Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-10-27
WINTER QUARTERS.
In Search Of Additional Information
Concerning this Place,

Oct, 8, 1898
Edtor Dcsaei NosG
THIS moFniug accompanied by
Elder Geo. r.. Marshal, prcsiIpn, OF
the Iowa conference, lvt Council
BIuii', ana proceeded by street car
Ncross tho Missouri river, aud through
tho city Of Guiana TO Fort
Omaha situated four miles north
Of the city. Thence we wslkcd
two miles TO Florence, or Old Winter
quarters, where / am now seeking
additional information to that which
we already possess concerning this
historic locality.
The name Of Florence or Winter
Quarters is familiar to nearly every
Mormon household In Utah, not only
u those Whose experience DO Iiio has
been associated with the place; but TO
the younger members Of tue Church,
who although born and raised In the
Rocky Mountains, have become more
or lees acquainted with the same be-.
cause Of what they have heard their
seniors relate cOucoynlngiL
Florence q today which ocoupits
the exact site Of old Winter quErtsrs,
n town containing about ono Gou-
sand Inhabitants, and IA a. ineorpoI-
ated city ut that. The Omaha water.
works which were built hero a few
years ago has added fresh Importance
10 the place, q quite uumber Of men
are en- Logged around the works, which
nro conoiIuTed ahead u anything Of
the kind In the western county,
There are four very large pumps, two
OF which can liil ANA pump % 900, 900
gallons oil water every - hours. The
work Of these two pumps ~ called slow
service, "as they uuly pump thu water
into the reservoir or ilturlng ponds
situated on the level adjacent 10
tho works, lust a. feet above
tho river After passing through the
necessary fltcuug or cleansing pre-
cess, the water IL returned to wells At
the water NUrKg from which the other
two huge pumps send II up 10 the
reservoir Bituatud ia Omaha, six miles
distant, nt an elevation Of $40 feet
above thu river at Fi0ronce. The
amount OF water furnished the city
OF Omaha daily 10 lB,OOJ,O00 gallons,
but tho capacity OF the pump II a.
Ojl, 200 gallons Per day. The work
that thuso two largest pumps do h
called the "high fUrvice." Florence
has fluc school house, n city hall, halt
"a dozen stores, u number OF shops and
some hnu private residences. Tho Old
Mormon graveyard, silusted on hill
west OF the town, IL enclosed with a
substantial wire fence, and In still used
Tor buTying the dead, principally by
the u1Of people who can not afford 10
buy lots in the new graveyard. 1 ex-
Amiucd tho hvndHt0nca closely, but
found none that gave any information
na o. where any Of the Saints were
resting, oil the monuments aud head.
boards now standing being Of more
recent date. IL hao been eatI.
mated, however that about 600
Saints arc buried IN this cemr.
terry. IL mus, De remembered that
it was not only in tho days OF Winter
Quarters that our people succum bed 10
the disease incident 10 the bnrdships
and uuerings o. which they We're *.
po,sl-uo,ab the tO-called black
tcurvy; but That tquunJly, when
lie new city o. Florence was founded
on the aito OF Winter Quarter, the
placu was selected a8an QUILTING place
Tor the SAINTS who crossed tho plnlna.
And whilu thgsv companies OF emi,
grants were ouCAmFed IN and around
Florence preparing for tho over.
land Journey, numbers OF them
died mud were buried in the
grounds that were originally
selected ns hufying place by the
exilea from NAuNuO in 1915. Thus
bearing lu mlld that Florence was the
Quitting place i0r Tie Mormon emf.
grafton until 1854, and that tens OF
thousands NJ cur people crossed tho
plains aud mountains from this point,
Including thu hBud.cGrt COmpanieB OF
1886 1857, 1853 ami 1860, there Ia
ground Tor believing that the abatement
regarding the number OF dead slum
heFing on the hill At Florence Ia not In
excess OF the facts.
The ulItst settler now residing al
Florence % James II. DeLand, who
M eiuhty.uine years old. He has
been a resident VI FlOTence slnce
1857, and told us that he was well
acquainted with Geo. q, Cannon ana
other emigration agents who superln-
tended tue Mormon overland travel
from 1859 10 1864, Mt. Deland oacu,
pies the premises on which President
Young had his temporary house IN
Winter Quarters, from lSi8.As, ana
related 10 w - number OF ircidents
pertaining 10 the history OF these
early days. Immediately south OF
Mi DoLaud's residence Is the present