Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-09-19
REMARKABLE STORY OF DAVID LEWIS. ="=7:: ===
n IAA1MING fellowship with the
men who lived in what is un-
doubtedly the most neglected.

~
men who lived in what Is UNI
doubtedly the most neglected
period Of Utah and of western
history, and declaring that City creek
IA canyon was familiar ground to him
when 1t wassso blocked UP With beaver
dams that the water could hardly And
@ 1ts way down to the open plain below.
4 David Lewis this week is telling a
X story of trapper days in the Wasatch
that adds much to their own history.
David Lewis Is AN old man over
80 Years Of age, and almost blind.
His memory, however. is clear, and it
runs back over events Of the utmost
Importance in the development of
western history. He is a pioneer OF
Utah of 1917. and says that in addi-
ton 10 this trip he was here in 1886
and again a few years before the lat
ter-day Saint immigration made the
permanent settlements.
The gentleman's memory may not
pc perfect as to dates. but the tale he
ieiis OF trapper ways, shows him to
be letter perfect in its mode of con-
Duct and Of each of the men known
TO have gone through here in the
period he represents as his own he
llas q word of remembrance and a
familiar knowledge.
In Utah life he dropped out Of sight
immediately after the settlement was
made, through going back to his
mountain ways, instead of taking to-
the hoe and bag of seed. After years
Of absence in the mountains and in
Nevada, he recently came back, blind
and intirm. to receive treatment for
his eyes, at the DIR. Groves l.. ID. S.
hospital. There he told his story to
Dr. stookeH, who attended him. and
who called the attention of DR.. James
J., Talmage to it. BY him. in turn,
II was referred to o. i. Whitney.
author Of the History OF Utah and to
he Church historians office.
One remarkable portion of the
story is the declaration that the
Prophet Joseph asked him in 1885 to
join the western trappers and come
out to the Great Basin country, to-
look up and record the size of all the
springs. the area of the inhabitable
valleys, the location of tile mountain
passes, and take careful note of the
general lay of the land. This he
, says, was when he was is years of
age. Tie was baptized into the
: Church when it was only a little over
a month old. This would make him
the oldest living member. in point of.
years since joining the Church, an
honor until now supposed to have been
held by Lorin Farr.
Upon#matters of church history, his
statements have been given careful
attention at the historians office.
where It is still being investigated,
With the conclusion that in the main
1t can be corroborated, although dates
are not vet fully established. The
conclusions of the investigation Will
be made the subject of future treat
ment. but in the meantime, the old
veterans story which replaces him as
one OF the pioneers. and as path
finder preceding the pioneer era. Is
here given, just as he tells it from
memory.
MEETING WITH JIM BRIDGER.
My start in western life was with
a jolt of POWDER" he said to a reporter
who talked with him in his Salt Lake
rooms. when. walked into the Amer
lean Fur company's headquarters In
St. Joe, Missouri, to ask for employ
'ment in the mountains, in pursuance of
an advertisement posted up on the out
side Of the office, I was talking to the
agent when a gun was fired off close
to my ear
..If you shoot another time like that"
said angritly to a man standing be-
side me when L turned around, LII !
knock you down
..5'L guess young feller, you'll stand
gun fire If you'll stand without jump |
Ing when the firings that close was
the answer from the man who Ind
urea, anu CnGIl Lilo SCIlLE Nolu liic Iitht
was Jim Brldger, and II hired out |
to the company, he would be my COM
mander That made me feel little
cheap for talking up to him so, but ! |
was offered $50 q month, mountain pay,
with a gun and ammunition. and coffee
and sugar, and assn saees that couia
either shoot my own came, or starve
Tor meat.
FIRST INDIAN BATTLE.
s b. III 4. L
with Brdger's party came west
Party in the SUMNER. We came from
st. Joe out to where Omaha Is. and
camped right up close to where Winter
Quarters afterwards was located. We
started to build fort there, but We're
attacked by the Sioux and abandoned
the plan. Then we went over to the
Big Sioux river, where the Sioux again
attacked us, and we had three men
wounded, but none killed.
after that we Went up on to the
Yellowstone, and followed the river up
Into the mountains Finally we had
TO leave it and take to a trail over
the peaks. We were three days up
there without water, and we suffered
good deal. After that we got down
Into the geyser country, and we found
4 spring of melted rock, it looked like,
where we could put our ramrods In, and
bring them out coated with mud OF
every color, and intensely hot.
Tnen we Went up INTO MolitdHa anu
treated with the Sioux and Snakes
shoshones they called themselves: The
Shoshones were at war. with the Sioux
and we Joined the Shoshones, helping
them in the fight. After 1t was over
they told Capt. Bridger that the blood
of II white man had never yet stained
a Shoshone's hands and that they were
proud OF their record for peace and
wanted to keep it up.
INTO SALT LAKE VALLEY,
"ln the late summer we got to where
Fort Bridger now is, and started the
erection Of a small home" of two
rooms to shelter us through the win
Ter. Leaving some of the party there