History Of Early Benjamin, Utah

History Of Early Benjamin, Utah

History of the Town of Benjamin

Compiled by Mrs. Eunice Hickman Richardson

Mrs. Sadie Stewart Hand

Mrs. Sarah E. Richardson Burgin

If we had traveled west and south from Spanish Fork prior to the year 1860, we would have found the red man roaming over the land, north of the road now running east and west through the town of Benjamin. No white people were living in that section as it belonged to the Indians and was known as the Indian Reservation. Continuing on our way south, we would have found a few little log homes, scattered among the sage bushes, perhaps have seen some young men herding cattle, lots of jack rabbits and coyote, but we would have seen none of the beautiful things we see today; such as fences surrounding orchards, groves of trees, and comfortable homes. The greasewood grew so high and thick that a man riding horseback could easily hide. This area attracted the attention of some husky eastern farmers. Immigrants, who had arrived in Payson, knew that where such an abundance of greasewood grew, the land would be fertile and could be made to yield bounteous crops.

In the year 1872, Benjamin Franklin Stewart and his brother Andrew Jackson Stewart surveyed, and laid the foundation of a town three miles north of Payson, which was named Benjamin in his honor; thus fulfilling a prophesy concerning him given by Patriarch John Smith in the year 1847. This prophecy was that he would help to found a town and the town would be named after him. By the year 1872, quite a number of sturdy pioneers had established homes in this new section: such as A. J. Stewart, B. F. Stewart, Shadrach Richardson, Enoch Gurr, Tom Baker, Ephraim Kapple, Edward Stocks, Elijah Haws, Isaac Rogers, Dr. George Hickman, George Hone, Sr., David Hone and others.

They subdued the forests of greasewood, laid out roads, built bridges, made fences, planted trees of all kinds, plowed and tilled the soil and planted all kinds of grain. They built a canal from the Spanish Fork River in order to irrigate their crops, which grew abundantly and became a delight to the eye. They fought crickets and grasshoppers. They hauled logs from the nearby canyons and built homes. In the early homes, the logs were chinked with clay. They had dirt roofs and some dirt floors. They all had fireplaces, where the fire had to be banked at night, or they were under the necessity of borrowing fire from one of their neighbors, because matches were too expensive to buy.

They pasted paper over the window openings and hung blankets for doors. It took lots of hard work and sacrifice to get money enough to buy a pane of glass. For light, these first settlers used a wick made by dipping rags in grease. They also learned to make candles by putting a string in a mold and pouring the mold full of tallow. There is one of these old log cabins still standing. It is the north part of the house now owned by Mrs. Micksell.

Later adobe houses were built, the adobe being made from clay and dried in the sun. So far as we can ascertain Enoch Gurr was the first man to perfect adobe making in Benjamin. There is still part of the first adobe house now standing. It belongs to Mrs. Sadie Hand.

These pioneer housewives made a water softener by taking a large barrel, filling it with water and putting wood ashes in it. The ash would settle to the bottom and softer water was the result. They could get a stronger solution by boiling the mixture and then combining it with grease to make fine soap. They were fortunate in being able to buy soda and salt at this time. They did all their sewing with a needle and thread. They became expert in making ruffles, tucks, and doing the finest kind of stitching as well as making overalls and pants for the men.