Show 5B The SunNews Wednesday July 21 993 The Settlement of Willow Bend Cindy Andreason J Alma George T Holdaway of Holdaway and Elliott Newell Provo were looking for a place for a new settlement They came upon the Sevier Valley and were favorably impressed They returned to Provo for supplies to encourage others to join them in the move On March 27 1875 three covered wagons and seven settlers arrived at what would be called “Willow Bend” The party included Franklin Hill Ezra Curtis and his wife and sons They brought with them a small herd of cattle and what plows and scrapers they could They made their harrows procure locally out of wood Their first project was clearing the land and getting water for irrigation They were so anxious to get water to the land that they stayed up all night to watch it However in spite of their hard work the first crops failed Julie Curtis wife of Ezra Curtis was the first woman to make her home in Willow Bend and she was the only woman in the area for the first six months Her first home was a wagon but in July the men built her a log cabin at the doorway of which she hung a quilt Delbert Curtis son of Ezra and Julia Curtis was the first child born in Willow Bcrd about 1876 In the spring of 1877 a group of people were emigrating from Spring Lake now known as Salem As they were coming down a dug way a bridle bit broke causing the horse to bolt and the wagon plunged into the lake No lives were lost but all the chickens drowned and their food clothes and bedding were soaked They built fires to dry everything out then cleaned dressed and cooked all the chicken so nothing would be wasted When they arrived they settled on the east side of the river called Lost Creek To make the first dam in the river settlers had to pin three logs together with wooden pins called a brent and then fasten them in the river George Holdaway stood in the water up to his shoulders and pushed the brent into place while Jabez Durfce held him by his hair to keep him from going under In 1879 the settlers bought a canal from Dr Coons and sons and by enlarging it were able to provide much needed water Later Aurora Salina and Redmond joined to enlarge the canal and organized a company known as the Willow Bend and Rocky Ford Irrigation Company The first school house was built of split logs in 1879 just east of the Rocky Ford Canal It had one room and was used for all gatherings church social and school Maggie Keeler was the first teacher Ernest Shepherd opened the first store in one room of his house He was a violinist and also played for dances and amusements at Willow Bend he was sometimes accompanied by Sidney Curtis or Andrew Anderson with their accordions Early amusements consisted of quiltings comhuskings The dancing and house parties women would get together and work all day then the men would join them for supper and visiting At first drinking water was taken from the canal or river It was very impure and many came down with typhoid fever They boiled their water until such a time as they could digwells Somcdug“Danish Wells” just a hole in the ground where water could settle George Holdaway tried to dig a well but had to try five times before he got good water This was the only well in town for several years and everyone used it sometimes running the pump all day When the community applied for a post office the government wouldn’t grant it under the namcof Willow Bend so Numan Van Louvan’s name of “Aurora” meaning 'northern lights' was chosen Van Louvan became the first postmaster The first Sunday School was 27 On February held in 1877 1881 Jabez Durfec was ordained first Bishop First officers of the Female Relief Society and Primary Association included: Celcstia Durfce president Clarissa Morgan and Sabrina Harward counselors Wealthy Baxter secretary Eunice A VanLouvan treasurer and Harriet Curtis was head teacher In 1887 dipthcria broke out causing all public meetings to be cancelled Also in 1887 government officials took the post office the contents to away transporting Richfield In 1896 a railroad was built from The first train Salina to Richfield came through Aurora at night Everyone in town wentdown to see it Theyhadclimbedontopofabig stack of railroad ties When the train came by puffing the whistle and the bell clanging blowing lights so bright they could hardly look at them the townspeople were really thrilled To celebrate the finish of the railroad work the Denver and Rio Grande let anyone ride to Salt Lake City and back for $400 Settlers moved to higher ground and built their houses of rock many of which are still in use today In 898 the people of the town worked to together to get rock quarried build a new school house This was used for all church gatherings programs and dances as well as schooling for the town children The first amusement hall was built in 1906 - a frame structure provided with opera chairs The first organ owned by the Aurora Ward was placed in the new building Everyone was thrilled for now they had a place for meetings and amusements It was enjoyed until 1910 when it burned to the ground All that was saved was the organ Within a few and a few chairs months the people again started to build - this time a beautiful brick grave was for a small child of Erastus and Sarah Durfee who drowned in the Sevier River A Mr Asmus claimed ownership to the land so the town purchased ten acres from him for the cemetery site George T Holdaway bought the first car a Maxwell in 1914 It is said that "Bert" a mule owned by Ezra Mason Jr died of fright when the car came near him The community was governed by Church authority until 1914 when the need for a better culinary system made it necessary for the town to incorporate Abraham Shaw was the first elected mayor In the spring of 1915 water from Friday Springs just west of town was piped into Aurora Then in 1932 the Wash Spring was added and in 1945 another spring was connected to the main line During the early days the main industries were farming and cattle and sheep raising There was always a struggle to get enough water fortheland There are three canals: the State Canal to the west the Rocky Ford which was the first canal in this valley and the Vermillion Canal also called the Windy With the completion of the three canals the prophecy had been fulfilled that this valley would be farmed from mountain to mountain In 1925 Ephraim Dastrup di- Still In Use! stamp machine used by the City of Gunnison was purchased upon the authorization of the original town council According to the original handwritten minutes located in the Gunnison City Recorder's office the purchase was the first order of business for the town as it organized in January 1894 almost 100 years ago The signiature is of Reubin Christenson Twon Clerk This and other minutes can be seen by the public but cannot be taken from the building This scontinued on Page 6B) (r Horne Center rn u 4: T" 2 if ' 1 - tj't 5 rrv f lfv Rasmussen's Ace Hardware 435 South Main - Gunnison Utah - 3 Charles Rasmussen moved his wife Elhyl and his son Moyle from Ephraim to Gunnison He rented a building when Valley Furniture stood on main street and opened a furniture and hardware store The family lived in the store until they could find a home Later Charles purchased the building on the west side of Main Street and started his own store He and his wife ran the store After Moyle graduated from the University of Utah he came back to Gunnison and went into business with his father at "Charles Rasmussen and Son' Two additions were added to the building which had been used as a garage and a post office Time took its toll and Charles died and Moyle took over the business When he became his Curtis Anderson and ran the store In 1976 David Rasmussen became part of the business and the business incorporated It then began as an Ace store The building on Main Street was sold and the new 0000 square foot Rasmussen Ace Hardware began serving the needs of About 1915 the valley building Before 1906 a few graves had been dug on a plot of land set aside to be used as a cemetery The first (S iV A U I Money Savers Foodfown B 37 50 West WO North - Gunnison - 5287475 Money SSaversS FoodTown would like to take this opportunity to thank the community for their support We really appreciate your business SSaversS is owned by a number of families who live in our community So they are truly concerned about and wish to help support our local area in all the ways they can Recently a few changes have been made In the store The shelves are fuller the meat and There is a produce are fresh and well stocked We services larger staff to help provide better in involved more to efforts get have undertaken the community We have taken a new attitude to us with a pleasant try to make your shopping experience ' We're not the biggest but we strive to be the best Thanks again from the Staff at Money SSav- 4 Utah J' Indoendent Bank 9 55 South State Salina Utah The Utah Independent Bank has been serving Southern Utah since 1977 from it's office in Salina and from it's Beaver office Utah Independent Bank employs nine people in Salina and eight in Beaver and is contributing to the economy and growth of southern Utah As with any company Utah Independent Bank’s most valuable asset is the trust and confidence their customers have in them They know that trust is not earned overnight but over a period of time Because they trust Utah Independent Bank their customers come to them with financial questions and the bank feels It is their duty to give honest straightforward answers of our communities We know trust is earned not given It is earned by caring about the and doing something about it It is earned by being competitive and offering os many services as possible Trust must be earned every day since ersS Food Town Ujr 198 |