Day in the Life

Jul 6, 1859

Journal Entry

July 06, 1859 ~ Wednesday

6th

I took an exploring tour over Jordon with A O Smoot G. A.
Smith S. M. Blair J W Fox & [blank] Chrisman we rode down
the Jordon down to Bakers place then turned south west
&towards the Lake we visited a tract of land of some
400 Acres of level Farming land with the intention of
locating some Farming land it lies some 6 miles from the
Great Salt lake City. We returned & attended the meeting
at the Historians office at 6 oclok There being presient
Presentident Young Kimball & Wells Elder G. A. Smith W. Woodruff
A. O. Smoot S. M. Blair & many others President Young
was chosen charman. Minutes of the former meeting [were read]
D. H. Wells chairman of committee reported that they had
laid the plan before president Young. He had not given his
view upon the subject but had kcome this evening to learn
what was going on & wished Capt Hooper to lay his plan
in a Brief manner before this meeting. Capt Hooper
did so and spoke at length laid his plan before the people
President Young then spoke & called a vote of the few present
to know who would enter into it heart, hand & means
about a dozen voted President Young then spoke & said
that he knew the feelings of the people & their spirit &
said that the people would trust their souls salvation
with him but would not trust their money with him
& that He had sent to the states to buy his own goods but
no man had put their money into his hands & said
now lay out this money for your benefit & mine He said
he had laid down ^groceries^ at about 16 cts per lb cotton cloth at
12 1/2 cts per yard. He did not recommend the present
system the people would not be satisfied with Capt Hooper & Capt
Hooper would not be satisfied with the people in the plan & it
would prove a curse to both parties, & we would see sorrow
in it He said the best thing we could do for the people would
be to raise sheep, mix black & white wool make sheeps
gray & cloth the people. If this community had done
as much as I had to introduce sheep the whole Territory
would make their own clothing I would make my
own clothing & wear sheeps gray it is good Enough for
me & my family & I should wear it but my Friends
give me fine clothes & I wear them out of respect to
them I told my family that when they had used
up what they had on hand I should not buy them any
more they must color with the products of this land I
should not buy any coloring stuffs from the states "I shall
not stop my labor untill we can make nails and Iron
I have sent for nail machines & intend to make our own
nails we have spent $20000 dollars to make Iron & if
those ingaged in the business had not had the devil in
them we should have made good Iron before now But
I mean to keep to work at it untill I accomplish it
I will here reveal a secret which I have not told Bell
& Livingston came to me last summer & asked my
advise they told a sald tale of losses & said they could not
sell sugar & coffee short of 65 cts cotton cloth 35 cts and
all things in proportion I told them to ask it for I

did not believe their were 20 fools in this territory but I
found there were thousands He sold all his stock out at
those high prics before winter I beat myself in giving
that council I wish they had charged $1 per lb for groceries
if the people are a mind to be fools enough to give it. I have
not bought goods of these merchants they have paid me
$7000 in gold annually for rents & I have sent most of
it to the states for goods. I hope I shall have an opportunity
of telling Mr Bell that He will not get my influence as he
has done with this people at the close of his remarks
He & Brothers Kimball & Wells Left I made a few remarks
sustaining President Young in his remarks & moved to
adjourn, sin[e] die it was carried & the meeting adjourned

People

Browse people Wilford Woodruff mentioned on this day in his journal. Click on the person's name to view a short bio and other pages they are mentioned on or click on "View in Family Search" to view their FamilySearch profile.

Smoot, Abraham Owen
17 Feb 1815 - 6 Mar 1895
583 mentions
1835 Southern Convert
Young, Brigham
1 Jun 1801 - 29 Aug 1877
3459 mentions
Apostle, Family
9 mentions
Wells, Daniel Hanmer
27 Oct 1814 - 24 Mar 1891
800 mentions
Apostle
Smith, George Albert
26 Jun 1817 - 1 Sep 1875
1439 mentions
Apostle, Missionary
Kimball, Heber Chase
14 Jun 1801 - 22 Jun 1868
1460 mentions
Apostle
24 mentions
Blair, Seth Millington
13 Mar 1819 - 17 Mar 1875
70 mentions
Bell, William
abt.1816 - 1886
10 mentions
124 mentions

Events

View selected events in the two months surrounding this date in Wilford Woodruff's life. Click on the dates to jump to that day in Wilford Woodruff's journal.

Jul 6, 1859