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FROM RHONDA:

My Trip To The St. George Temple

Samuel Joseph Johnson

            I was married to Cora May Allred, in the fall of 1896, on September 30. We were married by my grandfather, Benjamin Franklin Johnson. Our first son, Joseph Elbert, was born in Nephi, Arizona, July 31,1897.

            There were several people planning to take a trip to the St. George Temple in August. I was very desirous to go to the House of the Lord so I commenced saving and planning also.

            I started out in the early spring to work on the threshing machines. After putting in seventy days in the harvest fields, the time for leaving on the trip was drawing near, so I began to inquire of those who had made the trip before, how much it would cost me. They said that it would cost $125. After checking my tithing, I found that I only had $70 left. Sunday morning the Bishop asked me if I was going with the company. I told the Bishop that if I payed my tithing, I would not have enough money left to go.

            The Bishop said, “Joseph, pay your tithing and I promise you that your $70 will go farther than any money you ever handled in your life.” I believed him, and I also believed in paying tithing, so I handed over to him the tithing money. He then gave me a receipt for the money, a Temple Recommend, and said, “Get ready and the way will be opened for you to go.”

            I had no wagon so I set out to see if I could find someone who might have a light wagon to sell or rent. Just two days before the company started, we had everything ready except I had not been able to obtain a wagon. During that day, a man drove up to my door and asked me if I knew anyone who wanted to buy or trade a light spring wagon which was all fixed up and ready for a trip. He said, “I have bought a new and heavier wagon so I do not need this one. I will sell it cheap, either for cash or trade it for an animal that I can use.”

            I traded him a good work mule. The mule had only cost me $15, but it was just what he wanted and he was glad to make the trade. We immediately began to put the things we were going to take into the wagon and by the next morning we were all ready to go with the company. Father let me take his young span of mules two and three years old (Jip and Jude) to make the trip with.

            We persuaded Cora’s mother to go with us. She had five children with her, (thirteen year old twin boys, Marlin and Milford, two small girls, Zella and Myrtle, and a little boy, Cyril).

            The company consisted of Joseph Rogers and family, Hirum Riggs and family, Hirum Johnson and wife, James F. Johnson (June) and wife, my mother-in-law and

family, and myself and wife and baby. We had $70, Mother Allred had $35, June F.

had $25, Hi Riggs and Hi Johnson had $250 to start out with.

            James F., or June as we called him, was put in as captain over the company since he had been over the road once before. The shortest route we could take was by way of Wickenburg, Skull Valley, and Hackberry, down the Hualpai Valley to Gold Basin. From there on to Scandlin Ferry and Pocampockets and Pacoon, then to Rice and St. George.

            The company left on August 1, 1898. Bishop Openshaw told us that we were not to travel on the Sabbath Day and that we were to pray every night and morning and ask the blessing on the food. He said if we remembered to do these things we would have plenty to go to St. George and back.

            We traveled the first day without any trouble. The next day at noon, we pulled up to camp by a big wash. The weather was good and we thought there would be no harm in camping there. Cora, however, insisted that we go on and camp on the other side of the wash. We debated what we should do and decided to move on the other side. We just got on the other side when we heard the roaring of water coming down the wash. We were grateful to the Lord for inspiring Cora to insist on us moving across the wash.

            While we were watching the water rush down, a man came up to the crossing with a cart. We all hollered to him to hurry up because there was a flood coming. He whipped up his horse and just barely got through. The water ran over his cart and on to where we had been just a few minutes before.

            It rained all through the afternoon as we traveled over the rolling hills. The rain cleared just before night and the rabbits started to come out. We killed all we needed to eat. The two Hi’s were unable to kill any rabbits. They were so mad, they wouldn’t even take any from us.

            We traveled on and started to camp at the Hassayampa River, where a few years before there had been a big flood which drowned a lot of people. Cora didn’t want to camp on this side and she reminded me that it was easier to obey council than it was to have trouble, so we pulled on to the other side of the River. After eating supper, we all got together and sang hymns and then thanked our Heavenly Father for the blessings of the day.

            The next day, we traveled on and camped at Wickenburg. There had been some floods and washouts and the train was held up at Wickenburg. By this time, the two Hi’s had decided to only pray once a day besides asking the blessing on the food. They were better loaded and had doubled up their teams with only one wagon between them. They did not like to take orders from the youngest one on the company, so they decided to go on and travel by themselves.

