Sunset Apache Co Arizona
Prest. John Taylor
Dear Brother
In company with Bro Lot Smith I left Sunset
on the 24th of December, and attended the Quarterly
conference at Snow-Flake on the 27th and 28th and then
went to our missionary camp on the Meadows and to
St. John to see the state of things, and to assist the
brethren about the settling of the St John purchase
and we found two difficulties in our path. First
the Mexicans had destroyed in their ignorance nearly
all of the Government Survey stakes and Boundaries
(thinking that if the stakes were destroyed they would not have
to pay for the land). This made it quite difficult for
the brethren who had taken up claims on the Mead-
ows to find any lines so as to tell where to build.
And on our return to St Joseph I engaged Major Ladd
to go to the brethren at the Meadows and St John
and try to run out the lines. And the other difficulty
is the want of men to hold the claims at the Meadows
and take possession of the land we have purchased
at St John. We need 100 men ^at St John^ alone, while there is
room for 200. While at the same time our mission-
aries at the meadows are holding from 3 to 4
claims each. We have but few men at St John as yet
I am turning in the emigration as far as I can those
that I can get to go there but a good deal of the
emigration have other places designated to go. I appoi-
nted Bro. R. Allred to assist Bro Tenney in delivering
out the land to the emigration as they come. I also
appointed or recommended Bro. Allred to take charge
of the meetings until the place gets settled so that it
can be more fully organized. Of course all that country
comes under Bro Jesse N. Smiths jurisdiction in his
stake. I think Bro Nail of Toquerville will take up
his farm there but will have to get a Ranche out
side for his large amount of stock as will all men with
large herds, as it is not suitable for large herds to dwell
in any settlement of this country, for there is good facil-
ities throughout the country outside of farming district
We cannot tell what amount of land there is in the
purhcase at St John, it may amount to 2000 acres
it may vary from $5, 6 to 7 an acre besides the
Government title it may not go above $5.
One Mexican Brother joins us on our lower line which
he throws into the company and takes his share of land
and water with the rest. We also bought out two Mex-
ican claims joining our Mexican Brothers claim
down the river with two houses, 320 acres of land for
9 cows, so we have an unbroken claim from the Dam
down the river on both sides nearly to the Meadows
with the exception of two Mexican claims below us
and when we left one or both of theirm were talking of
being baptized, but there is one thing I wish to name
concerning our purchase. I supposed it included
the houses of the Mexicans. I now understand it
includes the land they stand on but the Mexicans
claim the houses. The Jews permitted them to build
on the land and they now claim them, but they are
poor, low, one story mud houses mostly. We have
several of the houses standing on the farming land
The two brother missionaries from Ogden occupy
two of them with their famiflies. I am now turning all
to St John that I can but as yet we do not begin to
have enough but shall do the best we can
We arrived at St Joseph on the evening of the 8th inst.
and on our arrival were informed that the youngest
wife of Bro Richards had a pair of twins—daughters.
one born 24 hours after the other, but they seemed
to think she was doing pretty well. I got hold of
the weekly news of Dec. 31st not having seen any news
for some 3 weeks I sat and read an hour and I
was asked to call in and see Sister Richards that
she had a poor spell, I walked into the room, I put
my hand on her head, I saw she was dying, I told
Bro. Richards he must give her up, in five min-
utes she breathed her last. She was 18 years old
her first children. In two hours after her youngest
child was dead. It was quite a loss to Bro Richards
and sudden.
We arrived at Sunset on the 9th
where I found a package of letters awaiting me among
them two from you of dade Dec 19th & 29th. Yours of
19th contained the letter of Bro. Perkins complaining
about his settlement at Sunset. He was here on busin-
ess when we got back I had him and Bro Lot Smith
together and the testimony given was that he did not
settle with Lot Smith but with a committee of his own
choosing and said several times that he was perfectly
satisfied with the settlement. Instead of his working
all the time that he speaks of, he spent one whole
summer on a visit to Utah took his wife and family
and Lot Smith fitted him out with 4 yoke of large
fat beef cattle and wagon for he said he wanted to
bring some trees. He took the cattle to Silver Reef and
let them out to work until they were used up and
he never brought one yoke of them back to Sunset
one died on the road and all the rest were so used
up he left them by the wayside, and he borrowed
a team of Bp. Woodruff Freeman at the ferry and he
killed one of them on the road and the other was very
poor when he arrived and they had to send another
team from Sunset to get him back. Woodruff
Freeman is here and his mild opinion is that he is
one of the worst liars hypocrites he ever met with for
a Saint, as he had been in his ward for years at
Washington. he thinks Lot Smith done better by him
than he deserved, yet I have given him the privilege
of a hearing before the Bishop and counsel as soon as he
arrives he being absent at present. the following is his
receipt of settlement
Sunset Yavapai Co A T. Dec 19th 1878
This certifies that having been connected with
the United Order company of Sunset and having
lately withdrawn, that the said company have
this day settled with me in full to my entire satis-
faction
Abraham Perkins.
