Show the life and times th M so of f PETER ap E T DILLMAN w A 2 arat aa 14 the story of a frontiera frontier and nd a great frontiersman a 0 lets leta be ot off was the cry as aa t the he four prospectors set out once again for or unknown country this time however their purpose was somewhat different instead of searching tor for gold land and rich land was the goal john bennett had bad finally finished his business at his bear river home and pete and john had returned to milliard hilliard where they picked up the two britt boys and all the supplies or store pay day that was coining to them for their wood cutting in the hilliard timber and the four of them were away to have a look at this vast new country this famous ashley valley way out in eastern utah almost to the colorado line that friday morning in august 1877 dawned bright and early as august mornings do and the tour four young men were ready tor for their adventurous trek across wild country and indian territory into their promised land that count got to be te pete rys thought as ho he climbed into the wagon that morning he had just ten cents in his pocket which comprised hla his worldly possessions it was a great chance he was taking going that far fa away into such inaccessible country for a homestead which he be soon hoped to sell tor for enough money to buy a ticket back to iowa owa and home but pete was young brave courageous and both ho he and his young companions loved adventure and life in the open he could make good her he was willing to work and he was able to work what more could anyone else ask ind and then it if things went well hed soon be back in iowa lite life looked good that early morning the first days journey brou brought glit the party to chalk creek some miles southwest of evanston where they camped that night it was petes turn to cook supper and he prepared some venison and some yeast powder bread a bread he had watched the old iowa prospector make on their gold hunting expedition pete had learned that just the right proportions of yeast powder and soda must be ba used to make the dough raise it was quite a job to make this bread just right so soon a contest was lined up to see which of the four could make the best bread petes arnd out very well that nl ht but the test was yet to be made As aai soon as was breaking over the eastern horizon the mules were harnessed and the wagon wheels could be heard slowly grinding along the rocky road which took the traveler tia veler down into colville up what are all these hags flags for asked pete as they drove down through the little town decorated with flags all flying at half mast someone along the street shouted hou ted the presidents dead the wagon stopped then and the boys got out Is president ilayev dead what happened to him but they were soon informed that it want the president of the united beatea who was dead but the president of the mormon church brigham young saturday night found camp made on silver creek a small mall stream about half way between colville and park city the night was cold and stormy three bonfires sizzled and smoked and tried to burn in spite of the dampness ot of the brush and in the center of the three fires as a great pile of bedding the blankets were cold cold and wet and the bedraggled soaked foursome were trying to dry them out so that they could get to bed ind and get a little sleep that night the nex nei day the storm had cleared away and taken along with it the dust traveling was good good and spirits were lighter faith with traveling a little easier over better roads they reached heber city drove on through and started up daniels canyon here the road became little more than n a trail it was rough and rocky and the road which followed the I 1 stream crossed it every eairy tew few feet they gone very tar far up tho the stream before they were worn out and camp was pitched for the third time traveling on up through daniels canyon the next day was a trial during the course of the day they crossed the stream or were in it ninety five times it finally got so bothersome that they took their socks off and just had bad their shoes to remove each time as aa they waded back and forth across the stream winding their way up to the strawberry flats As they stopped for a drink along the way fin britt saw a rattle snake and wanted the rattles you watch it while I 1 go find a big stick to kill it with and dont let it get out of eight he be said to pete as he ran into the brush on the side of the trail for a heavy stick the bis big snake started to crawl down into the underbrush and pete knew it would soon disappear it if something done ire he got down on his hands and knees and grabbed it by the tall end jerking it back onto the road this he be did twice and th snake was becoming be comins nervous and anxious to set get away so pete stood up and gave a lunge forward one foot pinned the snakes head to the ground the other held its body fast and working back and forth he be crushed the snakes head beneath his hilt shoe lice heele when fin returned he was f standing calmly removing the rattles from lt it you tool fool what k aw pete dillman on earth have you been doing demanded fin and fearless pete told him the story of the death of the rattler camp was waa pitched monday evening in strawberry valley by tuesday night the party reached currant creek and wednesday the upper crossing ot of the duchesne river here they laid over two nights because the mules were jaded and needed a good rest and plenty of 0 food before starting the last leg of the journey friday morning bright and early they were on the trail and reached the lower crossing of the duchesne and then on saturday to lake fork since they had left heber city nearly a week before they had seen but two human beings to talk to when they were camped on the upper duchesne duchene they met a cattleman who was driving a herd of cattle down to the lowlands for the winter and then traveling alongi along the blue bench they saw another wagon approaching