            We left Wickenburg early in the morning and traveled via Congress Junction to Date Creek, where we camped that night. The next morning we started early and went via Yava and Thompson Valley to Kirkland Valley, on to Skull Valley, where we camped at Ruddy Ranch. The others had got there earlier. While Hi Johnson and Joe Rogers were preparing supper, Hi Riggs went to the ranch house to buy some milk, butter, and vegetables. He paid ten cents for the milk, thirty-five cents for the butter, and thirty-five cents a dozen for corn. While they were picking the corn, Hi saw a big muskmelon. He asked the man what he would take for the melon and offered him fifty cents for it. The man said it was not for sale. When our party pulled into camp, Captain June authorized me to go and buy the food. I picked up a ten-pound pail and started out. When I came to the door, a lady came out and I asked her if she would sell me some milk and butter, but she gave me the milk. Then she called to her husband who was still in the field, to pull some corn. Then she sent me out to get it. After he loaded me-down with all the corn I could carry, I asked him how much I owed him and he told me that I owed him nothing. I thanked him and as I was leaving the field, I also saw the big muskmelon. I didn’t know that he had refused to sell it to Hi so l asked him what he would take for it. He told me to take it along to my wife and children. I thanked him and returned to camp loaded down with eats. When I came into camp, Hi Riggs said it looked like I had tried to buy the man out. He asked me how much I had to pay for the muskmelon. I told him nothing that he had given me the melon and the corn and told me that I was welcome to it. Hi was quite mad because the man had refused to sell him the melon.

            We left camp early and drove on up through Skull Valley, passing through large fields and cattle ranches. We went on up through Williamson Valley and camped that night at Stevens Ranch. We traveled on up the valley to Simmons. There we cut across to Hackberry. That afternoon we saw a herd of antelope which ran into the cedars. We took our guns and followed them to the cedar ridges. While following them, we saw the largest deer, I have ever seen. It had very large horns. We made a camp on the prairie that night.

            We drove on across the Little Sandy. While coming down a deep narrow canyon, came onto a big mad bull which was standing right in the middle of the road. We tried to get him out of the road, but he would not move. He was getting ready to dive into our teams, so June took his twenty-two and shot him on his horn. That only made him madder, so I told him to shoot him in the end of his nose. He did, and the bull turned and ran up the hill and we passed safely.

            We crossed the Big Sandy and there we filled our barrels with water. First we had to carry rock and make a dam to back the water up so we could fill our barrels. I picked up a big flat rock and caught my heel against another rock and went right on over on my back with the rock on top of me. I couldn’t move so they used me to back the water up for them. They went right on filling their barrels while I lay there on my back and begged for help. We had a good laugh over it and then pulled on to camp.

            We traveled on to Hackberry, then down to Hualpai Valley. At noon, we pulled our wagons into a circle to keep the wild horses from getting our horses in with them. After dinner, the wild horses came in, so we got our ropes and thought we would have some fun with them. We caught two and had some fun with them. One was a tame horse that had got mixed up with the wild bunch. We turned the wild one loose and kept the other one for the boys to ride. We kept this horse until later that afternoon and then turned him loose.

            We turned on until we came to a wash where there had been a flood. It was the only green spot we could see for miles around. We decided to camp there since we hadn’t come upon any grass during the day. The other three men had not filled their barrels, so they said they would pull on down to Gold Basin. After supper, the wild horses came in and we had to drive them away. When they ran off, I waited to see if they would come back. All at once I saw a black object coming up the trail right towards me with its head down. It looked like a big black bear. I stumbled and grabbed my gun. I was scared and so was the burro. I went one way, and the burro went the other. The wild horses did not bother us anymore that night.

            We started on towards the river and after we got to Gold Basin, we inquired of the people if there had been any wagons camped there that night. They had camped there, but they could not get water for themselves or their animals so they traveled on a distance of forty miles to the river. However, the people there let us fill our canteens, and we went on rejoicing.

            We reached the river late in the afternoon. We found the others there. They had suffered both for feed and water, and their animals were looking quite bad. It was all because they would not obey orders, and because they had taken it upon themselves to travel as they pleased. They would not fill their barrels when the captain told them, but instead, ran the risk that there would be water ahead.We traveled on up to the ferry and made arrangements to get ferried over the river. June got out of the wagon and got into a row boat and asked if there was anyone who would go over the river with him. Cora was the only one who would go with him. They went over and back while we got ready to cross over in the big ferryboat. The man who ran the ferry was not there so we had to camp at the river. They were no grass for miles and miles, so we purchased hay from the ferry man.

            We crossed early in the morning. On the first trip, they took all the horses over except for a few which were left to pull the wagons onto the boat. While crossing, the ferry man broke his oar and the boat went downstream. Just before it struck the rapids, they got the boat into the shore. Everyone had to get out in the water and pull in order to get the boat where we could unload the teams. We all nearly lost our lives, when the man broke his oar, he just about went over board, and would have if Hi Riggs hadn’t caught him just in time. The boat had got the best of him while he was getting to his feet again, but with one oar he, and his little boy who was running the rudder, got the boat turned around again in time to save us from going over the rapids. We all started to pull off our shoes and heavy clothes to prepare to swim if the boat did go over the rapids. After that, we had no more trouble ferrying over. It cost us $3.50 for team and wagon. It was late in the afternoon by the time we all got ferried over, and as it was a long way to water and feed, we all decided to camp there at the ferry.

