Settling Manti
On 14 June 1849, Brigham Young received a visit from Ute chiefs Wakara (anglicized to Walker) and Sowiette. They came to Salt Lake City to ask President Young to permanently locate Mormon settlers in the central Utah valley named after Walker's brother, Chief Sanpitch. The valley was described as "good land with much water." (A History of Sanpete County, Albert C.T. Antrei and Alien D. Roberts, Utah State Historical Society, 1999,24)
Early in 1849, Brother Washburn was called by Brigham Young to go and help make a settlement at Manti("Announcements about new settlements and who was called to settle them were generally made in General Conferences. In the conference in October 1849, it was announced that a settlement would be made in Sanpete Valley in acceptance of Utah Chief Walker or Walkara's invitation. Isaac Moriey headed a company of 124 men and 100 women to found the town of Manti on November 19th. According to one historian, while the invitation to settle came from Chief Walker, his professed friendship was based on a hope of profitable trade. He 1 reportedly became increasingly uneasy as the settlements expanded (see Gustive 0. Larson, Outline History of Utah and the Mormons, Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1958, p. 63, 145-146). The company arrived there November 21, 1849. The next day, November 22, his wife Clarinda gave birth to the first white child born in Sanpete County. They named her Almeda Maria.(During their residency in Manti, six additional children were born to Abraham and Flora Clarinda: Louisa Ann, Hyrum Smith, Philena, Parley Pratt, Lorena Eugenia, and Orson Pratt) The night after her birth there was a terrific snow storm. Next morning the snow was knee deep.
The winter of 1849-1850 would be one of the most severe ever recorded. Thirty-two inches of snow fell in the valley soon after their arrival. Some of the people lived in tents or wagon boxes, while others, including the Washburns, built crude dugouts in the hillside below where the Manti Temple is now located. Some began log cabins. In an epistle by the First Presidency written in April 1850, the experiences of the settlers in Manti were recounted:
"They have suffered many inconveniences through deep snows and severe frosts, for want of houses and other necessaries common in old settlements and have lost many of their cattle. But they have laid the foundation of a great and glorious work. . . Their cattle now living, have been sustained by their shovelling [sic] snow from the grass and feeding them with their provisions and seed grain, and we have sent them loaded teams to supply their necessities until after seed time. They have been surrounded by a tribe of Indians who appear friendly and who have suffered much from the measles since they have been among them and many have died as have most of all the tribes in the mountains; and those who live have urged the brethren to remain among them and teach them how to raise grain and make bread; for having tasted a little during their afflictions, they want a full supply. There is plenty of firewood easy of access; some of the best of pine, bituminous coal, salt and plaster of pans at this settlement or its immediate vicinity". (B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol. I, p. 311. 11)
Brother Washburn took with him from Salt Lake City about 30 head of cattle. The snow came so deep that the grass was all covered up and all the extra cattle died before spring and the settlers had a hard time to keep their teams and milk cows.
When the people had been there but a short time, the Ute Indians warriors came there and camped. They had been fighting with other tribes of Indians and had been victorious so they held a war dance for three days and they compelled the settlers to come and watch them dance. During the early period of the new settlement, Indian Chief Walker had his band of Indians camped for some time near the mouth of the Manti Canyon and on several occasions in the early morning he would ride into the settler's camp, all excited, swinging his arms and gesticulating, saying that the Great Spirit had visited, him in the night and told him not to kill these white people, because they were His children the same as the Indians were. The people felt that his nightly visions of the Great Spirit were all that saved them from this hostile band.
The people built their first houses on the south side and against the hill where now stands the temple. . . But the place was infested with snakes, and often the people found them in their houses. Those first little cabins had just a little mud plastering on and the snakes found their way through quite easily. One morning, Clarinda Washburn found a large rattle snake on her mantle piece. (In May 1850 and the warm weather, the rattlesnakes came "from caves situated above us in the ledge of rock that had been our shelter and shield, from the piercing northern blast of winter, they invaded our homes. . . The male portion of the community turned out en masse with torches to enable them with more safety to prosecute the war of extermination, and the slaughter continued until the 'wee small' hours. . . . The number killed that first night [was estimated] as near three hundred." Adelia Cox Sidwell, "Early Days in Manti," quoted in A History of Sanpete County, Albert C.T. Antrei and Alien D. Roberts, Utah State Historical Society, 1999, 27)
In 1850 the census lists Abraham as having a household often, with a real wealth of $150 and no personal wealth (Utah Federal Census, 1851).
President [Brigham] Young came to visit the new settlement and found them all living against the hill. He told them to survey their town site, build a strong fort, and move out away from the hill. He said the Indians could come down from the hill and massacre every man, woman, and child before they were aware of what was happening (Skirmishes became increasingly frequent. One historian's perspective suggests that in 1851, civil authorities began to interfere with Chief Walker's lucrative slave trade. His warriors would raid the weaker southern tribes stealing women and children and then selling them and sometimes their own children to the Spanish in exchange for arms and ammunition. When the Utah Territorial Government prohibited this practice, the Utes demanded that the Mormons instead purchase the slaves, which they often did in exchange for food and clothing, then freeing them. Chief Walker became increasingly sullen over this arrangement. Broader warfare broke out 17 July 1853 in Springville, when Walker's warriors attempted to kill the Mormons outside the forts and drive off their livestock (see Gustive 0. Larson, Outline History of Utah and the Mormons, pp. 151-152). The people took his advice and built a good sized fort, the northwest comer of which was directly across from the present Manti City Hall. A little old rock school house now stands on the spot where the northwest corner of the fort was, and on that spot Clarinda Washburn had her home. Several of her children were born there, the last one being Lorena E. Washburn Larsen.
