Title: Early Development of Star Valley, Wyoming 1888-1913 Author: Lucy
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STAR VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY HISTORICAL BOOKS INVENTORY DETAILS 1. Overview Title: Early Development of Star Valley, Wyoming 1888-1913 Author: Lucy Isabell Call Osmond Subject: Star Valley Publisher: Publishing Date: Number of Pages: 4 ID#: 285 Location: Website 2. Evaluation Evaluator's Name(s): Kent and Polly Erickson Date of Evaluation: November 2014 Key Words: Chesterfield, Idaho; Afton, Wyoming; polygamy, LDS Church Star Valley Stake, measles epidemic. Star Valley Stake Tabernacle Included Names: Joseph H. Call, Sarah Isabel B. Call, George Osmond, 3. Synopsis Joseph Holbrook Call, father of the author, brought his family to Star Valley from Chesterfield, Idaho, in 1888. There were few families in the Valley at that time and only one public building, an old log school house. The settlers worked together to build a building for church, school, and other community activities. Names are given for the early church officers and auxiliary leaders in the Valley. Pioneer challenges such as the measles epidemic of 1900 were described. To meet the growing population, the Star Valley Stake Tabernacle was built; it was dedicated in 1909. 4. Other *Much of the information was taken from records in the LDS Church Archives about 1946. EARLY DEVELOPMENT QF STAR VALLEY, WYOMING /ffif /J'/J i have written herewith a few historical dates and events of the early development of Star Valley, Wyoming, particularly in connection with my parents, who were early settlers, and with my own recollec tions and concerns. Much of my information was taken from records in the LDS Church Archives in Salt Lake City about 1940. My father, Joseph Holbrook Call, moved his family from Chesterfield, Idaho (then a territory^to the town of Afton, Star Valley, Wyoming (also a territory)^ in the fall of 1888. This move became nect-ssary because of the persecutions carried on in Idaho and Utah territories against members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because of their belief in and practice of plural marriage. Father had two wives and two families who came with him. It wasiatein November, and an early winter made the four-day trip by team a rough and dangerous one. At the time of their arrival in Star Valley, there were only a few families in the newly-settled valley. There were only log houses, except for one two-room frame home where my father's brother, Anson V. Call, lived. Father moved his two families (eight members) into a one-room log house where Uncle Anson had spent the previous winter with his family (1887-88). There was only one public building in the valley at that time—the old log school house. With its dirt roof and rough board floor, it was becoming obsolete and inadequate. Although settlers were few in number, they wanted a better buildHg in which to worship, hold schbol, and hold other community functions. So the men -went to the nearby canyons, cut logs and hauled them to Archibald Gardner's sawmill, the first in the valley, at the mouth of Swift Creek Canyon. The logs were sawed into lumber and used to build a new church building. This took two years (1891-02), and the new church was dedicated August6, 1892. It stood for many years and housed the Afton Ward|^^a^ later the Afton North Ward. At this time the Star Vall^ Stake was organize^ with George Osmond as president, William W. Burton as first counselor, and Anson V. Call as second counselor. Astake high council was also organized^and the Af ton Ward was organized with George Waite as bishop^ and two young, unmarried men, Clarence Gardner and Thomas Burton, as counselors. There were othersmall towns in the valley: Fairview, Auburn, Grover^and Cottonwood (later changed to Smoot) in Upper Star Valley, and in the Lower Valley (called Salt River Valley by some), Glencoe (later changed to Thayne), Freedom, Bedford^and Etna. Bishop Osborne Low presided over the Lower Valley com munities in church matters. My mother, Sarah Isabel Barlow Call, had been a member of the presidency of the Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association (commonly call "M.I.A." or "Mutual") in Chesterfield, and soon after ar riving in Afton was called as a counselor to the president of the Mutual in Afton, Sarah Ann Hurd, about 1889. Ther^was also aPrimary organization in Afton, with Eliza Ann Hale as president (or superintendent) and Elizabeth Harmison and Alice Sessions as counselors, or assistants. This was the organization of tlie first Primary I attended. At a later date, Sept. 7, 1894, Annie T. Perry became an assistant. When these Primary officers were released, Catherine Rogers, a widow from a plural marriage, was sus- =taihcd ss president (superintendent) with the same counselors retained. On Sept. 24, 1897 thesesisters were ' arid Sarah Isabelle Astle became the new president (superintendent), with Alice Maud Call and Ida Dixon flirc^unselors (assistants), and Lillian £. Garner as secretary. All these officers were under 18 years of age. 1 was called as librarian. This was my first public office. 