            The next morning, we started out, and had the hardest day we had on the whole trip. We had traveled miles and miles down into the river, so after crossing the river we had to pull all those miles up again. When we were at the river looking up, it looked as though we were in the deep mountains, but after we pulled out again on top, we could see Gold Basin, a stamp mill, forty miles away.

            Before leaving the river, our captain told us all to fill our barrels with water, and also our canteens. He said the spring we were to camp at next, might be dry and we might have to make a dry camp. Captain June and myself filled everything we had, but the others did not because it was a hard place to carry the water. They took the chance that there would be water in the spring. While we were filling our barrels, they left so they could get what water there might be, if there wasn’t enough for all. When they reached the springs there wasn’t any water, so they had to pull on trying to find water. They failed and finally had to make a dry camp. When we came to the spring, we had our barrels full so we still had plenty of water.

            We camped at our usual hour and watered our teams out of our barrels. The next morning, we got up early and started out. We knew that it would be a long way before we came to water. In the afternoon, we caught up with the others. They were suffering for water. The captain gave them a good talking to for not obeying council, and he told them that they were not obeying the council that their Bishop had given them. They had got to where they thought one prayer a week was enough, and the same concerning the food. They could not expect to be blessed if they neglected the Lord. We gave them water out of our canteens, and went on not knowing where we would find the next water. We drove on until it was way in the afternoon and camped for the night. There was no water or grass for the horses, so that night the teams left for water and went nearly to the river. The two Hi’s went after the teams and the captain took the canteens and went to see if he could find some water. The teams were found in a boulder canyon nearly to the river. They got back with them in the afternoon, nearly choked to death. The captain got in soon after the others with water. Everyone took a good drink, and then hitched up and drove to water. We camped there that night, and the next morning filled our barrels and drove on.

            While traveling, we came to a very dangerous road. The three other boys were leading and while turning a curve in the road their wagon tipped up. The hind wheel was hanging over a bank which was many hundred feet to the bottom. They yelled for help and so we all ran as fast as we could to help them. Some of us got on the brake bar, and some took a rope and fastened it to the side of the box, and all pulled and brought the wheel back to the ground. Then we helped his wagon down to the bottom of the hill. We then helped the others down. While they were helping June take his down, I tightened my near mule’s stay chain and followed them right down and had no trouble at all. After we got down, we found that there were a great many wagons that had gone over right where Hi’s wagon came so close to going over. It was a terrible sight to see so many wagons all broke to pieces. I feel as though it was through the mercy of our Heavenly Father that we made it all right. We had remembered our night and morning prayers since we left, and the blessings of the Lord were with us. The others did not have time to pray, unless they were choking to death or in trouble.

            We pulled on until we came to water and then we camped for the night. After supper was over, we gathered around the campfire and sang hymns and praised the Lord for sparing our lives through the day. The other boys would never join us in prayer, but their wives would come and join us.

            We traveled on all that day without anything to harm us or to cause us any trouble. We camped at Topock that night, but found that the water was not good for our teams because it had too much alkali in it. The next day we pulled on to Pacoon. The feed was very poor, there was nothing but sage brush to eat. We had a hard time finding water and grass from then on.

            The next day about one o’clock a big red ant got on me and stung me. I gave the lines to Cora and jumped out of the wagon. There was no place I could see to hide to pull off my pants to get the ant out. There was a small knoll off a little ways so I made for it and every few minutes the ant would sting me again. I just yelled and ran the harder until I finally reached the knoll where I pulled down my pants and got Mr. Ant. We had a big laugh over it, but I was the goat from then on.

            That night we camped in the cedars. It looked like rain, so we got a lot of wood and built a big fire. After supper, as usual, we sang songs and had our prayers.

            The next day we traveled through the Ute country. We traveled until it was late because there wasn’t any water for about forty miles, as far as the captain knew.

            As we were traveling along through a little valley, we met two Indians. They told the captain that there was a spring off from the road about two miles, after that the next water was about forty miles away. The captain turned around in his seat and asked me if I heard what the Indians had said. I said I had. The Indians were dressed in new suits of buckskin which were trimmed with beads. I looked to see what kind of Indians they were, but found they were gone. I asked Hi which way the Indians went, but he said that he had not seen any Indians. We went where the Indians told us to go and found a little spring under a rock where no one would ever think to look for water.

            The other boys told us they were going to beat us to St. George, so they did not stop to water their teams. They drove on and left us filling our barrels. We went on and made camp, then got up early and started out and soon passed the others. They were just hitching up to start. At noon, they passed us and asked June if he had any water, but he told them he had turned it out on the ground. He told them this so they would not camp with us.

