Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-08-08
A TOUR OF The
BEAR.LAKE STAKE
Elder JensOu Writes Interestingly
OF Conditions There
A----
A DESCRIPTION OF PARIS.
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A DESCRIPTION OF PARIS.
County seat Making Rapid Headway
- The squirrel Pest aud Method
or determination.

i9OS.-l am Just completing q tour OF the
Bear Lake stake OF Zion IN the interest
ct Church history During the past two
weeks | have visited every ward In the
stake and have had an opportunity Of
becoming somewhat thoroughly ae-
quainted with what has transpired here
during the past twelve years, or since
/ last visited this stake Of Zion, in 1881
] have noticed improvements on almost
every hand in the older towns,as have
passed through and have had the priyl'
lege Of visiting four new wards when
did not exist AT on IN 1891, On the
other hand have found that one ward
has been dIsorganlzed since ! was here
twelve years ago. and that the exist
ance Of one llttls ward A. threatened at
the present tline.f
AFTER passing through many trying
ordeals and dlilcutleslin pioneer days,
Bear Lake valley has OF late years sur
fercd severely on account OF squirrels,
which have destroyed the crops IN many
places as completely as the grass
hoppers did In early days.
number of methods Tor
the extinction OF the squirrels have
been adopted during the past few years,
the most effectual OF which seems to
have been poisoning by strychnine. Last
year the county alone spent $1,000 for
strychnlne. which was distributed
among the farmers, and the good effects
10 L. In
some localities the destructive little AMI
mai has almost entirely disappeared.
Every visitor TO Paris the county
seat In Bear Lake county. and the oldest
town in Bear Lake valley, ls most ia
yorably impressed with the noble APP
pearance OF the new academy building,
situated on top of the Hill Immediately
back Of Paris. IL II a fine three-story
brick structure, and owing TO its ele-
waited position, Il can be seen from near
~ every settlement In the valley, Ike
the Logan Temple In Cache and the
Manti Temple In Sanpete valley. The
institution OF learning which centers In
the building NJ called the Fielding
academy and is model Latter-day
Saint school. Paris Ii divided into
two wards, OF which the First ward
presided over by Hyrum r. Humphreys,
contain 476 members and the Second
ward, presided over by Robert Price,
iias 597 members.
Ianark il new ward organized in
1898 and consists Of scattered settlers
residing northwest OF Paris and be-
tween that town ana Liberty. II has
already had two Bishops, and Is now In
charge Of Bro. James r. Bum as pre-
Gliding Elder. II has a membership OF
13N. nHr
Liberty. located about seven miles
southwest of Paris ~ one OF the earll-
est settlements IN Bear Lake valley.
Here | found beautiful new meeting
nouse IN course OF erection and Bishop
Edwin n. Austin still In charge Of the
ward, which has a membership OF 2fl.
sharon ward, thus named after the
Prophet Josephs birthplace IN YER
mont Il an outgrovth OF Liberty aud
consists of scattered Saints residing on
ana near the foothills northwest OF that
town. II extends to the mouth Of Emf
grafton canyon through which the first
Mormon" settlers entered Bear Lake
valley
IN 1868 Sharon was organized as
branch In 1881, and as a ward in 1901;
Il now has las members and is pre-
sided over by Bishop Samuel T.. Hymaa
ovid. situated four miles north Of
Paris, was known IN earlier days as the
Scandinavian or Danish town OF Bear
Lake when the late Elder Niels e,
Edefsen presided there. Now the popu-
lation has become so thoroughly
Americanized In manners, habits and
otherwise, that ecarcely scandinavian
name remains that has not been more
n l uHNF4 IL
advocate the amalgamation of the races
OF the north with the families Of the
new world, | earnestly protest against
the Anglcising Of Scandinavian names,
especially In cases where such names
have become associated with history
and honor ovid ward consists now OF
"a isssnbers and Philemon Merrill is
the nrassnt Bishop
Bern fnot Berne is the old Swiss
town IN Bear Lake valley II is snugly
situated at the foot OF IL mountains.
four miles north OF ovid the Alpha and
Omega Of that town IL the family
kunz, OF Swiss extractiOns who first
founded the place as 8 settlement In
1878 and who stil constituted the back
bone OF the same; John kun2 Is Bish-
op. Eliza Kunz presides over the Re-
lief society. David kunz, Jr.. over the
NJ. !. A. and Christian W. Kunz over
the Deacon's quorum. or the Sunday
school officers all are Kunzes except
the superintendent who married
Kunz girl. and she presldes over the
Primary association. OF all settlements
in the valley Bern has perhaps suffered
The most from the ravlshes OF the
aquirrels; some OF the settlers became
discouraged and moved away on this
account some time ago but there are
sim enough people left to keep the
ward organizations alive and all are
now looking forward to better times.
The total membership Of the Bern ward
is only ll3.
Norihward from Ber,. acrcss i"~-
range Of mountains, lies a beautiful
little valley called N0unan i..c a.-..-
tered settlers residing in the same were
organized as ward in 1897 with Edgar
NJ Lindsay as Bishop. He stlll pre-
sldes and the ward has now M meme
ners A fine little Westinghouse re-
Gently built occupies central location
/ the valley.
Leaving Nounan valley 10 go eastward
the traveller crosses a range of hills
which separates Nounan valley ffom
The somewhat harrow valley through
which Bear river flows az this point
Crossing that river ON a line bridge
Georgetown, an enterpriting settlement
situated on Twin Creek IL reached.
This settlement, which was founded IN
1879. now has q membership OF Ss5 and Is
presided over by MILFORD W Richards,
a son Of the late Franklin ID Richards
bennington Is another attractive IT.
lie settlement with about S6s lnhabii-
ants. situated on level tract VI coun-
Try. six miles south OF Georgetown,
sloplng gently TO the south. Amos H.
Wright il the BlshoS
-Four miles south Of Bennington, 10
miles from Georgetown and 10 miles
northeast Of Paris lies Montpelier, the
business center Of Bear Lake valley.
ana also the chief railway town on thc
oregon short Line. in this part Of tho
country. II has nearly 800 inhabitants
Of which ISL are members Of the Church.
Wtfofd " clatTris the Bishop. i Is
the largest ward IN the stake
In order to reach the Mormon
settlements on Thomas Fork