Memories of Weber County

Memories of the Early History of

Weber County

Weber County was first settled in 1848 by Captain James Brown and family on South of Ogden River and Ezra Chase, Charles Hubbard, Ambrose Shaw and their families on North side of Ogden River.  All the above named persons raised wheat, corn and potatoes in 1849.  There was in all about nine families in Weber County when the writer of these sketches came in October of the year 1849.  There were some ten or fifteen families added to the above number that fall and winter of 1850.

We found two large camps of Indians, one camp of Utahs on the south side of Weber River with about sixty-five warriors, and one camp of Shoshones camped down at the big bend of Weber, estimated to number about eighty-five warriors.  All the natives were generally quiet during the Winter of 1849 and 50.  The snow fell very deep that winter and quite a number of our cattle died for lack of feed.  When any of our stock died the Ute squaws would come and skin and dress them and take the entire carcass away to their camps. 

Chief Little Soldier

Sometime during this winter, Little Soldier, the Chief of the Utes, went by my house on north of the junction of Ogden and Weber, on the run as fast as his horse could go while he was yelling like a maniac.  The next day he came to my house.  I asked him what made him run his horse the day before and yell so.  Whiskey - Ah Soldier, whiskey is not good for you.  Yes whiskey is heap good for me, it make me feel like (t)o yelp all the time.

In February 1850, Lorin Farr came up from Salt Lake City and organized the first military company.  Cyrus C. Canfield and Francillo Durfey first Lieutenant - in all rank and file thirty-five men, but several of this number left for California in the spring, reducing the company to about twenty all told.

This Spring the water in Weber and Ogden Rivers was extremely high, flooding over the banks on South of Ogden on to the Tabernacle Square and North to about twenty rods of Mill Creek, and where we had lived through the winter it was like a lake.  We all had moved up to the high lands early in the spring and thereby escaped the flood.

During the Winter Captain James Brown had a bridge built over the Weber River, West of the depot and another over the Ogden, just below Jones' grove.  They were both carried away by the flood and ferryboats had to be built on both rivers.  On the first day of June, the first large company of California gold miners appeared on the hill, near or on the city cemetery.  They were soon ferried over Ogden River and passed on their way to California.  The trains of gold seekers were from this time on, almost continuous until about the last of August.

Several of the emigrants were out of flour and willingly gave Captain Brown ten dollars per bushel for wheat.  One poor fellow with a pack horse got a bushel of wheat and ground it in a hand mill and camped for the night nearby where he had ground it, and the hogs got at it and destroyed nearly all of his bushel of ground wheat.  There were many accidents happened to the emigrants that year. Some lost nearly all of their camp outfit in crossing rivers, etc.  One man's gun was discharged and the bullet passed through his middle finger near the hand.  His finger was, to all appearance, dead when he showed it to me.

The Barker families, F. Durfey, and myself and some others, lived on boiled milk, wheat and butter for about six or eight weeks, with the exception of wheat or corn that we ground in coffee mills. The emigrants were rushing the ferries so we could not get a team over until the rush slackened up somewhat, then we each sent a few bushels of wheat by a team to Neuff's mill, seven miles south of Salt Lake City.  With this we got along until after harvest when each family sent down a good large load to the mill.

Lorin Farr had moved up to the Ogden in the spring of 1850, and as soon as he could get his affairs in shape commenced to build a flour mill, which after many drawbacks and hindrances, was completed and put in operation about the second of January l85l.

The Shoshones had left early in the Spring for a hunt, but Soldier's band had the measles very bad and quite a number died of that disease, and he did not go away until some weeks later.  The Shoshones' chief's name was Terrikee.  He was quite an old man and of quite a good disposition. His band came back about the middle of August.  His Indians acted very bad after their return; would ride through grain fields and melon patches, and acting bad in many ways.  I met their old chief, I think it was on the 18th of September 1850 at Urban Stewart's, and he told me that he had sent his Indians away again for they had acted bad towards the settlers and he did not want his Indians to act bad.  His family was with him at the time, he said that he was going to leave the next day.

