Talk written and given by Bette Thurston Mecham In the Sunday evening program July 24, 1960, held in connection with Morgan’s Centennial Celebration. -Jessie Creager-Historian, Morgan Co. Camp One hundred years seems like such a long Lime, and yet the changes that have taken place here in our valley, don' t seem possible within that amount of time. Morgan would have been settled some time before it was, but the canyons at Devil's Slide and Devils Gate guarded our vally until the right people came along. From 1820 on traders, trappers guides and scouts bried to find a way to go either up the weber river or down it. The only thing that could get through was the rushing river. This valley so full of beauty and natural resources would have delighted the hearts of the weary travelers, and there were many. But she waited for the far sighted, sturdy peioneers whose vision forsaw the possibilities of this small valley and whose courageous hearts were not appalled by the difficult!es of settling it. On July 17,1847, the first Latter Day Saints arrived at fort Bridger. They followed the bastings route when they came out of Echo Canyon. Brigham Young was sick with Mountain Fever, so Orson Pratt was taking charge, he took John Brown and came on the Weber River as far as Croydon, but they had to turn back, there was no way through. They went back and took the company up Little East Canyon. When the Saints came to Utah the land belonged to Mexico. It was not long however before the Mexican war ended and the territory was ceded by Mexico. In 1848 Brigham Yonng was appointed Goveror of this terr¬itory. Before this time the Mexican government had granted a man named Ben Simon the privelege of grazing cattle here in our valley. He was a trapper too, part French and part Cherokee. He had an Indian wife and they settled in Stoddard and built the first home in Morgan Co. He was very kind and helpful to the first white settlers, but he moved on in 1860. Thomas Jefferson Thurston of Centerville, Davis Co, was the first white man to recognize the possibilities of Weber Valley as a home. In 1852, he and his two sons of Weber Valley were cutting logs in the mountains east of Centerville. Upon reaching the summit they looked down upon the beautiful valley below, and he was reminded of his home in Ohio. he decided here was where he was going to make his home. he persuaded two of his friends to come here with him. They spent three days here and were delighted with everything they saw, but there was just no way to get here except over the mountains. Mr Thurston dreamed of this valley and finally in the winter of 1855, he persuaded Charles S. Peterson, two of his sons and a son-in-law Roswell Stevens to attempt to build a road into this valley. The men were joined by one of Mr. Thurstons sons, John Cousins, and Thromas Bebington and Elder Jedediah M. Grant, who sent three men with teams to help. With the equipment we have today the road through Devil's Gate is still a great obstacle, imagine what it was 100 years ago with shovels, picks, crowbars, and small plows. But they were successful in completing a crude road into our valley. Peterson and Stevens located in Peterson and Thruston came up the West side and settled at Milton. They were soon followed by other settlers. The Utah Legislature by enactment January 2,1856, granted to Jedediah Morgan Grant, George grant and Thomas Jefferson Thurston a large section of land lying between Line Creek and deep Creek. Thurston brought his family here the same year. Jedediah Morgan Grant was very interested in this new settlement, from helping to make a road into the valley to giving land. To honor this man the new settlement was named Morganville, Later it carried over to include the whole valley. When the county seat Was centrally located the name was transferred to it. Our pioneers were always interested in eduaction, and as soon as this county was organized in Feb.17, 1862 a commissioner of education was appointed. He was Philemon C. Merrill. The court also order on the same day that for school districts be created. In most towns schools were held in private homes until schools could be built. No time was lost, because they realized the value of education. 2 Until 1863 T. J. Thurston was presiding Elder of the entire valley. Then tow wards were organized. Charles S. Peterson had Weber City, Mi Green, Enterprise, and Round Valley. Thruston had .lilton, Littleton, South Morgan, ftiehville and Forterville. A log school house was built in 1864 with Lulda Cordelia Thurston as teacher. She also tought the immigrant children and some if their parents ot speak and read English. These peioaers wanted the best for their families, almost the first things they provided for were churches, schools and social activities. In 1864 the first Post Office was estab-lished with Charles S. Peterson as post master. The first Sunday School was also organized this year with Josha Williams as Supt. The following year 1865, Morgan sent her first two missionaries Charles and Mary H. Boyden to the Hawaiian Islands, for 5 years. There were no grist mills in the valley, and grain had to be carried over the