Since my return to Sunset I have been
visited by a good many of the immigration and
I am turning as many to St John as I can
There is one feature in all our immigration this
season I am very sorry to see. There is hardly a
family that has emigrated to Arizona this season
that have brought breadstuff enought hardly to last
them to Sunset. Bro Smith has had to send hundre-
ds of pounds of flour back on the road to feed the
people to get them as far as here; and the hundreds
of the immigration are looking to Bro Lot Smith
to feed them for a year to come. And Sunset is the
only settlement in Arizona of the Saints who has
a bushel of grain to spare, and he has not one
bushel to spare where he should have ten to feed the
multitude. And although they raised 3000 bushels
of grain at Snow-Flake when we were at conference
one half of the people of that place asked him for
grain or flour to furnish them for a year to come
and a great share of the Mormon people of Arizona
are looking to him to furnish them bread as they did
last year, but he cannot do it. He has had a
good crop of wheat and corn but he cannot a
quarter supply the wants of the people if they did
not use a bushel at Sunset. He said to me today
he would have to save all his bran and shorts to
grind up for bread. And that old fraudulent Thres-
hing Machine sent here by H. Clawson has broken
down so they cannot thresh what they have got
until a small pinion wheel is sent from St. Louis
or Z. C. M. I., he has sent to both places for it. I
have inquired of the emigration why they come without
breadstuff. Some say that Bp Johnson of Kanab
has told all the emigration not to load down
their teams with flour, they can get all they want in
the settlements as cheap as in Utah. Others say they
go by Bro Hatch's letters that tell them what to
bring to Arizona to exchange for grain. Bro Hatch
himself has not got a bushel of wheat or flour to feed his
own big family. he looks towards Sunset for bread
And even Brigham City across the river who raised
1200 bushels have sowed 300 or 400 bushels and eat
up the rest and want Lot Smith to loan them 1500
bushels to last them until harvest, and so it goes.
There was not 100 lbs of flour at St John to be boug-
ht. Bro Smith bought all the beans they had some
300 lbs and this is the condition of the Saints in
Arizona ^to day^ and we cannot buy a bushel of wheat or flour
without going several hundred miles. I do not think
nearer than Albuquerque, or Salt River. the latter
is the nearest, 250 miles but a terrible road. And I
have neither mail nor Telegraph that I can
send a word to the Bp of Kanab but I wish that
Bro Nuttall would telegraph to Bp Johnson to
notify all people who emigrate here to buy bread
stuff enough to last them till they can raise, and I
wish Bro Taylor would have a notice published in
the News to warn all persons who contemplate emigra-
ting to Arizona to bring a supply of bread stuff with
them as there will be the want of bread here. There is
some 60 persons camped 30 miles down the river say
they are poor no bread and nothing to buy it and want
to wait two months for some children to be born
and mothers to get well and are looking to Lot Smith
to feed them while there and afterwards. And there is
certainly a peculiar spirit with many of the emigrants
this season; they seem to think and even say that Bro
Lot Smith is under obligation to feed them and never
think of paying anything for what they do get. In
fact one man said that belongs to the poor camp of
60 that come to get flour, meat and molasses that
his company was not going hungry as long as Lot
Smith had wheat or corn. But I have said quite
enough on this subject. But I hope counsel will be
given to future emigration to bring bread with them
The destruction of Stock this year for the want of food
and water and starting poor has been dreadful. Many
have lost half of their stock and some nearly all.
We received your letter in answer to ours on the
timber question, also Bro Stayners with the scraps for
which please receive our thanks, and I am happy to
be able to inform you that we have received an answ-
er from Mr Kelly which seems favorable. The following
is a copy.
Prescott Arizona Dec 29th 1879
Lot Smith Esq. Dear Sir.
Your favor received and I have this day
transmitted the same to the Hon. Commissioner
of the General Land Office and asking further
instructions in the matter and hoping at the same
time that he will see the necessity of the case and
will not require any thing further done in the
premises. Very Respectfully Your obedient Servt.
Wm N. Kelly Register
Also from Mr. Campbell the Arizona Delegate who
thinks as soon as Congress meets that he can
get the co-operation of all the Territorial delegates
and get the law repealed or amended so as to
meet the wants of the people of the Territories
Concerning the weather I will say we have
had a few inches of snow in the valley and few
sharp days, but the snow soon goes and the
sun warm and pleasant compared with Utah
weather. I was very much gratified with the
news that there would soon be a new boat at the
ferry, for I have had my fears ^that^ there would be human
life sacraficed by crossing the river in the old boat
I will also say that I have long ago become convin-
ced that Bro Foutz is not the man to preside over
that ferry. He drinks too much whiskey speculates
too much and does not accommodate the people or att-
end to his business as he should. I did not know
anything about the man when John W. engaged
him, as soon as I learned this I requested Bro John W.
to settle with him, pay him off and discharge him,
and put the ferry into the hands of Bro Johnson who
is a worthy, industrious, acommodating honest man
who will do justice to all parties. all the emigration
like him very much, but complain of Foutz.