That night, Urban Stewart found him in his corn field and fired at him with his rifle and killed him dead on the spot, but the old chief's son stated afterwards that his father was not stealing but was getting his ponies out of the corn, which I believe was the truth.  As soon as Stewart found that he had killed the old chief, he became alarmed and came first to the Barkers house, called to them and asked them to help him get his stock and household goods away, but when they found out what he had done, refused to help him.  He next came to me for help but after I had made inquiry, I also refused to help him, knowing that it would be very dangerous to do so.  He then left and went somewhere South of Ogden River.

About the first appearance of day, George Barker generally known as "Uncle George", took William Barker, his nephew with him and rode out to Stewart's place (which is now Bishop Pleasant Green Taylor's farm), met little Soldier and his band there.  The Indians had burned Stewart's hay, killed his cow, dog and cat, took his feather bed out of his house, cut it open and scattered the feathers over the ground about the yard.  They were very angry but did not attempt to injure "Uncle George" or William Barker, but followed them into their home.

I saw the Indians coming and expected that we would have to fight for our lives.  They formed a circle around Barkers door, and I had no other thought but they intended to kill the family.  After looking at them for a few minutes and all, I went over to them and got close behind them before they saw me, but the moment Little Soldier saw me he gave a terrible yell and they all wheeled their horses and formed a circle around me. 

The chief leveled his gun just a little above my head and fired it off.  They then gave several long Indian yells.  I thought my end was near, but as I could not get out of the circle I stood my ground, and when they were done yelling I spoke to the Chief, and after saying a few words induced them to go with me to President Lorin Farr's house.  They all went in and sat down in a circle around the room.  I judged there was from thirty-five to forty of them. We had a long talk with them after they had all smoked the same pipe; they would not talk before. After a talk of over an hour, they agreed to wait until about ten o'clock the next day, and if Stewart was not given up to them, they would commence to kill the settlers and burn up their houses and property.  This was all the time they would agree to give us.

It was decided that I should go to Salt Lake City to see what Governor Young would do about our position.  I arrived at Salt Lake City about 4:30 p.m., found Governor Young absent but Willard Richards, the Secretary of the territory, after some council with leading men, ordered all the troops up to Weber County that could be mustered, and get to that point by daylight if possible the next morning. 

Some time after my arrival at Salt Lake City, Daniel Burch came in with another express stating that some of Terrikee's band had come back, killed one man and drove off a lot of horses.  This news together with Governor Young's return, tended to hasten this expedition very much.  We left Salt Lake City about twelve o'clock at night, and when the company of about one hundred and fifty men under the command of General Horace S. Eldredge arrived at Kay's creek, they stopped for breakfast, but Daniel Burch, George W. Hill and myself continued on our way for home. 

We found Indian tracks at the crossing of Kay's Creek, showing that the Indians had some design against Burch or me, or they wanted to see what course would be taken at headquarters.  We continued over the sand-ridge down to the high bank, West of the depot, before we crossed the Weber River.  We were not sure that our families were alive or not, but from our position, we could see the smoke from the fires of our families and friends, and then felt sure they were safe.  We crossed the Weber River and then separated, Burch and Hill going South and I going North.

On my way from Weber to Ogden River, I discovered Soldier's band on the move.   I rode behind a clump of brush to see, if possible, what was their object in making such a move. I was soon convinced that it was a bonifide camp move, their object proved to be that they had seen the troops coming and they were getting out of the way, and the killing of Campbell also upset their plans.

After the troops arrived at Captain Brown's, General Eldredge sent a few men after Soldier and his band and induced them to return.  He then went north to Boxelder, now Brigham City, but not finding any of Terrikee's band, returned the next day.  When the company got in about five miles of Ogden, they saw what they thought to be an Indian in the distance and a small party was sent after him, and on the other hand, the man thought the troops was a large body of Indians, put his horse on his best speed to get away from the Indians, but the party had got near enough to him to call to him and the mistake became a source of a good joke all around.

Captain Eldredge remained in camp two or three days until the incoming emigration began to arrive at Weber.  A large number having been sent up to Weber by Governor Young to make a settlement strong enough to sustain themselves against the natives in the future.

The next move was to get all the scattered settlement into a fort South of Captain Brown's residence.  This did not suit those North of Ogden River, and President Lorin Farr went to Salt Lake City and got the order changed so far as to build another fort near to his mill site.  This was a good change, for it was the hastening on of his mill, which was greatly needed.