            We camped at Rice and were so dirty, we went down to the river to wash. I dove into a hole that was made by seepage, but it was so cold, it froze me stiff. I was just barely able to paddle back to the boat. After we had our bath, we went to our teams and got our supper and all went to bed early as we were all tired. The next morning, we got up early and started out and beat the others into St. George.

            We got a camping place close to the Temple and hired a stable for Jip and Jude (our mules) to stay in and eat good hay. We then went through the Temple. We did work in the Temple during the balance of the week.

            We fixed up our wagons and shod our animals and got ready to start on our return trip home. We decided that the longest way home was the quickest way, so we decided to go back by way of the Virgin River and cross on the Manilla Ferry. There was more water and feed on that route also, and our teams had suffered for both on the way coming.

            We started home on Monday, and went up the Santa Clara River and around the mountain down to the Beaver Dam on the Virgin River. We then traveled down the Virgin River to Bunkerville. During this time, we crossed the Virgin River eighty times. We camped at Brother Bunkers’ for the night.

            The people in Bunkerville had to haul water from the mountains, which were about seven miles away. The river water was not good for drinking because it was muddy all the time.

            The next day, we pulled down the river. Hi Riggs decided to go duck hunting. He took his gun and went down the river. It was several hours before we saw him again. The wind had been blowing quite hard and it had blown sand over a marshy place so Hi did not see it and he walked right into this marshy place up to his chin. He wallowed around until finally he got out. Then he took a stick and scraped himself off as best he could. When he got back to camp he was all muddy and tired out and from then he had no desire to go duck hunting.

            As we traveled along, we could see knolls which were about 75 to 100 feet high. They were very difficult to climb. We would take a step and slide down again. When we did reach the tops, we found they were so narrow we could hardly stay on top of the ridge. It was isinglass.

            We traveled down the Virgin River from the Beaver Dam to Manilla Ferry. Just before we came to Manilla Ferry, we came to a big mountain of salt. By the time we arrived at the Ferry, the others were just about out of money. We had to buy hay for our teams and help to pay for the hay and feed for the others. The wind was blowing to hard for the ferry to take us across, so we camped for the night. That night, June and I got in a boat and went up the river. We could see big logs and driftwood lodged in the cliffs of the canyon about 100 feet above us where the water once had been.

            The next morning we crossed onto the other side. White Hills was about forty miles away, so we had to stay over the rest of that day. We pulled out that night and traveled all night to get to the White Hills. We camped at While Hills about daylight. We rested there and fed our teams and got something to eat. In the afternoon, we pulled on. The Hi’s decided to take a cut off through the hills, because of this they found no water and their teams nearly choked to death. We kept the main road and were able to get water and feed all the way.

            They got to Kingman a day ahead of us, but waited for us. We camped there that night and bought hay and grain to take with us. We also helped buy hay and grain for the other two boys.

            The next morning we started towards Prescott. We came by way of Rockfort and Oaks and Willows. The Hi’s decided to go on and leave us so it was a day or two before we saw them again. When we caught up with them, June suggested that we camp by a big blockade corral where we could have protection from wind. The others didn’t like the looks of the place, so they traveled on. When we were getting ready to leave, the man of the ranch came riding up and asked us if we were in a hurry. He said he would have a beef killed in about an hour and he would give us a quarter if we would wait. They soon killed the beef and gave us a quarter of it and the liver. We thanked them for it and drove on. We camped that night at Oaks and Willows and surely had a fine meal. We got out our bake ovens, got them good and hot, and filled them with good steaks. We ate all we wanted and then thanked the Lord for all his kindness to us through the past day, and for the beef we had been given by the rancher.

            The next day being Sunday we did not travel, but instead we rested our teams and sang songs. During the day, we visited the grave of the son of Dan Jones. The

story of his death is as follows: A train of emigrants were coming from Utah on their way to California. There was a smart fellow with them who said that he was going to kill the first Indian he saw on the trip. At Oaks and Willows this company camped. This young man, Mr. Jones, was asked to take the stock out to feed. While he was gone, an Indian came into camp with a bow and arrow. While he was standing there looking at the people, this smart fellow saw him and pulled his gun on him and shot. The Indian fell to the ground as though he was dead. When Mr. Jones came in from feeding the stock, they told him what had happened. He went to see the Indian, and while he was standing over the Indian, feeling bad about what had happened, the Indian looked up and saw him and shot him in the heart with his bow and arrow. Later, some of the Indians came into the camp and demanded the fellow who had killed the Indian. They took him and skinned him alive.