I was thankful to hear your health and the council
was good and that Bros Pratt & Richards were impro-
ving. As to my health I am all right except my
lungs. When I got cold in the fore part of winter I
hardly get rid of it until spring. Let one go where I
will in this country among the Saints I hold meetings
every night. And the change of beds camping in wagons
and open houses I keep a cold on my lungs and do a
good deal of coughing, and two days while on my
journey I could hardly speak loud, but I am
well now except a ^some^ lingering cold. We have good
meetings, the Spirit of God is with us and union am
ong the people. When I am not travelling among
the Saints or Lamanites I make it my home at
Sunset. Bro Lot Smith has built me a good house
and he with the brethren & Sisters here have fitted me
up the best room I have been in in Arizona, A good
panel door, lock and key two good windows with
curtains chimney, fireplace, plenty of wood good
floor well carpeted a fine Dinwoodey bedstead
and good bed and a good sister Mary Smith to
wait on one like a kind mother, and my room is the
council house of the fort. The emigrating brethren
call upon me by day and the Sunset brethren in
the evening and we talk together and council
upon the things of the Kingdom. and I am as hap-
py as any old bachelor can be and I think rather
more so, for when I kneel down to pray I remember
that I once did have some wives and children in
Utah and think I still have whose prayers ascend
up to gGod for me. When I return from a journey
the little boys and girls of the fort run to me to
shake hands with me and are as glad to see me
as though I was their father, and if the little
fellows have any difficulty they run to me to settle
it for them thinking that Bro Allen can make
everything right. There is another strange feat-
ure springing up through this country. I find a
crop of fine plump little boys from 10 days to a
year old bearing the name of Wilford. I myself
am not the father of any of them, but am the
God-father of a number of them if blessing them
would make me so. On sunday morning after our
return I was called upon by Bro Lot Smith
to bless a fine son of his 10 days old, born to him
in our absence by his wife Alice Ann Richards Smith
weighing 11 lbs when born. I sealed upon him the
name of Wilford Woodruff by request of his father.
I hope these babies may live and make better men
than their namesake. I have had a good deal of
time to read, meditate, and pray since I have been
on this mission. I have read the Bible, Book of
Mormon, Doctrines & Covenants since being here
besides the Hystory of France & England & McCabes
Hystory of the World, Blairs Lectures on Rhetoric
and Belles Lettres and other works. I have read a
good deal more than I can remember or have
digested, but I have found the Sacred books very
profitable to me. I could hardly have believed
that I could have been as contented as I have been
on this mission. I have had nothing else to do but
to try to do good, preach the gospel, strengthen the
Saints, to visit the Lamanites and try to build
up Zion. I have had no desire for gold, Silver
property or speculation. I have had no use for
money, occasionally somebody would give me 2
or 3 dollars, I would give it away the first charit-
able chance I had. All my wants have been
supplied. The Saints would take no money from
me for anything done for me. Bro Lot Smith has
supplied me with all the clothing I have wanted
reward and why should not I be contented and
happy under the circumstances in which I have
been placed. Among other blessings I have had a
good Sister McNeil ready to come at my call to offici-
ate as my scribe or copyist and I think there is great
necessity for this for I think sometimes I have mur-
dered more paper than any man living on earth
of my age. And if it was all put into one volumes
in a readable form it would be the largest book ever
produced and the greatest variety of succotash and
the world might call it the greatest romance
but enough upon this subject strain.
I occassionally feel a desire to be with my Quorum
in Salt Lake City in their Prayer circles, and to occupy
a seat with them in the Tabernacle and join them
in bearing record and testimony of the Kingdom of
God and warning the people of that which is to
come. Then again I reflect and understand that there
are already more Apostles in Salt Lake who are lifting
up their voices and declairing the word of the Lord
unto both Saints & Sinners than they will listen to
with in faith and carry out their counsel and I fear
this is the case with many who profess to be Saints
The year 1880 is ushered in with a strong determinat-
ion of our Government to make war upon the Saints
and Kingdom of God, but they will prevail no
farther than the Lord permits. They are in His
hands as well as we are. And the warfare is between
God and the Nation and He will prevail.
