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Show Volume IX Issue V THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 9 December 15, 2003 Biography of Isaac Shupe Isaac Shupe was the son of Andrew Jackson Shupe and Elizabeth Creager. His father entered the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 with the Mormon Battalion. Isaac came to Ogden Valley in 1881 as a young man to enter the saw mill business with Joseph Southwick. Their sawmill was located at Bear Gulch, later named Shupes Canyon near the LaPlata mines. The sawmill was a going business with a future but needed financial backing; after a few years it was sold to David Eccles. At the age of twenty-two Isaac Shupe married Matilda Elizabeth Deam in the Salt Lake Endowment House, January 31, 1884. Matilda was eighteen and of Danish ancestry. She, at the age of ten, and her younger brother left their family in Bornhom, Denmark with the Mormon missionaries to come to America, and eventually to Utah. Now Isaac, with this new responsibility, decided to use the money from the sale of the sawmill to buy a ranch at the mouth of Middle Fork Canyon. This ranch was owned previously by Frank Law and Isaac’s older brother John Shupe. It consisted of 820 acres, with about 100 acres that could be tilled and irrigated from the mountain streams. Isaac Shupe made a reservoir or pond near the home, and due to the cold winter, was able to cut out large chunks of ice and bury them in sawdust from the neighboring saw mills. This preserved the ice until the summer months when he obtained a contract to sell ice to the railroad companies in Ogden. He then planted fish in the pond and sold this product to the railroads and restaurants in Ogden. During these enterprising years, Isaac took in his brothers—James and Peter Shupe—as partners. Another opportunity came to this family when the miners at LaPlata struck rich veins of gold and silver. The Shupe families hauled freight from Ogden to the mines, which were not far from the sawmill they once owned. Isaac Shupe loved fine horses and drove many different spans that people admired as he made his many trips to Ogden. As Isaac and Matilda’s family grew to eventually nine children, (three boys and six girls,) the farming and business ventures became a one family operation. The operation became more centered on raising sheep and cattle. Many of the cows were of dairy type and the family churned the cream into butter, and delivered 125 pounds per week to residences in Ogden. With the farm located at the mouth of the Middle Fork Canyon, they found that apples, pears, apricots, and watermelons could be grown with good success. John Fuller, an early pioneer of Eden, attested several times to the goodness of the watermelons he ate from the Shupe ranch. John and Isaac were close friends from their early years and saw many hardships and joys come and go as they raised their families. The William Colvin family was close neighbors of the Shupes, and revered the Shupes as “good neighbors.” A bond of sincere friendship existed between these two families. Matilda, Isaac’s wife and mother of their nine children, writes in her biography: “While living at Eden, I was a member of the Relief Society, and although living three and a half miles from the Ward House, we managed to have our children attend the district schools and Sunday School regularly, and we managed to attend to our duties even through we were somewhat handicapped by the distance from the ward. “My oldest son, Isaac William, was about the age of 17 when he was stricken with Brights’ Disease. We moved him to Ogden to my husband’s sister’s place. I was at his bedside night and day for about six weeks until he died. “In 1918, two of my sons were called to the World War. Ernest served in America, while George served in France and Germany. George was seriously wounded in which indeed caused much concern to the extent that my husband made the remark, ‘If we could only be blessed by our two sons returning to us alive, I would be the happiest man in the world, and there is no greater wish that I could ask for.’ This wish was granted in due time. “In June 20, 1920, my husband became seriously ill and died June 24, 1920. The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS is looking for Ogden Valley and Ogden Canyon historical biographies, stories, and photos to use in its publication. Please mail, email, or call Shanna at 745-2688, or Jeannie at 745-2879 if you have material that you would be willing to share. Although this was a great shock and blow to me, I was comforted by my children and continued on.” One of the daughters born to this marriage, Lucy Matilda, married Clinton Daniel Robins of Eden, and they resided in Eden HUNTSVILLE SCHOOL 8TH GRADE GRADUATING CLASS, CIRCA 1904-05. Front row: Wilmer C. Jensen, unknown, unknown. Middle row: unknown, Helga Peterson, teacher Christian Wilford Kunz, unknown. Back row: unknown, unknown, unknown. The teacher, Christian Wilford Kunz, responded to a mission call to Germany in May 1907, leaving his wife and two daughters. He was killed in Berlin on June 7, 1907 shortly after his arrival. His wife gave birth to a son on August 16, 1907 in Huntsville. If you recognize any of them, please contact Shanna Francis at 745-2688 or Jeannie Wendell at 745-2879. Photo courtesy of Stanley F. Wangsgaard, Ogden Valley Historian. Jewelry Repair Silver & Gold Largest Silver & Amber Inventory in Town (801) 393-1986 FREE Market Analysis at Your Home. Call NOW 940-4040 Dick Payne The Dick Payne Homeselling System Certain restrictions apply. Call for details. Taraneh’s 278 Historic 25th St. Ogden, UT 84401 801-745-4000 2555 WOLF CREEK DR. Egg Nog Join us in the “Living Room” every Monday at 6 p.m. Big-Screen TV! Comfortable Stadium Seating! $10 Pizza and Buffalo Wing Buffet! 3900 N. Wolf Creek Drive in the Clubhouse Eden, UT (801) 745-3737 1 qt 99 c Large Freschetta Pizzas 2 for $8.00 with coupon Limit 4 per coupon Western Family Expires 1/1/04 Potato Chips 11 oz bag 88 c with coupon Limit 3 bags per coupon MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL EDEN STORE HOURS: MON. - SAT. 7 AM - 10 PM SUNDAY 7 AM - 9 PM Cream O’ Weber GUARANTEED! Note: Information came from “History of the Eden Ward Ogden Stake Utah—Over One Hundred Years in Eden,” researched and compiled by Melba and Ren Colvin. Historical Photo Your Home Sold in Under 90 Days or I Pay You $1,000 and raised their family in this community. All Varieties Expires 1/1/04 Shasta 2 Liters All Flavors 2 for $1.00 Limit 4 per coupon with coupon Expires 1/1/04 Coca Cola Products 12 pack cans 4 for $10.00 with coupon Limit 4 per coupon Expires 1/1/04 |