            The night before, we had camped at an old government fort. We had camped a little earlier than usual. There wasn’t any grass close by, so we took our teams back on the hills, which were about a mile away. The usual custom for June and I was to take turns taking the teams off for feed. We usually took one of the twins with us to help with the hobbling of the horses. That night it was mine and Marlin’s turn to go. When the sun went down some dogs began to bark and some Indians came out of their wickiups and came over to us and asked us to leave. They were there to watch the barn to see that no one stole anything. They talked in Hualpai so we couldn’t understand them. I talked back to them in Spanish and one of them was able to understand Spanish, so we soon made friends with them. We traded some flour and bacon for some pine-nuts and prickly pears. We had no trouble during the night with the Indians.

            The next morning, very early, we heard the bells jingling and knew the horses were going back on the road. Marlin and I jumped up and started after them. They were going so fast that at first we thought the Indians were driving them off. There was a high fence around the water with some cattle lying by the fence. While we were running around the fence we scared the cattle and they jumped up and ran off. We were running as fast as we could and all of a sudden, when we came around a corner of the fence, we ran right into a wire that was stretched across to keep the post from pulling up. We struck this wire and over we went onto our backs. We got up as fast as we could and started off again after the teams. In the dark, we ran right up against a big steer that was standing there asleep with his head nearly to the ground and his legs all sprawled out. When we ran into him, he jumped and fell down, then got up and ran one way and we ran the other. We then heard a coyote howl and another answer him from a different direction. Then the coyotes started to gather and follow us. They kept coming until there was quite a big pack of them. They kept coming nearer and nearer and howling. It seemed like to us that there were thousands of them. We ran just as fast as we could toward the horses, but the coyotes kept on following us and every little while they would let out a howl. When we finally reached the horses, the coyotes were only about fifty feet away. I put Marlin on the horse and unhobbled the other horses and jumped on one. The coyotes were running around the horses, but one of my mules, Jude, kept kicking at them and that kept them away from me. I was surely a scared boy at that time. By this time, it was light enough to see the coyotes. They set up a terrible howl as we started the horses off. They followed us for about a mile, and then began to thin out and go back to the hills. We got to camp just as the sun was coming up. We then traveled on to Oaks and Willows.

            Sunday morning we could see the smoke of the other fellows’ fire. However, they pulled on down to Walnut Creek. Since it was Sunday we camped and layed over.

            By this time, the teams of the other fellows were getting very poor because they had gone so much without water and feed. Then the fellows got to quarreling that the other one made his team pull the most when the other one drove. They quarreled the rest of the way and had hard feelings toward each other.

            It was quite stormy that night, so the man at the ranch advised us to go on down the mountain to Walnut Creek where we could get shelter and feed for the teams. We pulled on down to Walnut Creek and camped there with the others. They had bought milk and apples from the people at the ranch, but when we got there the fellow at the ranch gave us a bucket of apples and a pail of milk for nothing. The others were surely mad.

            By the time we caught up with the other boys at Walnut Creek, the meat we had been given a couple of days before was almost gone. All we could give them was a few soup bones. This made them feel quite bad that they had not stayed with us instead of going against council by traveling on Sunday, et cetera.

            We left Walnut Creek and camped next at Pinion Ridge, where we gathered pine nuts and roasted them over the campfire so that they would open up enough that we could get them out of the cones to eat.

            Because the two Hi’s were having trouble between themselves over their teams, they made a rule that one would walk and drive his team on lead half of the day and then the other would put his on lead and walk the rest of the day. Then at night, they sat and quarreled about it.

            When the Hi’s pulled into Peach Springs the man there charged them five cents a head to water their horses. While watering their horses, they saw some peaches and since they had a little money left, they asked the man to sell them a few, which the man did. Hi Riggs put the peaches in the crown of his hat. They soon pulled out. While we were watering our horses, I talked to the man and told him what a fine place and orchard he had. He said to send the children over with the two gallon cans we had and he would let them fill them with peaches. When we caught up with the others, we began to throw peaches at them. Pretty soon Hi Riggs came over to see how many peached we had. When he saw that we had one hundred pounds or more, he was quite mad. They had charged him twenty-five cents for about two dozen.

            When we reached Prescott, we pulled into the O.K. Fred Stables and camped there for the night. The next morning, Hi Riggs came to me and wanted to put his team on my wagon and asked if he and his wife, Effie, could ride with us the rest of the way home. I told him that he and Hi Johnson should settle up their affairs and get together and be friends again. He thought and talked things over and soon made up again. We had to get their groceries, hay, and grain for them to take to Mesa. We stopped in at the post office and were surprised to find $5 there for me from my mother.

            We left Prescott that afternoon, and camped that night at Lynch Creek. On our way out, there was a man hauling fast freight who came up behind Hi and asked him to turn out and give him the road. Hi went right on and paid no attention to the man. As soon as there was an opening, the man drove around him over the rocks, et cetera. When he came up to us he asked us to move and so as soon as we could, we drove over so he could get by. When he went by, I saw something spilling out of his wagon. I told him and he stopped to see what it was. While he was looking I held my hat under it and caught it full and June caught some in his hat. It was sugar, the man said we could keep it for telling him about it and letting him pass.

