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Show bought a yoke of oxen and two yokes of cows. They were part of the John Dickson Company, his father's extended family that made the journey. In 1853 they went to the Missouri River where Ezra T. Benson organized the Saints which gathered there and became what was known as the Fourteenth Company to leave for Salt Lake. They crossed the Missouri on a large flat boat, two wagons to a trip. The Company consisted of fifty wagons and five tens and each ten had a captain and their captain was David M. Conley. They went over to the Elkhorn River, Nebraska. The next camp was on the Platte River, Nebraska, where the cholera broke out and two of their number succumbed to the dreaded disease, which did not leave the company until they reached Loup Fork, which was on up the river from their first camp on the Platte, and ten more of the company died of cholera. At this point someone threw out a buffalo robe and stampeded about forty wagons and one woman was thrown out and killed. They traveled along up to the Grand Island where they saw and killed their first buffalo. The meat caused unexpected joy to the entire company. They continued on their journey, past Independence Rock and Devil's Gate. Went up to the three crossings of Sweetwater. The next point on route was Big Sandy. Traveled down this until they came to Green River, crossed the river and went over on to Black's Fork. Traveled up this a few days and came to Fort Bridger, from there over the Pioneer Ridge. Finally coming to where Henefer now stands. Went up East Canyon and then up a hollow to the right nearly to the top of Big Mountain. From there they crossed over Little Mountain and down Emigration Canyon into Salt Lake Valley. Arriving there the first part of October, 1851. After visiting relatives in Centerville, the family moved to American Fork where they built two houses and a blacksmith shop from which they received their living that winter. In the fall of 1854 they moved to Davis County. Billa and Alva Nickles and John Myers built the first threshing machine in Layton and spent most of the winter of 1854-55 threshing grain, oftentimes shoveling the snow from the stack. Billa made the cogs for the machine. During this time, Billa, along with the William Lindseys, Shipleys, Crofts, and Marion Mark Witesides and their families lived on the little Fort Lane in Layton. The road led from the main road to the fort. The little fort was built in the shape of a square, the houses forming the outer walls with a court in the center. The fort was built of rocks and dried mud. Morgan Pioneer History Binds Us Together In 1856 the family moved to Centerville where they raised a good crop on some land they rented from Henry Dalton. This was a hard year for the people of Utah. They nearly starved before harvest came. In 1859 Billa bought a small farm on the mountain road in Layton. In 1862 Billa moved to Richville, Morgan, Utah, where he spent the remaining years of his life. Five of their children were born while they were following the Saints through Canada, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Their sixth child was bom in American Fork. Billa died on January 30, 1878, and is buried in the Porterville Cemetery. His wife, Mary Ann, lived a widow until August 11,1902, when she died. She is buried beside him. BILLA DICKSON- THE INDIAN PEACEMAKER By Forde Dickson When my ancestors crossed the plains, they spent the winter at Council Bluffs, Iowa, along with the other pioneers. It was there that John Dickson's mother died and was buried. John Dickson and his son, Billa, and my father, Albert Douglas Dickson, arrived in Utah in 1852. They made their home on the mountain road in Layton by the Adamses, who were with them crossing the plains. After they had been there a short time, the Indians were giving them a little trouble. The white boys and the Indian boys got in a kind of "sham battle" throwing mud-dobs at each other. And it later ended up in a fist fight with some of the Indian boys going home with bloody noses. This greatly upset the Indians, and it was rumored around that they were getting on the warpath, and we'd have to look out. It so happened that Grandfather Dickson (Billa) was chosen to go down to make peace with the Indians. He took with him his little son, William Dickson, who was then about four years old. The peace talks went on into the night, and Uncle Will laid down in the Indian's tepee and went to sleep. When Grandfather was ready to go home, he went over to pick him up to bring him home with him, the old Chief said, "leave papoose here. He'll be all right until morning. Come back in the morning and get him." Needless to say, Grandfather tried to persuade the old Chief to let him take the boy home, but the more he talked, the more determined the Chief was that he should leave the boy all night. When Grandfather got home, Grandmother was really upset and I'm sure there wasn't much sleep in the Dickson home that night. As soon as daylight |