Fort Douglas Post Cemetery

18 Saturday Jul 2020

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The Fort Douglas Cemetery was established in December 1862 under the direction of the commanding officer Colonel Edward Patrick Connor. On 25 February 1863 the first funeral services were held for the soldiers who fell during the battle of Bear River. James Duane Doty, Utah Territorial Governor 1863-1865, was buried on 15 June, 1865. General Conner, First Commander of Fort Douglas, was laid to rest on 21 December 1891.

Those officers and men who have died in the service of their country have chosen this sacred and hallowed ground as their final resting place: they represent Civil War, Spanish American War, World War 1, World War 2, the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam Conflict. Also interred are 21 German Prisoners of War from World War 1, and 20 German, 12 Italian and 1 Japanese Prisoner of War from World War 2.

The soldiers were required to practice the greatest act of religious training – – sacrifice. He must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. We must remember: only the dead have seen the end of war.

Some notable people buried here:

Camp W.G. Williams

21 Thursday Dec 2017

Posted by Jacob Barlow in Uncategorized

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Camp Williams, Military, utah, utah county

2017-11-25 10.53.05

Camp W. G. Williams, commonly known as Camp Williams, also known as Army Garrison Camp Williams, is a National Guard training site operated by the Utah National Guard. It is located south of Bluffdale, west of Lehi, and north of Saratoga Springs and Cedar Fort, approximately 25 miles south of Salt Lake City, straddling the border between Salt Lake County and Utah County in the western portion of the Traverse Mountains. Camp Williams is also home to the Non-Commissioned Officer’s Basic Leader Course, which is taught to Active, National Guard, and Reserve components. Camp Williams land comprises about 6 square miles of flat area and 47 square miles of mountainous region.

Army Troops Caused the “Provo Riot” in 1870

05 Thursday Oct 2017

Posted by Jacob Barlow in Uncategorized

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Historic Markers, History, Military, Provo, Riots, utah, utah county

2017-09-12 19.22.13

Army Troops Caused the “Provo Riot” in 1870.

Late in July, 1870, two companies of the U.S. Army’s 13th Infantry stationed at Camp Douglas in Salt Lake City arrived in Provo and established Camp Rawlins, a tent encampment on the southern edge of Grandview Hill near where 900 North and 1550 West now intersect.

Provo officials responded by increasing the city’s police force to 62 men, many times the useful number.

Local leaders and many residents treated the soldiers poorly and avoided them whenever possible. Townspeople did not invite the newcomers to any of their parties and dance, although the soldiers tried to be sociable. The troopers resented this treatment.

Just after payday in September, 1870, the soldiers decided to have a party of their own. They found it difficult to secure a hall, but John M. Cunningham finally consented to rent them the large octagonal house he occupied on the southwest corner of 500 West 100 North.

Soldiers gathered at Cunningham’s house for dinner, drink, and dance on the night of September 22, 1870. The more these partygoers drank, the more resentful they became of the local leaders.

Around midnight, some of the revelers burst outdoors and went on a rampage through town. They fired random shots, smashed windows, broke doors, and sacked three houses belonging to local authorities. The rioters even made a half-hearted attempt to burn down the town’s meetinghouse.

After meeting token resistance, the soldiers returned to Cunningham’s home. They eventually dragged themselves back into camp in time for reveille.

The soldiers then received a surprise: residents insisted that they be arrested and made to pay for the damages. The War Department deducted reparations from their next paychecks, and many of the rioters were sentenced to military confinement.

Those involved in what became known as the “Provo Riot” soon received transfers. Then soldiers and Provo citizens peacefully coexisted until the troops returned to Salt Lake City in June, 1871.

This marker is located in Rock Canyon Park in Provo, for other markers in this series click here.

2017-09-12 19.22.21

Provo’s First Jail Was Built in 1871

01 Friday Sep 2017

Posted by Jacob Barlow in Uncategorized

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historic, Historic Markers, jails, Military, Parks, Provo, Riots, utah, utah county

2017-07-11 18.49.11

Although there have been lawbreakers in Provo ever since the city government passed its first ordinances in 1850, city authorities did not consider building a large jail in the small community for nearly twenty years.

Utah County built a small jail in 1854: a room in the basement of the Seminary located at 100 North and 500 West that served as a lockup. In 1867, Utah County built a small, brick courthouse on the west side of 100 West between 100 and 200 North, and made a small jail in the basement. None of these jails could house more than a few people at the same time.

Late one night in the fall of 1870, between 20 and 30 federal troops held a wild party in Provo. Over half of them soaked up an excessive amount of locally made beer and whisky and ran through the streets of downtown Provo on a liquor-fueled orgy. They broke down doors, smashed windows, shot into houses and even tried to burn down the meetinghouse.

When these soldiers were taken into custody, there was no place to house them, and military authorities had to keep them in custody. The so-called “Provo Riot” made it painfully clear that the community needed a larger jail. Late in 1870 and early in 1871, Provo City and Utah County cooperated to plan and begin work on a new city and county jail located behind the current historic Utah County Courthouse on University Avenue.

Masons used brick to build the two story, 20-by-32-foot building. Workmen installed cells on the ground floor, and the building opened during the fall of 1871. Two years later, carpenters constructed a tall fence around the jail in order to discourage easy interaction betweein prisoners and the outside world.

This jail served the community until shortly after the Provo City Council and the Utah County Court met in a joint session late in 1929 and voted to raze the old building.

This plaque is located in Memorial Park, to see other plaques in the series click here.

2017-07-11 18.49.18

Military Training Campsite

21 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by Jacob Barlow in Uncategorized

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DUP, historic, Historic Markers, Iron County, Military, New Harmony, utah, Utah Militia

Fort Harmony was designated as the training site of the Iron County division of the Utah Militia. In 1857 the Militia was divided into 13 districts. The southern group consisted of all counties south of Beaver and was known as the Iron County division. In 1867, during the period of the Blackhawk War, these companies trained at this place under the command of Brigadier General Erastus Snow and Captain James Andrews.