            We went on through Dewey, Humboldt, and Mayer where we camped all night and bought hay for the teams. The next morning we traveled on over Antelope Hill, and down Black Canyon to where we camped at New River.

            The next morning we filled our barrels with water because we had a long desert to cross and we knew we would have to make a dry camp that night. We camped at Half Way House and turned our teams out in a big alfalfa pasture where they got all they wanted to eat. The Hi’s left us at New River and we didn’t see them any more until we got home. They went on clear through to home and got in about daylight the next morning. They were all tired out, and their teams were nearly dead on their feet. Our teams were still in good shape. I believe we could have traveled a long ways yet as far as our teams were concerned. The other two fellows weren’t able to use their teams anymore that winter. They had to put them in a pasture for the winter. One of their horses also died that winter.

            I have told as near as possible to show that the Lord will bless us if we will but only follow the council of the leaders he had put over us. We were blessed all the way through only because we tried to do what we had been asked to do.

A Heavenly Manifestation

            I am writing this at the request of my children, and I hope that it may be a testimony to all who may read it. This happened at Nephi, Arizona, in the year 1897. I was married September 30, 1896, and lived on Father’s farm in a small lumber house. I had been working with my father on the farm. (My sister Wilmirth had died some six months previous, and I was very sad and lonely). My name had been sent in with a lot of other names and I expected a call on a mission. As I lay in my bed this particular night I was worried and didn’t know just what to do. I finally dropped off into a deep sleep, when I was awakened by my sister Wilmirth. She asked me to come along with her. I immediately replied I can’t go. Take Laura Collins. She was one of our childhood playmates, and very nearest friend. She replied, “No, you must go with me.” I got up, dressed and took a good look at my wife supposing that it would be my last look at her and our only baby. I followed as she led me. It was a bright moonlight night and as we passed along the lane I could see the shadows of the trees, also, I noticed the horses and my favorite cow. They were all feeding in the pasture. My sister recognized the horses and cows and called them by name. After we left the lane it began to get darker and darker till it seemed we were in a narrow trail of darkness walled in on each side as if cliffs of rocks.

            We traveled for some time going westward all the time. Then I saw a light in the far distance. It looked like a small electric light. I asked her what it represented and she said it was a light on the east gate of the city. As we drew near, it got brighter and brighter till the whole city was illuminated. It was so bright that I could not see until my eyes became adjusted to its brightness. As we neared the gates, sister spoke to a man that sat near the gates, and they opened, and we passed into the city. The first thing that I saw was a large building similar to a temple, and then another large building similar to a tabernacle. There were lots of people going in and out. She told me they were places of worship. As we walked on around the block there were other large buildings that looked like hotels or rooming houses. Back of these buildings were large play grounds, with hundreds of children playing. They were playing in groups and each was supervised by two or three teachers. I inquired what they were doing and she informed me that it represented the religion class work. Then she explained to me that they taught those children the principals of the gospel, and all about the Savior. They also taught them songs which they all learned from memory, as they sang and there were no books whatever. Here she informed me that religion class work would be established here and that I would be called to teach and receive a certificate to officiate in the work. (In December of 1902, I was called to teach and was given a certificate signed by Anthony H. Lund, Rudger Clawson, and Joseph M. Tanner).

            There was a group playing near by us, and one left the group and ran toward us. My sister Wilmirth told her to go back and that she would join them in a little while. After thoroughly explaining the religion class work to me, we went on around the block. The next three streets contained only dwelling houses. The sidewalks were paved, and lined with beautiful trees. The entire city was beautiful. People were hurrying to and from the buildings. I saw people whom I had known in life, and thinking they would be interested in knowing something about their families, I stopped and spoke to them. Their only reply was, “We are very busy just now,” and went on. I inquired of Wilmirth why they would not speak with me. She said, “They are preparing the house and decorating it, for on the morrow they would have visitors and a large congregation would gather there.” I asked her a great many questions which she answered readily. During the conversation she said to me, “Brother, you have a special assignment given you to do. You will have a large family of boys and your job is to preach the Gospel to the nations of the earth and to help build up Zion” and as I stood looking at the throng I noticed they were all dressed nearly alike in white sailor suits with caps. They all seemed to be happy with smiling faces. I was greatly surprised when she told me of my assignment for up to then I thought the religion class work was my assignment. All this time, we were walking around viewing the city. There were no signs, no hitching posts, no parking places for automobiles, no garbage cans. There were lots of beautiful flowers everywhere.

