The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-08-31
NOT PLANTED BY
BRIGHAM YOUNG
Giant Tree at Florence, Neb.,
Originally a Picket Post
Which Took Root.
so SAYS ANCIENT PIONEER
STORY TOLD AT OLD SETTLERS
PICNIC.
Omaha Bee.)


d. Lonergan of Florence, a pioneer of
1854. has dispelled the romance of the
old Brigham Young tree at Florence.
which tradition says was planted by the
mormon leader. At the old settlers pic
mic Tuesday. Mr.. Lonergan said to q re-
porter for the Bee:
THE tree was never purposely planted
here, but was a part of the pickets of the
stOckade that surrounded the Mormon
corral The corral was built on this spot
some time early in 1S47 1t occupied a
space of about one and a half acres and
was used to keep the cattle of the Nor
mons in at night and as a protection
against Indians and wolves. A picket post
took root and this tree is the result Its
present circumference is sixteen feet at
the widest part and fourteen feet at the
main trunk.
Mormon Ditch and Fence.
About 100 feet west CT this corral was
the old Mormon ditch and sod fence The
fence, which was four or five feet in
height extended from this point south,
following along the base of the bluffs to
about where the Saratoga schoolhouse on
Ames avenue. Omaha, now Is. Some few
traces of this old sod fence still exists
between here and Omaha. From near this
tree the sod fence extended TO the river.
Its line was shown TO me by Bishop Gun
bingham of the Mormon church shortly
after 1 settled here, and from him
learned the history of the Brigham Young
tree.
THE MOrmons remained in camp here
at Florence two years, from 1876 to 1S4S,
and built a village Of log cabins. Many
OF these cabins were still standing when
] came to Florence, and made my first
home In one of them The old Mormon
graveyard is up on the hills to the west
of Florence, and COO of them were buried
there. While they were settled here the
cholera broke out and many of them per-
ihsed from that and scurTy. The Omaha
Indians were very reluctant TO have the
Mormons remain here and complained to
the government, and in 1S4S they were
compelled to move across the river. They
settled up and down the Missouri valley
on the east side for some twenty miles
and some of their descendants still live
there. Bishop Cunningham told me that
at one time in the Omaha camp there
were as many as 5000 Mormons.
In 1S4S, during the Mexican war the
government insisted that the MOrmOnS
should contribute a battalion of at least
800 men for that war, and Brigham Young
had the battalion raised. 1t was placed
under the command of Captain Compton,
and though not exactly engaged in the
Mexican war, the battalion did some from
tier service in the southwest. The MeXi-
can war closed before the battalion
reached the front.
The period of Mormon emigration
ceased along about 1865. In 1S4S and 1919
the Mormons finally pulled out from the
east side of the river and migrated to
Salt Lake. However, not all Of them
went Many Of them preferred to stay
on the Iowa side. They became good cit
liens and were the ancestors of many Of
the best people living along the Missouri
valley bottoms now.
For many years thereafter great car
aVdnS OF MOrmOnS crossed the river here
at Florence and down as far as Bellevue.
But the emigration finally ceased about
1865. Bishop Cunningham and other Nor
mon bishops told me repeatedly of the
terrible pTivatiOns endured while they
were encamped here at Florence. They
managed somehow to get along fairly
well with the Indians, as Brigham Young
was wise enough to know that it was
easier to buy their friendship than to at
tempt an open warfare with them"