wood and timber so plentiful and convenient that without making any canyon roads they could go into the low hills and get three loads of dry quaking aspen poles in a day. They also found very fine building rock."2 Favorably impressed with the Valley, Thomas resolved to move his family there. There was one serious obstacle that had to be overcome before this was feasible, however. He had to find an entrance to the Valley, which appeared to be surrounded by high rugged mountains on all sides. He later found that entrance could be achieved only by going over the mountains or else through Weber Canyon on a narrow, winding trail that was used by the Ute Indians who considered the Weber Valley their home. Little Soldier, chief of the Utes in the area, was friendly with the Saints and later allowed them to purchase land on which to settle. Thomas spoke often of the Valley to his friends, encouraging them to go with him. Finally Charles S. Peterson, his two sons, and his son-in-law, Roswell Stevens, agreed to go. During the winter of 1855-56, they began working on a road through Weber Canyon. Thomas was also able to interest Jedediah M. Grant and Jesse C. Little in the project. President Grant furnished three men with teams to assist in making the road through the canyon. John Cousins and Thomas Bebington, who had stayed with the Thurston family in Centerville, also assisted in the project.3 The work was mostly accomplished by hand labor, principally picks, shovels, crowbars, and a small plow. The large rocks laying on the side of the canyon were loosened and roiled into the river to make a foundation upon which to build the road. The road was completed by early spring and they were able to move their families into the Valley. Charles Peterson, his sons, and son-in-law settled in the lower end of the Valley and called their new settlement Weber City, after the Weber River. It wasn't until 1872 that the name was changed to Peterson in honor of its founder. Thomas Thurston, along with Jedediah Grant's hired men, went further up the Valley, where they put in about twelve acres of wheat. Dalton Creek became the dividing line between the two families. Thomas, representing himself, Jedediah M. Grant, and Jesse C. Little4 claimed all of the land between Line Creek and just south of Deep Creek. The crops that first year were destroyed by grasshoppers and lack of water. Thomas spent the winter months in Centerville and returned to Morgan in the spring of 1857 to plant his crops. The crops again failed, this time because of late frost. In the spring of 1859 Thomas sold all of his holdings in Centerville for $7,000 to Brigham Charles Sreeie Peterson was born 28 July 1818 at Mount Holly, New Jersey. I'riortohis move to Morgan he was the presiding Flder at Alpine, Utah. He died 26 September 1889 at Mesa, Arizona.