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Show - i n i Fort Deseret To Be Parked li'S Moment i DpuRhters of Utah Pioneers helc f1 snecinl meeting in Deseret ware h'pel on Wednesday afternoon 01 Inst week, sponsored by Fannie Powell Cropper Camp, Mrs. Ava ' Eennett, captain, to discuss and . complete plans for building a park j at the site of the old mud fort ! south of Deseret. Interested residents of Deseret, .and former residents, church and civic leaders, were invited for the session, with officers and members ! of west Millard D. U. P. Mrs. Kate IB. Carter, president of state Central company, and Mrs. Irma G. Clayton, Clay-ton, first vice-president, from Salt i Lake City, attended the meeting, ! as did Mr. Frehner, state landscape : architect. . I The old fort is an historical landmark, land-mark, dating back to 1865, when it was erected for protection against threatened Indian attack, although it never became necessary to- use it. It is the only such fortification in the state, and the 4 walls are still standing, in a fair state of repair. re-pair. Plaque Tells Story It was proposed before the war to mark the spot as a landmark. A bronze plaque and monument was erected at the Fort Sept. 18, 1937, by Fannie Powell Cropper Camp, D. U. P., of Deseret. The inscription in-scription reads: FORT DESERET Erected as a, defense against Pahvant Indians in the Black Hawk war, completed in 18 days . by 88 men. Wm. S. Hawley and Isaac W. Pierce, foremen, John W. Radford, supt. Opening celebration cele-bration July 25, 1865. The Fort was 550 feet square with bastions bas-tions at northeast and southwest corners and gates in the middle of each side. The walls were made of adobe mud and straw mixed by the feet of oxen. When completed they were 10 feet ( high, 3 feet wide at the base and 1 feet at the top, resting on a stone foundation. The story of the building of the Fort is told in "Millard and Nearby", Near-by", by Frank A. Beckwith. Attracts Visitors The Deseret D. U. P. has a deed and water right for the ten acres around the fort. It is there that the park will be made, landscaped and planted with trees, lawns and shrubs. The first steps will be tak- en m the tall, in time n is nopea to build a home there for a caretaker, care-taker, a museum, and improve the roads. In the same area is the Gunnison Gun-nison Massacre Monument and the Great Stone Face, which, combined combin-ed with the Fort, would make interesting in-teresting expeditions for both local residents and tourists. The state Publicity and Industrial Indust-rial Development Commission will finance the program, and the D. U. P. will be custodians. Mr. Frehner Freh-ner is making 3 different sketches of plans for the landscaping to present pre-sent for approval soon. The old Fort has always been of interest locally, and the project to restore and preserve the landmark met with full approval of all those at the meeting, which included many descendants of those pioneers pio-neers who helped build the Fort. |