Late 19th Century Memorial Day Celebrations in Ogden

                          An unidentified Ogden area bicycle racer in the early 1900s.


MEMORIAL DAY was Monday, May 26 in 2014. However, this holiday used to be known as “Decoration Day” and it didn’t always fall on a Monday.

“Next Saturday is Decoration day,” The Standard of May 28, 1891 reported. “As usual it will be almost a universal holiday. Stores will close and all will be in holiday attire.”

The article also mentioned a procession at 10 a.m. on Decoration Day that marched down Washington Avenue. A band, drummers and cadets of the Ogden Military Academy led the parade. Ogden’s mayor and city council followed in carriages.

The procession concluded by going in reverse order to the Ogden Cemetery.

By 1896, a May 29 article in the Standard called the holiday “Memorial Day.” That year, the celebration included a bicycle race from 25^th Street and Washington in Ogden to the Hot Springs south of Willard. The race winner received a diamond ring valued at $50 (more than $2,000 in today’s dollars).

Then, there was a baseball game between Ogden and Willard players competing for a winning purse of $10.

(-Originally published in the Ogden Standard-Examiner on May 23, 2014.)

-NOTE: The author, Lynn Arave, is available to speak to groups, clubs, classes or other organizations about Utah history at no charge. He can be contacted by email at: lynnarave@comcast.net  

A Different Kind of History: Exploring the Ogden Cemetery

By Lynn Arave

HISTORY isn’t just found in books, libraries, or on the Internet.
There’s a humbling, yet definitive kind of history to be discovered in a cemetery
Many people make at least annual pilgrimages to area cemeteries -- and they should look at more than the flowers, or the graves of family and friends.
Take a short walk, explore … Find old graves and new ones, small ones and large ones.
There are tidbits of history to be discovered in cemeteries of those who lived before and helped pave the path for us.
There’s also the lesson in mortality here, that everyone eventually passes on, rich, or poor; famous, or not; young, or old.
The Ogden, Utah Cemetery, for example, is some 54 acres full of tens of thousands of names, dates, inscriptions and epitaphs.
Located at 1875 Monroe Boulevard – just north of 20th Street and just west of Monroe – this graveyard began in 1851.
Without any kind of map, or guide, here’s what stood out to me during several strolls through sections of the Ogden Cemetery:
-The most common epitaphs spotted were: “Families are forever,” “Together forever,” “Love is forever,” “Rest in peace,” “Gone fishin’,” “In loving memory,” “Forever beloved,” “Forever with the Lord,” and “Our angel Mom.”

-Saddest graves: The dozens in “Baby Land” (northwest corner of cemetery) where numerous small headstones herald the many infants buried there. Also, found elsewhere: three graves of the children of Jeff and Holly Ebert, all 3 of whom were born separately and only lived a matter hours after birth, being born between 1986 and 1987.
Examples of unusual epitaphs spotted:
-“A light from our household is gone. A voice we loved is stilled. A place is vacant in our house that can never be filled.” In memory of Martin H. Harris, Sept. 29, 1820-Feb. 14, 1889.
-“From his handsome face to his gorgeous eyes @ beautiful smile he’ll truly be missed @ never forgotten.” “TJ” Timothy Joe Arguello, June 13, 1991-June 26, 2010.
-“Each of us hopes to join you at last on the beautiful heavenly shore. Resting in hopes of a glorious resurrection.” Sarah Y. Thomas, June 26, 1843-March 14, 1906.

-“His contributions to horology during a long and vigorous life are immortal. He had a joy of working with the finest fabric of God’s universe – the measurement of the passing of time.” William H. Samelius, “Dean of American Watchmakers,” March 1, 1873-Nov. 5, 1961; Maybelle Holst Samelius, Sept. 24, 1880-Oct. 8, 1969.
-“Pioneer-churchman, businessman,” Chauncey Walker West, 6 February 1827-6 January 1870.
-“Called to serve Him, Heavn’ly King of glory, Chosen Heir to witness for his name, Far and wide I tell our Father's story, Far and wide his love proclaim.” Elder Stephen Alexander Richards, Feb. 9, 1984-July 22, 2007.