mountain. How thankful the people were in 1866, when George Taggart and his brothers completed the first grist mill. Things were lookin up for our early settlers. A years later we had a pioneering merchant called William Eddington build the first store. The early settlers were constantly working on the road into the valley and by 1867 a pretty good road was completed. Josha Williams was to act as Supt. He had the power to call men to work according to their means and he diredcted the work. A lot of people were using the road who never helped in any way to keep it up, so a toll was set up. 50 cents per team and 25 cents for an extra span. The next event that happened in our valley was a real life savor for our pioneers, that was the coming of the railroad in the spring of 1867. Richard Fry and T. R. G. Welsh had the contract for the first mile in Morgan and Wyman Parker and Philemon C. Merrill had the next mile. They also had a contract to construct a wagon dug road above the tracks. The price for moving the earth and making fills was to be 27 cents a yard. Much of this grade was put up with wheel barrows. I wonder what those men who run those wheel barrows would think, if they saw the great monsters moving earth over on our new highway. But the men were glad to do any thing that would pay them a little money. Richville became the tie center of the railroad. Men went from Richville to the canyon in Hardscrabble and back with a load of ties. That was a days work. Then they Hauled them to Echo for 10 dollars a day for man and team, the round trip bringing 30 dollars. They hauledl6 ties to the load. Tens of thousands of ties were cut and hewed at Hardscrabble. At one time there were 8 saw mills in Hardscrabble canyon. The railroad also brought pro¬visions for their crews working on the grade and track and the pioneers were only too happy to be able to buy a few of the necessities at prices that could pay. The railroad was completed in May 10, 1869. This opened a market for the lumber and timber and also made it easier for the set¬tlers to come into our valley. The first Relief Society was organized with Ann Peterson as president in 1868. They made the first flag in 1873. It contained 36 stars sewed on by Emily Croft. it was first flown on the 4th of July 1873, from a flag pole on a prominent hill called the leak in Peterson. This was in observance of a wish by Brigham Yound that all towns and villiages float a flag to show their loyality. This flag was used for this pur¬pose and flew over the town for the last time of Armistice Day in 1918. It now has a place of honor in the daughters of Uthah pioneers museum in Salt Lake City. Willard G. Smith presided over Morgan County as a Bishop before it became a statke. On July 1, 1877, Morgan Stake was organized by the apostles Lorenzo Snow, and Franklin J. Richards. With Willard G. Smith as president, Richard Fry and Samuel Francis as counselors. Our Pioneers made their own entertainment and sports got started vary early. They played rounders and one o cat and games like that but in 1889, base ball was on it's way. Almost every town had its team and talk about competition and town spirit, these people had both. It was a big day when they journeyed from town to town to play. Some foot ball was played but one of the players got hurt pretty badly during a game so the team was disbanded. I have heard my dad tell of one player who put small nails in his shoes and every time there was a pile up he would run up and down the backs of sposing team. They really played rough. A musical group known as the fife and drum corp was formed in the gay nineties. Later Eli Whittier organized a Brass Band. They often went from town to town on either a band wagor or sleigh to produce a little entertainment for the people. The valley even had a newspaper in 1896. Water has always been a problem here in this valley. The first thing the settlers did was lay out ditches and canals. In 1898, con¬struction was completed on the first dam in East Canyon, by the Weber and Davis Canal Co. It stored 5,000 acre feet. The height of the dam has been raised several times since then. Now it not only helps us with our irrigation problems but is one of our fun spots, offering fish¬ing, boating, water skiing and picinicing. To some of you this has merely been a report of a lot of names and datesr but to others, as it is to me, it is a living, vital story of our forefathers, their struggles, joys, hardships, accomplishments, and progress, of our valley. The most beautiful, peaceful, wonderfull place in the world to live. With the best people in the world having lived here and still living here. Some things our Pioneers left us we dearly cherish, others we take for granted, some, that interfere a little with our way of living, we are trying to forget. There aren't many of our pioneers left for our children to actually know and love. So it's up to us to make them keep living for our child¬ren and the children to come. I think it's the responsibility of every adult here to keep alive the image and spirit of the pioneers, the things they stood for, worked for and often died for. Bette T. Mecham