john bennett who was driving his tearo team drew as far out to the side of the road as he could get and waited i tor for it to pa pass ss the west bound I 1 wagon stopped directly opposite them as its driver was having a hard time passing on that narrow strip of 0 toad road As the wagon stopped not a word was said by anyone all stared at each other lets pray laughed will as the silence was broken and billy gibson the lone man in the wagon opposite laughed with him and they all laughed and got to talking gibson told them that he had been over in ashley ashler valley taking out a claim and that he hoped to return soon to prove up on it the fact that someone ie i had hopes in this land boyed them up and they were anxious to so there but with a small epan of mules and bad roads roada or no road at all progress was BIO slow F billy gibson was the father ot of the present dean gibson gabson dean of tho the school ot of education university ot of utah sunday afternoon over a week after they had set out they reached the uintah river it was too early in the day to make camp so they went on to where deep creek flowed into the aln tah and turned off the road which led into whiterocks Whlter the thought they could save time by following deep creek along to 0 where lapoint stands today would cross croas the stream there aud and go directly into ashley valley there was no road or trail f tt ft t all here they simply had to follow the creek and went on up to the lapoint country hoping to find teed feed for the mules and abets spend the night but when they reached the crossing there a scrap of vegetation for the mules who had to be tied up hungry tor for the night the first arst thought the next day was to get to some bench grass the mules had sweat and pulled across the stream and up the hill on the other side but finally the party in he midst of it a green meadow in the latter flatter regions of dodds dodde twist and there was food ft plenty for or the tha starving animals who were fed and allowed to eat to the hearts content during the wait the boys prepared lunch and dined along with the mules but no water was in sight after eating lunch pete said eald come on lets get moving it far now and ive got to have a drink but no moves were made by the tha rest of 0 the party no the mules need more food and teat rest was the answer and the three men slept in the grass on the fields pete was determined to have a drink and then he be was anxious to set eyes on ashley valley J ill start out and you can overtake me he said as he ed up his hat and walked away when he got over the first hill out of sight lie he waited awhile and then peaked back over the top to see it if they were coming but they were still stretched out in the sun so pete started out in earnest and his drink was waa dearly paid tor for iby by fifteen miles ol of hard walking over the trail up and down hill after hill he walked A couple of times in the distance he saw the bright colors ot of an indian on horseback riding the mountain trails but he was not anxious to have them know of his presence and so crept quietly unseen in the brush when he aicard a horses hoof beat upon the open road after several hours walk lie he reached a stream st reann and got a drink it was ashley creek and it was on this same ground that he staked his homstead home tead claim a few days later after he be had had his fill of the fresh clear water he looked about over the vast val ley of unclaimed ground ile he could see nothing but sage brush and shad scale for miles about him there was nothing where vernal stands today nothing but wilderness indian territory way up toward the hills along ashley creek were a few claims bring being worked about 12 farmers were the entire population of ashley valley and of these ten nine ot of them were bachelors living alone in their mountain homes As ho he looked over the country he wondered now water could ever be brought on the lands and how anyone could over ever make q living to say nothing of earning enough to buy a railroad ticket to iowa then he remembered his friends and turned and started back toward the road where they would be coming in way down the gap he saw the amules and I 1 the wagon making their dayi ahead he walked down to the road and met them there the first social call they made in the new country was on pardon dodds he was an old bachelor at the time and had been an army officer who later was enrolled in the service of the indian department and sent out to whiterocks Whlter to be the agent there resigning ills bis post he had taken alcen up land and in ashley vail valley ey and had quite a farm and some cattle along ashley creek ile ho also owned and operated a little atle indian trading post where money he manufactured was used as a medium of trade tho next few lays days the boys were busy getting the lay 0 of the land and staling staking out their claims they had camped on dodds property just below hla his log loer cabin and learned the names and places of the ten homesteaders in the valley besides pardon dodds there were al westover john kelloy kelley james Ry naman robot turner chaille bentley james barker ben doke charlie jones bill blayden and pat lynch all bachelors who lived alone and were proving up on their claims there was only onel one woman in the valley mrs snyder who was the wife of ROO rob ort crt snyder the only other home actea lder in giat country these tamers farmers were self sufficient they corked their own land and it help was needed each helped the other We stovers land was next to dodds and john bennett took the next claim and the tha two britt boys the next two the claims were one mile by one quarter ot of a mile in size pete find just the spot to suit him and he spent two or three days going up tip and down ashley creek looking around the country before the laid sakes finally he chose the very spot where he had gotten a drink a few days before to lay his claim and the there re stakes in the name of peter dillman were set up to be continued |