            Presently she said it’s time to go now. I will take you home, and you must remember all I have told you. Then we started toward the east gate. As we approached the gate we stopped again and she spoke to the gentleman that sat near the gate. The gate opened and we walked out into the darkness and over the same trail. As we neared home, we could see clearly the moon was sinking in the west and our shadows were in front of the lane. The old cow was feeding near by and followed us along the lane to the cross fence. I figured we had been gone about two hours judging from the distance the horses had advanced in their feeding.

            As we neared the house I could see the shadows of the trees and all was quiet. We went in and she kissed me then she disappeared. I went right out and looked up and down the lane thinking that I might see here but she was gone.

            The next morning, I told Father all that I had seen and done, and that day I also learned that Miss Collins had died the night before and that her funeral would be the next day. Now I knew that all my sister had told me was true.

            At the next conference in Mesa, I was present as usual and to my great surprise and satisfaction, Elder Carl G. Maiser arose and said, “I have come for the sole purpose of organizing religion classes.” This is being done in all wards and stakes of the church from Mexico to Canada. He explained the work and then asked that it be started in all wards of the Maricopa Stake. As I sat there with tears in my eyes, I realized in part the great responsibility that had been put upon my shoulders. Since that time I have tried in my weak way to fulfill those obligations. “I received the license that Wilmirth had told me of and I taught in the religion classes as had been promised.

            With the help of the Lord I and my family to date have spent over 29 years in the mission field and many hundreds have been led to rejoice in the Gospel as

proclaimed by each of the family as his turn came to do his part in the mission field.

            I want to leave my testimony with you that I do know this is the True Church of Jesus Christ and that Jesus is the Christ the savior of the world and he has said, “I the Lord am bound when you do what I say, but when you do not what I say, ye have no promise.”

                                                                        Sincerely,

                                                                        Samuel Joseph Johnson

                                                                        Mesa, Arizona 1947

The Great Hail Storm

By Sixtus E. Johnson

            David, a son of George D. Wilson and Mary Ellen Johnson, married Julia D. Johnson, a cousin, daughter of Uncle Benjamin Johnson. They moved to Mexico where Julia died. David married a second wife, Adelia Cox and moved back to Hinsdale where he died and was buried beside his father. His wife, Adelia Cox Wilson lives in Hurricane.

            Grandfather Joel Hills Johnson and Uncle George D. Wilson built a water powered sawmill at Hillsdale on the Sevier River. Later, Grandfather sold his interest to George W. Wilson. This latter man had great faith. Many the time I’ve thrilled to his wonderful and many testimonies regarding the power of the priesthood and the greatness of the Prophet Joseph whom he knew intimately. On one occasion Uncle George D. stood forth in the face of a storm and commanded it to pass over without harming his crops. I am the only one of seven witnesses to that wonderful event living. Several have asked if I would not write it up for the Informer so here it is if you care to read it.

            To us who saw it, it always was known as THE MIRACLE OF THE GREAT HAIL STORM OF JULY 29, 1880. It happened on my birthday.

            Beause of the teachings of my father, Seth Johnson, son of Joel Hills Johnson, I firmly believed that almost nothing was impossible to accomplish through the power of the priesthood used by a righteous man. George D. Wilson was a righteous man, and on this my eighth birthday, I was priviledged to see for the first time in my life, an exhibition of the marvelous power of the priesthood in action.

            The mill shed and house on Uncle George D. Wilson’s farm were at the south end of his land. A large black cloud came up from behind the hills and started moving directly for the town and its surrounding farms. It looked as if Uncle George D.’s farm would be right in the middle of the storm’s fury. For fury it had. There was thunder and lightning and the roar of hail.

            The women folks came to the doors of the houses, some of them crying and wringing their hands. Destruction of their crops and gardens seemed certain and this would mean mighty limited rations for a whole year. Uncle George D. stepped out from the mill shed as the hail began to spatter on the roof. He didn’t say anything to anybody, but stood there gazing at the beautiful garden and green wheat field. Suddenly he started walking east toward the road that led from Panguitch to Kanab. The scattered hail stones, heralds of the oncoming storm, were bouncing off anything they hit including my cloth cap covered head and bare feet.

            Instinct told me I ought to seek shelter, but something else seemed to be urging me to follow Uncle George D. which I did. I followed so close to him that I heard him above the roar of the storm as it broke near us.

            ”Father in Heaven,” he was saying, “don’t let this storm destroy our crops, Father, Thou didst not lead us from our enemies in Illinois to starve in this western desert.”

            Suddenly he stood still facing the storm. Lifting his hand he almost seemed to be defying it. “Storm,” he cried, “I command you through the power of the Priesthood which I hold, and in the name of Jesus Christ, not to destroy my crop.”

            The storm was on us, but he seemed to have tossed any worries or doubts that might have been lurking within him into the face of the fury. He turned solemnly and majestically back to the mill shed. I followed not so solemnly or majestically back with him.