-“A Saintly giant of a woman. Matriarch of one of the largest families in the church,” Elizabeth Patrick Taylor, 1793-1880.
-“Captain of Mormon Battalion and founder of Ogden City,” James Brown, Sept. 30, 1801-Sept. 30, 1863.
 -"I will seek to lay a true foundation in the hearts of the pupils upon which they may build their education,” Louis Frederick Moench, founder and first principal of Weber State College, July 29, 1846-April 25, 1916.
-“One who was a friend to all,” Adam Thomas McEntire, Aug, 23, 1959-May 20, 1979.
-“All the world is a stage,” Thomas L. Poppleton, Oct. 15, 1926-Nov. 13, 2011
-“A loving mother true and kind, a beautiful memory left behind,” Martha Louise Highfield, Sept. 6, 1878-June 12, 1955.
“Victims Farmington Flood, Aug. 13, 1923”: Walter J. Wright, 1899-1923; (and) Weathy C. Wright, 1895-1923.
-“It’s heaven to be ridin’ down the trail,” Junior Ivan Taylor, April 15, 1910-Dec. 27, 1996.

-“Here rests a woodman of the world,” Thomas D. Swift, 1870-1926.
-“Not on this perishing stone, but in the book of life, and in the hearts of thy afflicted friends, is thy worth recorded,” John Hamer, Aug. 15, 1865-Aug. 2, 1890.
-AND, there’s also a special Tiffany’s Memorial Pet Cemetery, in the northeast section of the Ogden Cemetery. One headstone there that stood out was for a dog, Karo Carter, Dec. 14, 1984-July 11, 1996. “A smile, a wiggle and a wag … In memory of our devoted Lab” was the inscription.

(-Originally published in the Ogden Standard-Examiner on May 26, 2014).

-NOTE: The author, Lynn Arave, is available to speak to groups, clubs, classes or other organizations about Utah history at no charge. He can be contacted by email at: lynnarave@comcast.net  

The Great Stone Face -- Guardian of the Desert southwest of Deseret

                      A statue of Joseph and Emma Smith in downtown SLC.

By Lynn Arave

Does a likeness of Joseph Smith Jr., first president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, exist in the vast Millard County deseret, southwest of Delta?

Some believe so.

On a remote hillside in Utah's Sevier Desert, about four miles southwest of Deseret and some 17 miles southwest of Delta, rises a craggy volcanic outcrop. For almost seven decades, area residents and visitors have been attracted to the formation.

In it, they can discern the outlines of a man's features: head, brow, nose, mouth and even perhaps a high collar.

Welcome to the "Great Stone Face," or the "Guardian of Deseret," or "Keeper of the Desert." From a certain angle, notes the book "A History of Millard County," a 1999 entry in the Utah Centennial County History Series, "some see a resemblance to Church founder Joseph Smith."

This remains a still seldom visited outdoor treasure for Mormons.
The Great Stone Face was originally called "Guardian of the Deseret" by Millard County newspapers during the 1920s, the era when it first claimed local fame as a tourist destination.
(Part of that reference is for the nearby town of Deseret.)

"Many Mormons see an uncanny resemblance of this naturally carved formation to profile pictures of church founder Joseph Smith," Millard County's official tourism site www.millardcounty.com reads.

Whether or not it is partly the power of suggestion, there definitely is a face to be spotted here in the rocks, though some may argue whose face.

Visitors have to decide that for themselves at the site, about 150 miles southwest of Salt Lake City.

The rock pillar sits some 150 feet above the Sevier Desert floor amid a field of lava rock and sagebrush, with a view to Notch Peak to the west.

A steep scramble along a 400-yard-long trail takes hikers to the base of the monument over loose rock. A rugged path, outlined by lava rocks, marks the way.

Indian petroglyphs dating back about 1,000 years are found in the general area just north of the Great Stone Face. These markings are now highlighted by a new sign.

--To reach this natural wonder, travel to Delta and then go southwest on U.S. 6/50 about five miles and turn south on state Route 257.

Then travel about six miles south on S.R. 257 to a signed turnoff to the west (right).

Go west on the gravel road and travel for almost six miles to the north edge of the black lava beds. The gravel road — passable by cars in dry weather, though there are washboard ruts in the road in places and three cattleguards to cross — loops around the west side of the hill and ends at a small parking area. There is no admission fee. 

The petroglyphs are located just a few hundred yards before the parking lot and feature their own sign.
These inscriptions were jokingly called the first edition of the Deseret News back in the 1920s and 1930s by Millard County newspapers.

Hike south up the hillside, looking for the dominant rock. Those who can't or don't want to hike can still see the Great Stone Face from a distance, best viewed with binoculars.

This is a moderately strenuous hike up the hill side.

(The accompanying photos show the Great Stone Face, as well as the petyroglyphs sign.)

