Tag Archives: summit county

“10 Days to San Francisco!”

16 Friday Sep 2022

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“10 Days to San Francisco!”

The development of a central overland mail service between California and the rest of the nation began soon after the gold rush. The settlement of Oregon, California, and Utah made rapid east-west communication essential to the nation. From April 1860 to October 1861, the Pony Express, using a horse and rider relay system to deliver the mail, became the nation’s most direct and fastest means of communication before the completion of the transcontinental telegraph.

“It is important that mail facilities, so indispensable for the diffusion of information… should be afforded to our citizens west of the Rock Mountains.” – U. S. President James K. Polk

This historic marker is located at Henefer Pioneer Trails Park in Henefer, Utah and is part of Pony Express route.

Weber Station

Along the entire trail, from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California, “horse stations” were established every 40 to 80 miles, providing riders with meals, lodging, and fresh mounts. “Swing stations” were 8 to 12 miles apart, offering water and a change of horses.

Russell, Majors, and Waddell, owners of the Central Overland California & Pike’s Peak Express Company, employed James E. Bromley to establish and operate Weber Station. The station was located about 5 miles to the southeast, at the mouth of Echo Canyon. Local residents James and William Hennefer or Charles and Louisa Richins would have seen young riders William Page and George Little gallop by on the way to and from “Bromley’s Station.”

Related:

“I bought the horses in Salt Lake, and hired many of Utah’s young men to ride them. Nobly and well they do their work.” – James E. Bromley

Pendleton Rock House

14 Sunday Aug 2022

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Pendleton Rock House

Traveling mason and plasterer George Dunford built at least three rock homes in Wanship as well as the rock schoolhouse (ca 1879-1912) and the original brick LDS church (1887-1958). He apparently built his home in three sections beginning about 1860 with the rear single-room house. A front addition and cross-wing turned the home into the L-shaped house evident today. Each section was constructed of local stone with 18-inch thick walls. Joshua and Delpha Stewart Pendleton purchased the stone house in 1890 for eleven hundred dollars. By 1880, Wanship had become a crossroads for east/west railroad traffic and wagon traffic south to the Kamas Valley. Augmenting his blacksmith business, Pendleton added a wooden structure to the home’s street façade to serve as a store, post office and restaurant. During summer months, Delpha cooked meals for travelers on an outdoor wood stove. One month before she died in 1937, Delpha sold the home to her oldest son, William, who continued to live in the home with his wife, Millie Irene Lee. In 1987 Dale Nelson purchased the homestead including the house, outbuildings and blacksmith shop, to provide storage for his many historic stagecoaches, hay wagons, fire engines and other large artifacts. It became affectionately known as “Dale’s roadside attraction” on the old Lincoln Highway.

Located at 30049 Old Lincoln Highway in Wanship, Utah

The Weber Canyon Explorers Trail

29 Wednesday Dec 2021

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Weber Canyon has always been the most important gateway into the Great Salt Lake Valley. Through its portals passed many notable persons of early Utah history including John Weber, a trapper, who is supposed to have been killed by Indians in the winter of 1828-29, Etienne Provost, who in 1824 reported one of the first explorations of the river, Osborne Russell, who reported exploration in 1841.

In 1846 California emigrants took the first wagons down into Weber Canyon encountering many hardships and suffering severe losses. They included the James Hudspeth, Bryant Russell, Young and Harlan parties.

In this vicinity, the Donner-Reed party of 1846 which later met a tragic fate on the east slope of the Sierras in California turned southwest and blazed a trail through the mountains to the Salt Lake Valley. This trail was followed by the Mormon Pioneers in 1847, the California Gold Rush emigrants in 1849-50, the Mormon Handcart Pioneers and Overland Stage in 1856, and the Pony Express 1860-61.

Founded by Summit County Restaurant Tax and Summit County Historical Society. Built in 1990 by Boy Scouts of American Troop 681 and restored in 1999 by D. H. Evans Varsity Scout Team 523 Eagle Scout Project. The aging wood was replaced with steel in 2015 by Summit County Historical Society.

“Mormon” Pioneer Trail

18 Wednesday Nov 2020

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Under the leadership of Brigham Young the “Mormon” pioneers exploring their way to the valley of The Great Salt Lake passed here July 15 to 20, 1847. Orson Pratt’s advance company reached here July 15, others following at intervals. The rear company, including Brigham Young, who was ill with mountain fever encamped near here July 20.

The trail turned to the left at this point to avoid Weber Canyon, the impassable to wagon trains, ascending Henefer Creek to its head and passing thence into East Canyon approximately along the route now traversed by the highway.

This historic marker is U.P.T.L.A. Marker # 4 and a pony express trail marker and it is located at the southwest corner of 100 North and Main Street in Henefer, Utah.

Related:

  • Other UPTLA Markers are listed here.

Woodland Cash Store

16 Friday Oct 2020

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Woodland Cash Store

There was a time when most of Woodland‘s residents worked and played where they lived, using local services and relying on the general store for most of their supplies.

This small building supplied nearly everything the community needed for nearly sixty years. Hyrum Winterton and his oldest son, Harold, sold everything from fresh meat, eggs and dairy products to appliances, clothing, nuts and bolts, coal and hay-baling wire, and even pumped gas. They used their trucks to deliver locally produced goods to the Salt Lake and Provo valleys, returning with feed and supplies for local residents.

Hyrum Winterton moved his family to the Woodland Valley because his Charleston farm was destined to be flooded by Deer Creek Reservoir. He purchased a fire-gutted building in the early 1930s, cleared the lot and began construction of this building. Though he hired a mason from Midway to lay the eight-inch-thick brick walls, he and his family built most of the structure.

When Harold died in a truck accident while delivering cattle, Hyrum’s daughter and son-in-law, Luella and Lamont Walker became the sole owners of the shop. After Lamont Walker passed away in 1971, Luella continued to run the store, selling sewing and craft supplies, until she sold the building in 1987.