Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-08-06
WHAT I SAW OUT WEST.
BY DAVID HILL.

history of the Mormons, was related
to me upon the train while passing
over some of the ground where many
of the incidents occurred; and as it
was told by Latter Day Saint and a
firm Deliver in supernatural events,
it will vary materially from the Gen
tile account of it as given in the his
| tory.
"You will remember" said he,
''that, after the massacre of the
Smiths and John Taylor in the prison
at Carthage, the Mormons were ex-
PEELED from Illinois, after which, un-
der the guidance of Brigham Young,
they began one of the most terrible
| journeys overland and into the Rocky
Mountains that was ever expected by
a company of human beings upon this
continent. 1t was in the month of
February 1916 that the first band of
them, leaving their beloved temple
and homes behind them at Nauvoo,
crossed the Mississippi, and began to
struggle westward; but it was not un-
til the season of 1849 that a portion Of
the survivors, a company of poor,
emaciated, half starved creatures,
after undergoing every privation that
was possible for mortals to Withstand,
reached the vicinity Of Salt Lake and
found a haven in the beautiful valley
where you will find them to- day.
Once in the mountains after having
crossed the plains, and while passing
through locality known as Echo
Canyon, they CHANGED to encounter
solitary ranchman by name of Briggs,
between whom and Brigham Young
the following conversation took place:
"Where are you bound?" asked the
solitary Briggs.
'sWheresoever the Lord shall Direct"
was the equivocal reply.
'tDo you intend to locate in the
mountains?'
eff it is the Lords will. If not, we
shall go beyond them"
"Skip the mountains if you value
your lives. They are full of plaques.
Every spear of grass, every hill of
corn, everything you SOW or plant will
be utterly destroyed. The crickets
there are worse than the locusts of
Egypt. Take my advice: either cling
to the prairies or go beyond the
mountains.'
eve cannot suffer more than we
have suffered" answered Brigham
Young. "Our star, like the star that
led the wise men from the east to the
manger of our Saviour, is still west
ward. We have followed it across the
prairies. We shall follow it into the
mountains. If it locates us there,
then in the mountains we shall re-
main. If beyond them, then we shall
continue our journey until the land of
promise is reached"
''The attempt is suicide" was the
discouraging reply. 81 will give you
one thousand dollars for an ear of
corn that you can raise in any noun
tain valley west of Echo Canyon"
eve shall put our trust in the
Lord" was the reply, after saying
which, Brigham Young and his fol-
lowers moved onward.
A little to the east of Salt Lake City,
and many feet above it, is a narrow
canyon which opens out into the val
ley and terminates rather abruptly.
There is no other canyon in the whole
range of Rocky Mountains that would
not indicate better prospects in front
of it than the one in question; and it
happened that Brigham Young and
his followers were led into it, unless it
was through the unseen influence Of
some Guardian Angel that lowered
over their destinies, no mortal can ex
plain. That they did pass into it,
either through choice Or necessity,
and wholly unconscious of the grand
denouement in store for them, is
historical fact. They struggled on as
they had struggled for months before.
The scraggy cliffs doomed up the same
the daily barriers to their progress
seemed to increase, and the many
difficulties they encountered grew
momentarily harder to overcome.
1t did look as if the canyon was liable
to close up, and by so doing, force
them to turn back and seek another |
gateway through the mountains.
Finally, at four O'Clock of an
afternoon in early summer, and en-
tirely unexpected, they came to
point where the sides of the canyon
in front of them suddenly ended. Be-
yond the terminal line they could
discern the clear blue sky and the red
sun sinking westward. So unusual
was the sight that some of the party
were sent forward to investigate.
Hardly had they reached that point