            Inside the shed was his son David, about my age. The storm lasted about half an hour. When it had passed it left the whole valley white with hail. David and I started out from the shed but turned back, hail two to six inches deep was too much to bare feet. Suddenly we became aware that there was bare ground just through Uncle George D.’s fence, we crawled through. There was no hail on the garden or on the wheat field, but plenty of hail was piled along his fence which extended half a mile. It was as if the fence was an impassable barrier beyond which no hail could go. I was surprised then and puzzled, but many times since I have stood on that ground almost in awe as I fully really realized that there was a miracle had happened and I had been a witness.

            Sixtus E. Johnson, son of Seth. Nephew-in-law to George D. Wilson.

Zeke Johnson Story

Son of Joel Hills Johnson

            [Dear Grandchildren, I am going to include a story written by a son of Joel Hills Johnson. He was a noted guide for scientific explorers in Utah and surrounding country. He and the Lord, saved some of them from dying of thirst, etc. I have hesitated to include this in my jargon of stories and events because this is a sacred miracle. The church has known of this for over 60 years. I remember seeing it printed in the Era once. It may have been used other places but it is sacred and not blared in every speech or conference. It is absolutely true, Zekes’ word was his bond. I hope some jackass descendant dosen’t some day begin showing their great knowledge on a mission or in school or college, of course people would take it for ignorance. So far as I know this is the only view such as this ever seen by me. If it was after Christ came forth there is no record of details.]

            Experience of Zeke Johnson-85 years old in 1954, that I had in 1908-09 in San Juan County, Utah.

            I was just making a home in Blanding, the whole country there was covered with trees and sagebrush. I was working hard to clear the land to plant a few acres of corn. We had five acres cleared and started to plant corn. My little boy Roy 7 or 8 was there to help me plant. I’d plough around the piece and then he’d drop the corn and I’d plough and cover it up. When I made the next furrow he’d plant again. While I was ploughing on the piece, I discovered evidence of an ancient house there. As I ploughed one round, I discovered that the plough had turned out the skeleton of a small child. The skull and back bone, most of the bones had rotted and gone. A part of the skeleton was there. I had just passed it a little so I stopped to look, my back against the plough handles. As I was looking at the little skeleton and wondering, all of a sudden to my surprise, I saw the bones begin to wiggle and change positions and to take on different color and within a minute, there lay a beautiful little skeleton. It was perfect. Then I saw the inner part of the body coming in, the entrails, etc. I saw the flesh covering the body, when the inner parts were all in, the skin covered the body, about a half minute after it was complete, then a beautiful head of hair adorned its head. Then a beautiful crystal decoration appeared in its beautiful combed hair. It was parted on the side. In about half minute after the hair was on, the child raised up on her feet. She had been lying a little on her side with her back to me, because of this I wasn’t able to determine the sex of the child, but as she raised up, a beautiful robe came down over her left shoulder and I saw it must be a girl. She looked at me and I looked at her smiling for a few seconds. Then in my delight to get hold of her, I said, “Oh, you beautiful child.” I reached out as if to embrace her and she disappeared. That was all I saw. My little boy was at the other end of the furrow, wondering why I stopped. I stood wondering and thinking for a few minutes. Now I couldn’t tell that story to anyone, because it was so mysterious to me. Why should I have such a miraculous experience? I couldn’t figure such a human being in such a condition, as to plough that little body out and see it come alive. A body of a child 5 to 7 years old.

            I couldn’t tell that story to anyone, until I finally met Stake Patriarch, Wayne H. Red. He stopped me on the street and said, “Zeke, you have had an experience on this mesa that you won’t tell, “I want you to tell it to me.” Well I told it to him. Then he had me tell it to other friends, and since then I have related it in 4 temples, fast meetings and socials and conferences. I wondered about it. It worried me for years as to why I was allowed to see it. A common man like me, un-educated, why was I, just a common man, allowed to see such a marvelous manifestation of Gods power? One day, I was taking my hoe to hoe some corn, something said, “Stop in the shade of that tree and rest a little.” This just came to me and I thought I would. I stopped and this was given to me...I prayed incessantly for an answer as to why I was privileged to see that resurrection. I was told why. When the child was buried there, it was in time of war, or it was winter and the ground was too frozen to dig. No tools for a deep grave, they just planted that little body as deep as they could under the circumstances. The sorrowing mother knew it was such a shallow grave, she cried out to those around, “that shallow grave, the first beasts around will smell it, dig her up and scatter her to the four winds, etc.” A Nephite or Jaredite holding the priesthood, said, “When ever that body is uncovered or disturbed, the Lord will raise her up and she will live.”

            Since then I have taken great comfort, cheer and consolation, no words to express it, that it was I who uncovered that little body and saw so great a miracle. I just can’t tell this without crying.