Show Coalville Had Actual Beginning One Hundred Years Ago This Fall E Exactly ty n a century 0 ago 0 Coalville Coal- Coal vat ville 1 Ct Utah h had II Its first tint begin- begin s U While there thue wee no set let n I such lIuch until 1859 1569 9 Uw the follow In i t excerpt from Echoes of Yesterday reveals that the tha autumn of 1858 vs was as historically very ery Important I In the fall of ot 1858 1853 William Witham Henderson linderson Smith a freighter hauling freight between Salt Lake City Cily and Fort Bridget Bridger Wyoming drove Into the comp camp ground on Chalk Creek lie He noticed that where wheat had been spilled It Jt had taken root grown and Md ripened ripened rip rip- ened lie He thought that if It wheat t could be grown to maturity It would be a good location for a n farm center lie Je took some nf of the bunches of wheat Into Salt Lake City Battled Snow The following Spring he Induced ed two other men Andrew Williams Wil Wll- Wil i i Hams liams and Leonard Phillips to too come with him to view the tha ground They left lett Sugar House on April 22 1859 with packs on oni i heir backs and Md on foot toot and after battling snowdrifts and windblown windblown windblown wind wind- blown trails they arrived on Chalk Creek on April 26 They rhey must have been satisfied with the location for they returned return return- ed to Sugar House and on Jun 8 these three men with their families families fam fam- Illes and Md the following men and nd families Henry families Henry B B. B Wilde Joseph Joserh Stalling and Md Thomas D Franklin Frank Frank- lin drove lIn-drove drove their ox oc ox teams Into the Weber Va Valley y At first the settlement was called Chalk Creek but after th tha discovery of coal the name was changed to Coalville Others Other Followed Soon other settlers arrived among them the following John and Fred Wilde who had driven freight teams for William H. H Smith Joel Lewis Andrew Johnston Johnston Johnston John John- ston John Spriggs John Allen Howard Livingston Daniel H H. H Wells Bryant Stephen Steph Steph- en Taylor and Fred Birch They planted about five Beres r of ground and planted grain and some vegetables which produced a fair crop William Smith located on the ground where the Summit Furniture Furniture Furni Furni- ture and Mercantile now stands His Ills land extended from the Coalville Coal Coal- ville yule op Co-op Apartments on to the drug store and west to the Weber River The Wildes located further on south and the ground is still sUIl ow owned ned by the descendants of those thOSA I pioneers I Reeses Arrive j The last of August or r the first firstI I of Septem September r 1859 the Rees family arrived In Coalville Mr Rees was ill so Mrs Rees had to care for the family and make the living too They took up land north of the settlement arid and and lived in a dugout f for r a while Mrs R Bes Res es was the first lint woman woman woman wom wom- an to remain in Coalville all int winter r The others then returned to toSu Su Sugar r House BOOM for the winter I In In the first part of September 1859 William WilHam Wilde WUde the father of John and Fred and Md brother of or Henry B B. Wilde with his two sons Henry and Thomas and three daughters besides Henrys Henry's wife Jane and two children were met in Echo by Henry B. B Wilde and John and Fred They came camelo cameto cameto to lo Coalville but went on to lo Sugar SugarHouse SugarHouse SugarHouse House for the win winter r. r They had come by hand cans carts and Jane had pulled t c hand band cart cartall cartall cartall all the wa wax war across the plains j I They arrived in Sugar House September September September Sep Sep- 6 and on September 9 Jans Jana gave birth to lo a baby boy Left in Wagon Early in the spring of 1860 the settlers who had wintered In Sugar House returned to Coal Coal- ville yule William Smith with hiS hs family started out but but they were caught in a blinding snow storm Mr Smith left his wife and children children child child- ren rn in the wagon and walked to 10 I Snyders Snyder's Saw Mill Mm located d where when Snyderville Is now I John and Fred Wilde had been sent to help them t Arriving at atthe atthe atthe the wagon walon they made made th their lr bed under the wagon and Mrs Smith I wrapped Happe herself end t. t end d children in he hc leather r bed to keep from freezing All nl night ht she would Keep beep to John to see if he was alive In the Mr Smith I re returned returned returned re- re turned wl with wih h men min and teams who helped them over the ridge and I dawn T Mlle rev Canyon |