake, the leader of the nice warm stove. To continue was group, and Erastus Snow, a a commitment Mormon apostle. According to Flake, the people Go! . . a On . . . . . Set of Nebraska cheered the wagon Ready cold, damp, foggy morning, train participants. "They lined wagon master Joe Vogel of Red the roads in the little towns and Cloud, Nebraska, yelled, Wag- in some fairly big towns. One ons go! The historical place, I estimated 10,000 United of the Mormon Pioneer trek States Flags waiting there to had begun. receive us. People were standFlake, an outrider, urged his ing toe to toe along the streets, lively horse forward. I remem- he said. One group put up ber that I was quite uncomfort- enough flags to represent the able. Yet it was a beautiful day. 6,000 Mormon pioneers who had It was wonderful to see all the died on the trail. Elder M. Russell Ballard of wagons. All the animals . . . the weather was secondary. the Quorum of the Twelve visAs the wagon train worked its ited the present-da- y pioneers in way through Nebraska, Wyo- North Platte, and left this blessming, and Utah, Flakes pride in ing: Heavenly Father, bless his ancestors grew. A white-bearde- them, protect them, walk with Flake is not them, and see them safely into movie-sta- r handsome; his face the valley of the Great Salt Lake is etched with character, and a ... It is a moment in time that firmness of purpose. As I was Flake will always remember. riding on the trail, I looked at When Vogel handed the rein3 people eyeball to eyeball. With- to Ben Kern, Wyomings wagon out exception, they would cry. It master, the wagon train had -- slow-movin- Sesqui-centenni- al 65-year-- up-to-da- at d, six-foot- er. te 14 WEDNESDAY S, 1997 SEPTEMBER passed the halfway mark. As in Nebraska, folks along the trail embraced the travelers. Communities staged a number of special events and provided showers and meals. A1 Gardner, Flakes cousin, joined the wagon train in eastern Wyoming. He came to walk through Wyomings emptiness in honor of his kinfolk. I walked besides a man named Grant Packard. He had walked every step of the way from Omaha. Packard had been in an auto accident not long ago. He had a pin in his leg and one leg was three inches shorter than the other. This man walked besides me for 31 miles. One girl, who was released early from her mission in Independence, was pulling a handcart. She never left her position on that handcart. If it had been 50 miles, every individual that had walked that 3 1 miles would have walked 50, he said. Flake and Gardner bought some mules in Casper Wyoming. It wasnt long before Gardner became an expert driver, driving for whoever needed extra mules. By then, Flake had decided to extend the arduous trek to Snowflake. Gardner would join him. But where would they get the wagon to make the final push? Flake and Gardner didnt know the answer to that question, yet. With Robert E. Lowe at the reins, the 1997 Sesquicentennial Mormon Trail Wagon crossed into Utah. The wannabee pioneers were almost home. Flake will never forget the day they lunched at Cache Cave. Max Pitcher, a good friend, asked him this question. Are you still thinking about going on to Arizona? Yes, if I can get me a wagon, said Flake. Would you take my wagon? asked Pitcher. (According to Gardner, the Amish built covered-wagon was the best wagon on the trek.) I answered, yes, said Flake. At Henefer, Doreen Flake Hendrickson, another cousin, joined the wagon train. He (Flake) gave me the assignment to get the family behind him. From that point on the family wa3 with him, says Hendrickson. Giveem some room, please. They have come a long, long way to get here! These words could have been spoken by anyone. Tears were common as the wagon train enteredjam-packe- d This Is the Place State Park. When a vocalist san Come, Come Ye Saints, she touched the hearts of almost everyone present. A retired airline pilot, Gardner said, I went from going 18,000- - Cv ' 7 , sr v rC , J 00 (j 0 f) th. () I -- o : Sank Flake continued Ns pioneer trek after arriving in Salt Lake, traveling on to Snowflake, Arizona, where Ns ancestors settled. Photo by Myma Cox. and absolutely mph to loved it. Nothing can compare with the experience of coming down Emigration Canyon and into Salt Lake while a crowd, numbering around 50,000, cheered. It was unreal. 1 regret that I didnt start with the train in Omaha. Through the grace of God, the Mormon wagon train had successfully completed its journey. It was time to give thanks and celebrate. After the celebrations, Flake and his family went to Pitchers Alpine Ranch to pretrek to pare for the 650-mil-e Snowflake. On July 29, Flake was back in the saddle again. It was time to get down to the business of conquering the rest of the road. Dale Collins, from the sesquicentennial wagon train, drove the wagon. Louise, Hendrickson and Gardner followed behind in gasoline powered vehicles. The mules were Whoaed to a stop at Rep. mule-drawn-cover- ed Chris Cannons home in Mapleton for a fundraiser. k Three days into the Collins over a conflict quit trip, on the handling of the mules. LaMel Morris, a relative of Flake, took over driving the wagon.I am really beginning to get the feeling of this. We are commemorating the trek of our ancestors," he said. I am grateful to be part of the group. Darrell Brimhall and two of his grandsons joined Flake in six-wee- Manti. When I heard he was going on to Snowflake, I immediately made arrangements to join him, said Brimhall. One of my reasons was to lose some weight. Brimhall laughed. Instead, I have gained 10 pounds. The man from Snowflake admitted that the mam reason he joined the trek was to honor his Samantha r, great-grandmothe- Lake, who had crossed the plains on a pony. Brimhall is the only member of the group who is not a blood relative. When Brimhalls grandsons had to go home, Lowry Flake, another cousin, joined the group. I watched his progress across the plains with great interest," he . said. When cousin Hendrickson told cousin Lowry that Flake planned to retrace the footsteps of their ancestors all the way to Snowflake, Lowry jumped at the opportunity to help. I do whatever I can," he says. I am tickled to death that they let me stay." Mark Flake, 21, joined the party outside of Hatch. It is a tribute to Sank," he said. It is also a chance for me to get back to my roots to understand some of the things my ancestors went through." About the spring and summer of 97 it is the most memorable that Flake and his family can recall. Its a experience, says Hendrickson. We have gained lifetime friendships," added Louise. ... once-in-a-lifeti- |