1 was 14 years old. Acupbt^d—a place for books—was built in the northwest corner of the church building. It was still in use when the church was torn down about 40 years later. On Dec. 31, 1900 Gillette J. Call, my brother, was made a counselor in the First Quorum ofDeacons in the Afton Ward. William Archer Osmond was chosen as president of the Second Quorum of D<?acons. InJanuary, 1900 there was anepidemic ofmeasles throughout the entire valley. The record tells us that 12 mothers died in the valley that year, a number of them from measles. I remember that Enoch Venter's wife and his married daughter, Mary Rogers, wife of Rufus Rogers, both of Afton, were victims of theepidemic. Others who died were Isaac Bracken and Lucas Kennington, and several I did not know and whose names were not on the records. i - On Nov. 5, 1892 the newly organized high council met in special session and stakeofficers werechosen. .. : Alice J. Call was chosen as president of the slake Relief Society, Martha Roberts as president of the stake Young Womens Mutual Improvement Association (M.I.A.), with Sarah Isabel Call and Myra Longhurst as counseloiib. One week later these and otherstake officers were sustained during a quarterly conference held Nov. island 14, 1892. Each ward in the StarValley S^ake was organized withall theauxiliary organizations—Sunday School, Si Primary, Relief Society and Mutual. Therewerenopreparedprograms; eachorganization looked to the stake / officers for advice and procedur-^??. Many nights, my mother, with her co-laborers, would study, work and until theearly morning hours, preparingand arranginga universal program that could be used in difffi^t wards. Then they had to visit all the wards often to help with the programs and see lhat they • Were suitable and interesting. The stake leaders visiting the wards had to drive their own teams and wagons (or bobsleighs if it were The sleighs were usually covered, with hay and quilts spread over the bottom of the sleigh box on which they would sit, with more quilts to cover them. The horses were easily managed and would turn of their own accord ifthey met another team, which was not often. The trips were anywhere from four to thirtj' miles and return. Teams could travel about thirty miles a day comfortably, but on short trips, they were faster. On the longer trips the teams had to be unhitched, watered, blanketed and fed, to be in condition for the returntrip. Sometimes the husband of the local (lady) president would be on hand at the destination and would c^ire for the team. But otherwise the ladies had to care for the teams themselves. s T<* attend any public meeting or function nearlyeveryone had to travel a considerable distance. All the womenservingin positions requiring travel had to learn to harness, hitch up and drive a team. My father and Martha Roberts husband were very cooperative in caring for their families when their wives were traveling, and also in furnishing teams and rigs for transportation on these trips. The ladies visited each ward several times a year. Sometimes in the winter on the hardesttrips the men would go along and drive the teams. On one occasion a storm was raging, the roads were bad and the visitors failed to reach their destination and had to return home. There was noequipment toclear the roads; people just started out and kept going as best they could. At tim^ it would lake many hours to travel Just a few miles, especially when teams had to break their own trail—whjph often happened. Those were years of struggle and effort, but they were happy and satisfying. My mother and Mrs. Roberts both raised large families and worked faithfully and happily together for 23 years. Charles Gates Cazier was superintendent of theSunday School in the Afton Ward, receiving advice and help from the stake Sunday School superintendent, Edmund McClatchie. As a small child I remember how Brother Cazier would say, "You littleboys onthe right and you little boys on theleft and you littlegirls on(he right and youlittle girls on the left, keep quiet." Butalltheyhad toteach us wasfrom a school book; we took turns reading, but none of us could tead well. We would spell out the words and the teacher would pjo- nnimce them for us. At_a stake conference held Sept. 16, 1894, B. H. Roberts, oneof the seven presidents of Seventy of (he L.D.Sr thurch, was assigned as avisiting general authority from Salt Lake City, Utah. He and my father h;id been boyhood chums, and on his visits toStarValley Elder Roberts was always a guest at our house.