The Great Stone Face formation was reported as early as Nov. 18, 1927, when the Millard County Chronicle reported a visit there by local Boy Scouts.
Even then, the connection to being a likeness of Joseph Smith was reported.
The Chronicle newspaper reported on April 7, 1938 that sunrise Easter Services were held at the Great Stone Face that year by the nearby Hinckley and Deseret Wards of the Church.

For more information on the Great Stone Face, go to:

http://www.millardcounty.com/places-to-see/great-stone-face.html

(Modified/expanded, but originally presented in the Deseret News,  May 13, 2010, by Lynn Arave.)

-NOTE: The author, Lynn Arave, is available to speak to groups, clubs, classes or other organizations about Utah history at no charge. He can be contacted by email at: lynnarave@comcast.net  

Southeast Utah -- Where the Wild Wild West Still Rules

     Reaching Sipapu Bridge is a 0.6 mile steep hike in Natural Bridges National Monument.

By Lynn Arave
TAKE a survey of Utah adult residents and you'd probably discover that 80 percent or more have been to Southwest Utah and St. George.
However, you would likely also find that only 10 percent or so have been to Bluff/Blanding/Mexican Hat and Southeast Utah.
("Four Corners" is probably the largest draw in the area.)
While the St. George area is bustling, crowded and congested, southeast Utah is where the open wild wild west still rules.
Spectacular views, anchored by Monument Valley, dominate the landscape. It is like living in a John Wayne western movie.
No traffic jams, motels so laid back that credit cards are not even asked for and friendly locals.

               White Canyon, northwest of Bluff, Utah in Natural Bridges.

                    Part of the rugged, yet exciting way down to Sipapu Bridge.

Southeast Utah was the last section of Utah to be settled by pioneers. In fact, it was only 1904 -- barley over a century ago -- that National Geographic explored portions of San Juan County.
One may often wondered what the first explorers found or thought when entering a virgin region. Here is an early account of the exploration of southeast Utah:
In 1905, "Wonders of San Juan County" was a May 3 headline in the Ogden Standard-Examiner.
S.T. Whitaker was a photographer in a small group sent out by the Commercial Club of Salt Lake to explore southeast Utah.
Whitaker took some 700 photos in a 30-day expedition.
The group took a train to Thompson Springs and then went by wagons to Moab and then Bluff City.
From there, it was a 20-animal pack train of supplies that had to be used to penetrate the area. Some Navajo trails were used and at one point the group had to detour some 25 miles to get through a slickrock ridge.
"Upon arriving at a canyon called White Canyon we found what is perhaps one of the largest, if not the largest, natural stone bridges in  the world," Whitaker, from Ogden, wrote in his report. "We called it the Augusta, it is 310 feet (wide) ..."
(The party named two other large bridges "Caroline" and "Edwin," oblivious to the fact that National Geographic had named the same bridges "President," "Senator" and "Congressman," in order of height, just about one year prior.)
Today, these bridges are located in Natural Bridges National Monument and are named Sipapu (meaning place of emergence), Kachina and Owachomo -- also variations on Native American words.
If often took all 250 length of rope for these early 20th Century explorers to descend into White Canyon and reach these stone features. They also noticed some ancient inscriptions in the rocks of White Canyon.
The expedition also discovered a 400-foot-long cave in the area, its entrance almost completely covered by a waterfall.
They also noticed mounds all over the habitable landscape, which they believed to be the ruins of past natives.
The group also reported finding relics -- crumbling pots, some mummified remains and most interesting -- battle axes near a lot of bones and skulls -- proof of a large battle long ago in the area.

                           One of the rustic wooden ladders en route to Sipapu.

--Today visitors to Sipapu and other natural bridges are aided by stairs, ladders and defined trails to reach the bottom of White Canyon.
Obviously a visit to the Four Corners is a visitor highlight in SE Utah, but don't forget to savor the open landscape here, as the native Navajo nation seems to do so.

Taking a "loop" here, if you have the time, is the best way to appreciate the area. Go down Utah Highway 95 from Hanksville and you'll see the Henry Mountains, Hog Springs (great picnic area), the north end of Lake Powell -- with some spectacular rocky viewpoints that rival Canyonlands or Dead Horse Point.

Continuing toward Blanding, it is quite a winding drive, but erosion of the landscape is the focus here.
Returning north, take Highway 191 through Monticello and Moab for a faster, straighter drive.

                         Monument Valley in the far distance.

-NOTE: The author, Lynn Arave, is available to speak to groups, clubs, classes or other organizations about Utah history at no charge. He can be contacted by email at: lynnarave@comcast.net