Fairfield to Celebrate Camp Floyd day

Camp Floyd State Park is hosting Camp Floyd Days on Labor Day Weekend, September 3 and 5, 2011. The event will allow visitors to experience camp life and participate in several activities performed by soldiers of Johnson's Army. Events include reenactments, encampments, stakecoach rides (Monday 12pm-2pm, firearm and cannon demonstations, marches, drills, 1861 period games, and photos in period uniform. The events will be conducted 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days.

A Utah Funiture Lecture and Antiques Workshop is also scheduled on Saturday, September 3rd from 1 pm-3pm. The lecture details the recently placed furnishing in the Stagecoach Inn which accurately portray and interpret how the settlers of Fairfield lived during the 1860's. The Antiques Workshop provides an opportunitgy for visitrs to bring in an antique to receive an informal appraisal from representatives of the Utah Antique Dealers Association. The cost for each appraisal is $5. This event was funded in part by a grant from the Utah Humanities Council and the Utah Preservation Initatives Fund of the National Trust for historic preservation.

Standard museum entrance fees are $2 per person and $6 per family. Food concession and stagecoach rides will be available to purchase at the event.

Established in 1858, Camp Floyd housed the largest concentration of U.S. troops then in the United States. The troops were sent to Utah to suppress a rumored mormon rebellion which never took place. The army was recalled back east in 1861 for the Civil War emergency. Today, the park museum houses artifacts and exhibits from this historiac event.

Camp Floyd State Park is located in the town of Fairfield, 22 miles southwest of Lehi on State Highway 73. For more information about the event or park, please contact the park at 801-768-8932.

My Garden in Mid August

My garden was slowed up by over a month this year because of the very cold wet spring. The potatoes and cabbage did well, but the tomaoes, peppers and other plants did poorly.

I have been getting lots of tomatoes, cucumbers in the last few weeks. I should have loads of tomatoes as I planted over thiry tomato plants of various kinds, from cherry tomatoes to very large varieties.

In the spring the apricot tree was loaded with blossoms. The next day it snowed six inches. I took a picture of the very sorry looking apricot tree and thought to myself that there would not be any apricots this year. To my great suprise the apricot tree has tons of apricots. A very tought tree indeed.

My Early Utah Ancestors

My great great grandfather, Isaac Smith joined the LDS Church in Burbage, England, in the early 1850s. He walked 20 miles to the railroad and went to the port in Liverpool, England. Liverpool had the greatest port in the world at the time. Most immigrants from Europe came to Liverpool to come to America. He settled in Lewiston, Utah. I have a great many ancestors living in Lewiston, Utah.

His wife to be, Sarah Choules, also from Burbage, England, came on the Willie handcart company. They were married and had four children. I am decended from one of those children, Joseph Choules Smith. I am decended from one of his sons, Joseph Albert Smith.

Days of 47 Parade

Each year since the 1930s there has been an annual parade that starts from South Temple and State Street and goes to Second East and then turns south and goes down Second East to Ninth South. The parade then turns east and goes to Liberty Park.

The parade starts at 9:00 AM sharp. Our Salt Lake City chapter of the Sons of Utah Pioneers started the parade, so in honor of that, we are near the front of the parade, number five, this year.

The sons of Utah Pioneers chapters over the years have pulled handcarts in honor of the ten handcart companies that came into the Salt Lake valley. I have ancestors that came in three of the companies, the Willie, the Martin and the ninth handcart company.

My great great grandmother, Elizabeth Robinson, came on the Martin handcart company. Her brother Solomon died in Martin's Cove. Elizabeth wore his heavy hat, coat and boots which saved her life. She gave a second pair of his boots to a sister who had no shoes and had wrapped her feet in rags.

Another great great grandmother, Sarah Choules, from Burbage, England, came across the plains in the Willie handcart company. She froze her feet and lost the front half of each foot. She married Isaac Smith who had come earlier and settled in Lewiston, Utah, and had four children.

On my mother's side of the family, the Meldrum came from Scotland and came ton Utah on the ninth handcart company. They did not have any trouble. They left the East with 13 cents in their pocket.