The Deseret News, dated 27 June 1852 reported, "Manti is at least blessed with a strong fort. The wall is twelve feet high and two feet thick and is set upon a foundation of stone three feet wide (Actually there were a series of forts built in the first few years in Manti. The Little Fort or Stone Fort was completed in June 1852. This is the fort referenced in the Deseret News. In 1853, four additional log forts were constructed. Big Fort was built in the summer of 1854, and in 1866, a fort was built around the Tabernacle).
This heroic colony were true pioneers. While they built homes, cleared the land and got it under cultivation, they had to keep a watchful eye on the bands of Indians who roamed through that part of the country, and occasionally had to battle with crickets and grasshoppers, which without a mighty united effort would have destroyed all their crops. They also had to produce all their shoes and clothing. The women took the wool newly shorn from the sheep, cleaned it, then with hand cards, carded, spun, dyed and [wove] it into suitable cloth for men's, women's. and children's clothes.
One year, when the crops had been almost destroyed by insects, Brother Washburn took his wife Clarinda to Sessions Settlement (Sessions Settlement is present day Bountiful, Utah) and left her and her family there while he went [back] to the Platt River and helped run a ferry. Abraham Washburn built a small tannery where both upper and lose leather was tanned with a tan bark which he procured in the mountains near by. He also built a shoe shop where he and others made shoes for the towns people.
He was a studious and a kindly man. He advocated free schools in those early days, and often said that every man has the right to be well born and well educated. Each morning he told his children to be kind to their mother and save her all the steps they could. He was always active in Church affairs. He was a ward teacher during the time which he lived in Manti. He was the first superintendent of School in Manti. He was presiding over the School there in 1855. He was also a member of the first city council.
In the 1850's the Church was experiencing some financial difficulties (See Great Basin Kingdom: An Economic History of the Latter-day Saints, 1830-1900, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1958, 145-147). Tithing donations were insufficient and in 1854, Church leaders began encouraging a return to the original law of consecration. Those desiring to comply were encouraged to deed over to the trustee-in-trust of the Church, Brigham Young, all of their property. The trustee-in-trust would then assign them an inheritance according to their needs. It is estimated that about forty percent of the families in the Utah Territory deeded their property to the Church at that time. Abraham, always faithful, was one of those who consecrated his property ('The book containing this recording is entitled "Church Transfers, Book B" and this transaction is recorded on page 131. The book can be found in the Sanpete County Court House, Recorders Office. A photocopy of this agreement is in the possession of Larry Washburn). The deed, dated 9 February 1857, reads:
Be it known by these present, that I Abraham Washburn of Manti City in the County of San Pete and Territory of Utah, for and in consideration of the good will which I have to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, give and convey unto Brigham Young, Trustee in Trust for said Church, his successors in office and assigns, all my claim to and ownership of the following described proper to wit:
Lots one (1) and twelve (12), Block three (3). Big Field Survey containing seven and a half (7 1/2) acres each block containing two and a half (2 1/2) acres.(J. Ordean Washburn, pp. 28-29).
Lots thirteen (13) block six (6) Big Field Survey
Also lots five (5) and six (6) block one-hundred and five (105) containing five eights (5/8) of an acre each, of the Manti City Survey.
Household furniture
One yoke of cattle
One yoke of steers
Two cows
Three heifers
Two calves
One wagon
One gun
Mechanical tools
Farming tools
He built his permanent home one block east of Main Street. He owned the lot next south of the little fort on Main Street, and then straight through to the next street east. His lot on Main Street is where apart of the main business section is now, on the east side. In the spring of 1864, there were some glowing reports circulated about the fine opportunities for making a settlement in Marysvale. Thomas Bowles (Thomas Bowles was Abraham's son-in-law, married to his daughter, Susanna) from Nephi, several men from Fountain Green, Abraham Washburn and Edward Faux from Manti loaded their wagons with farm implements, seed, grain, and some provisions and started for the place. On getting as far as Marysvale hill they met some men who told them they could just as well go back, for there was six months of winter and seven months of more cold weather in Marysvale.
They came back to where Monroe now is and looked over the land and decided to make a settlement there. While Ed Faux surveyed the land, Brother Washburn took his son Hyrum and went up the canyon to find out something about the water and wood supply. They visited the hot springs and examined that water and declared that it contained curative qualities. Hyrum said that his father cleaned out a spring and took a bath, perhaps the first bath that a white man had taken in that water. He and Thomas Bowles decided to return to their homes, but the majority remained and made preparations to make a permanent settlement. A town one square mile was surveyed and laid out into lots or blocks with wide streets.
When Brother Washburn and others reached Manti again, all the neighbors came to hear a report of their trip. During the evening, while neighbors were busily talking, baby Orson, the youngest of the Washburn children, fell into a bed of hot coals in the fireplace and was seriously burned, but not fatally.
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