When the Elders in Ohio in 1831 called upon
the Lord to stay His hand in Judgment upon the
Nation, the Lord informed them He could not
deny His word, but exhorted the Elders to
labor faithfully and prune the vineyard for the
last time. The 166 & 167 pages of the D.C. as well
as the 45 section as well as other revelations show
what the Lord intends doing and He will not
deny His Word in these instances than in the
former. As a people we should trust in God and
exercise faith in His word. I feel that Bro
Cannon has a hard warfare during this Session
of Congress and needs the faith, prayers and
support of all the Saints.
It is a general time
of health with the people of this country. I have
just heard from a letter from Farmington, that
Bro Thomas Smith was appointed to take 100
or 150 families and start in March to come to
St John. I have just been conversing with Bp
Freeman and Lot Smith who came through in
February. They think Feb. would be a better
month than March to cross the Sevier country
and Buckskin Mountains. They think in
March it is more stormy and roads breaking up
than Feb. and if they put it off much later
than this that they will hardly have time to
put in spring crops, the companies who come in
the spring should make some arrangements to
bring breadstuff with them, but if there could
be arrangements so that flour could be collected
at Kanab it would be better than to haul it
from Northern Utah. Another thing I want to
name, those who are coming expecting to pay for
land, if they could bring money instead of stock. I
think it would be better for there is such a loss of
stock in driving them it would be better and
much less money trouble to bring money than stock
And the men we bought St John of said ^if^ they could
get all the money down they would take $10 a
head instead of the cows but they will take cows
at any time I think from $13 to $15 a head
I think those who have money should bring it
instead of stock. Those who could sell their stock
for money would do well to do it. But as I have
lengthened out my communication altogether
beyond what I expected I will close. If you
can spare time and patience to read it I will
endeavor not to be so lengthy in my next.
My love to yourself and council.
Bro Smith wishes to be remembered to you
all. That the blessings of God may sustain
you and give you the victory over all your
enemies is the constant prayer of your Brother
in the gospel
W. Woodruff
Bro Taylor, there is another subject I wish
to say a few words upon (although it is against the
wish of Bro Lot Smith) it is this, Sunset, Brigham
City, and St Joseph who live in the United Order
have been very zealous to sustain the Z.C.M.I. in
Salt Lake in all their purchases but they have
been the most unfortunate of human beings in all
their deal with that Institution, especially in all
Machinery. Bro Smith sent money to buy the best
threshing machine in market, sent to R Burton &
E. F. Sheets to help pick it out, it was put into
Hiram Clawsons hands and he sent an old
Whitmans threshing machine that he had had
on hand a long time and could not sell to any
body else, and it was freighted down here to
Sunset 700 miles and as soon as it was opened it
would have been taken back if it had not been
more than 300 miles. it has been a curse to them
ever since it was brought here, in spite of all
they can do it wastes grain and only can thresh
from 200 to 300 Bushels a day with the best of
attention, and all three of these settlements have
to depend on it to thresh their wheat. it is now brok-
en down so that it cannot be be used at all
until a pinion wheel is sent from St. Louis or
Z.C.M.I. Bro Smith has sent to both places for
me. He sent for a bill of goods to the co-op.
when it came to Sunset it all came in one boox
Indigo, Alum, Logwood Madder, slates, pencils,
school books &c, all mixed ^together^ in one compound. There
has been something wrong with almost every piece
of machinery sent for, last spring they sent to Z.
C.M.I. for a two horse large sized Molasses cane
mill. It was put into the hands of H Clawson
who sent a small one horse mill with some parts
missing when it arrived. It was entirely too
small for their use and last of all though not
least they wanted to start a tannery had their
vats in place and tanner and materials all
on hand, they wanted a bark mill and sent
money by Bro Flake and when he arrived
at Beaver he not going to Salt Lake requested
the Beaver co-op, who is dealing with the Z
C.M.I. to send for a bark mill for the Sunset
Tannery, Bro Smith had to send an extra
team to the ferry to bring it but when it arrived
behold! and Lo! it turned out to be a little
giant, a corn-cob mill and not suitable
for grinding bark at all, now all has to wait
until a bakrk mill can be bought at St
Louis, brought to the terminus by rail and
then freighted from there by way of Albuquer-
que. Now is not this enough to try the patience
of Saints? to say nothing about sinners, I think
it is. I think that persons living as far from
Salt Lake as these settlements are who wish to
patronize their own Institutions and pay
down should have a little care and pains
taken for them, and not make such blunders
as have been made towards them. The people
of this country do not think that Bro Clawson
has done them justice. They did not know
that they were dealing with him when they
sent to Z.C.M.I. Bro Eldredge has said he
knew nothing about the threshing machine, and
perhaps he does not about the corn cracker
but they have no use for it here after being
brought 700 miles. Bro Smith has just
received a letter from Bro Clawsiong saying
they had no pinion wheels and they need not send
for one. I would like Bro Eldredge to have
the perusal of this sheet
As ever
W. W.
[upside-down text] W. Woodruff
Arizona
Feb 2. 1880 [end of upside-down text]