The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-07-25

OF the Gentle pioneers of Utah, one
of the Oldest and best known survi-
vors of the frontier davs, is Francis
d. Cliff of 447 East First South street,
now we'll into the seventies but hale
and hearty AS a youth. Mr.. Cliff ar
rived in Salt Lake in 1858 and imme'
diately embarked in the mercantile
business being one of the earliest pio'
neer merchants in the west.
In the spring Of 1853 Mr.. Cliff s
father died in ST. Louis from sunstroke,
Mr.. Cliff then a youngster OF 20 was
convalescing from an attack of chol-
era aud was suffering from chills and
fever His physician told him there
was little hope of his recovery but ad-
vised a "trip to the mountains. This
advice was somewhat indefinite to the
of some thousand miles of trackless
prairie from the nearest mountains.
Where Are the Mountains?
81 asked him where the mountains
were and how to get to them ~ says MI.
Cliff "but he was unable to give me
much nformation in that regard. He
told me rather indefinitely to go out
west. Despite my illness [ was ready
for any adventure and by inquiry [
learned that occasional wagon trains
for the west passed through Keo-
Suk H.
Eager to be on my way to the new
country | walked on foot to Keokuk.
There after a short wait | encoun-
tered n wagon train of Mormons trav~
cling by OK team to Salt Lake. For a
consideration ! induced one of the men
in the party to take me as a passenger
with him.
"We reached Salt Lake in September
of that year, II was indeed a rough
looking place. On Main street there
were perhaps half dozen little stores.
ley Along the streets poplar trees
had been set out but they were still
small and looked more like rows of
sticks than trees.
Tannery Is Now Bank.
On the corner of Second South and
Main streets where Walker Brothers
where all manner of hides were tanned
There were two OF three general stores
and a place where EValleY Tam whis-
ky was sold. Most of the residences
were temporary shacks, although those
occupied by the officials Of the Nor.
mon church were rather pretentious
adobe dwellings.
"Within few days after I had come
to the city / was accosted by Heber c,
Kimball, then counselor to President
Brigham Young. He asked me whether
or not ] had come TO Salt Lake for the
sake OF religion, ] told him that ]
had not; that I had come here for the
purpose of regaining my health and
also for the purpose of making money.
He laughed and shook me by the hand.
We were always on friendly terms after
that. I also had many business deal
ings with the late John r. Winder. who
arrived in Utah about the same time
that / reached here.
Brought Stock of Merchandise.
ffI brought with me across the plains
small stock of merchandise, and tina,
fall ] opened trading station on the
site of the city and county building.
This was the square on which the
transcontjnental wagon trains campel
while In Salt Lake. and ! did quite
business from the start with gold seek.
ers en- route to California. The fol.
lowing spring I purchased an adobc
dwelling on the corner of Third South
and Fourth East streets from John
Barnes. and transformed it into gen
eral store which was the first store in
Salt Lake not on Main street. I called
it the Twelfth Ward store, and 1T was
the first of the ward stores which soon
afterward sprang into existence.
Crosses Plains by Mule Team.
For several years after my first com
ing to Utah ! returned to the east
across the plains by mule team each