The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-04-06
CAME In The VANGUARD
Arrived in This Valley Before
Brigham Young.
CHAS A. HARPER TELLS SOME
PIONEER "REMINISCENCES.
Hunting Buffalo in the Early Days
Pioneers Call at the Jubilee Head
quarters-A Suggestion to the
Railroads
THE FUND TO DATE.
Amount previously reported. .s27 ,1Ol

Amount previously reported. !. .S27, JOY 90
The most interesting pioneer visitor
at headquarters yesterday was Charles
A. Harper cold Harper, he is affec-
| tionately called,) whose postoffice ad-
dress is Halliday, Cottonwood Canyon.
Mr.. Harper is now in his eighty first
year, and barring a rheumatic twinge
now and then is as hale and as hearty
an octogenarian as can be found in
the west. He was one of a number of
men, of which Orson Pratt was the
leader. who were sent ahead by Brig
ham Young to plant seed. and arrived
in the valley, through Emigration cam
yon, on July %, 1S47, two days in aG-
vance of Brigham Young. He says Or
son Pratt and Peter Rockwell, TO the
best of his recollection, were the first
of the pioneers to explore the valley
in the vicinity of the site of the pres
ent city of Salt Lake, and that near
what was afterward known as the
Eighth ward square the first seed po-
tatoes were planted. A plat of ground
near Red Butte hollow was subsequent
ly selected for gardening purposes, but
neither effort resulted in what could
be termed success. Mr.. Harper was
ahead, and his company overlook the
first company in Emigration canyon
The canyon was impossible for wagons
ana the two forces combined in remOv-
ing the dense growth of underbrush
and in cutting a road through In the
year previous QS46) Reeds California
company of emigrants had, with Is
wagons, passed through the canyon,
being the first to accomplish the feat.
ha MI
hand around a spur of the mountains
and in that way avoided the under
growth obstruction. Mr.. Harper was
also one of party of ten hunters who
provided buffalo meat for the pioneer
company, who were suffering for the
want of nourishing food while jour-
neying across the plains, and he relates
with great JUNCTION the astronomical
feats he and his companions performed
with the meat of the buffalos they had !
Killed. He also states that the pioneers |
established their second camp aug . |
1910 on the block in which the tithing |
yard is now located, and not on the |
temple square, as has been repeatedly |
and enormously stated. For some years |
past Mr.. Harper has lived in Arizona /
and is thinking seriously of returning !
to that territory at an early date.
w. II. H. Spafford has rendered to
the commission the use of the first
milestone used in a flour mill in Utah
Connected with the milestone is an axle
IF a AZ wagon.
Mrs. PaytOn Alfred of Butte, Mont,
writes the commission urging that the
'ailroadS be prevailed upon to time the
arrival of the Jubilee trains so as to
give the eXcursionists one days time
n which to prepare for the celebration
festivities. She suggests that the ex-
;ursion train from Montana be sched-
He'd to arrive here on July 49,
A special meeting of the finance
committee will be held today at noon.
Among the pioneer visitors at head
quarters yesterday were John S. En-
ign. J. H. Dewey, Samuel S. Ensign
md Horace l.. Ensign. Samuel S. En-
ign enjoys the distinction of having
assisted in driving across the plains
he first flock of sheep that ever
'rowsed on the plains of Utah.