Las Colonias Magazine

Welcome to Las Colonias

Welcome to Las Colonias magazine. Las Colonias believes that the same pioneer spirit that first settled the Mormon Colonies still lives in the descendants of the original colonists. Sadly, with each passing generation. the biographies, the stories, and the principles that they teach become lost to time.

In this edition - Martin's Cove & the "Potato King" of Utah

Last week my mother-in-law, Rosalyn Hatch Whetten, took her entire family on a trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota. While we saw Mt. Rushmore was certainly impressive, I think the highlight of the trip was the stop we made at Martin's Cove. Pulling a handcart a couple miles gave our kids a glimpse into what it was like to have been a pioneer and the hardships they suffered.

I thought it would be neat to include a history of a Mormon Colonist who was a member of the Martin and Willie handcart companies.

At the end of the story there is a link to a more detailed history found online. The history contains some narrow escapes from polygamist-hunting U.S. Marshals and talks more about John Rowley living in Diaz and Pacheco. It is worth the read.

If you haven't been to Martin's cove it is really a great experience. Also, if you know of any other colonists who were in the Martin and Willie handcart companies or the Hunt and Hodges wagon companies please let us know by posting on the blog.

John Rowley, James Wilson, and Eli Whipple were very industrious men. It never ceases to amaze me what the pioneers were able to build given their crude tools and difficult circumstances.

Most of the histories are taken from Stalwarts South of the Border compiled by Nelle Spilsbury Hatch and Carmon Hardy. As far as possible, in order to preserve the author's voice, all spelling and syntax have been kept as the original text. Most numbers have been changed to numerals rather than the original text.

Las Colonias tells the amazing stories of the Mormon colonists, and introduces generations new and old to the incredible history and landscapes that act as a backdrop on which the colonists lived their lives.

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John Rowley

1841–1893

John Rowley was born July 14, 1841 in Suckley, England. On May 4, 1856, a board the ship Thorton, John, his mother, three brothers and three sisters set sail for America in the port of Liverpool. His father had died in 1848.

They arrived in New York on June 14, 1856. By rail they commuted to Iowa City, arriving there on June 26. On July 15 he was one of the 500 souls making up Captain Willie’s handcart company headed for Salt Lake City. Not until November 9 did they arrive in that city. John was not able to travel farther because of frozen limbs which needed to be cared for. His mother was counseled to take the rest of her family to Nephi, Juab County, Utah. John joined his mother there as soon as he recovered and there they established their first home in America.

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John Rowley

James Wilson Memmott
1841-1919

James Wilson Memmott was born February 25, 1841 in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England to William Memmott and Ann Wilson. He was the third child in a family of seven. James had some schooling until he was 10 years old. When he was 12 years old he commenced to learn the engineering trade and at the age of 18 learned part of the milling business.

James married Elizabeth Hopkins on March 24, 1861, and they started for Utah that April 23, sailing on the ship Underwriter. They arrived in New York on May 29, about six days before the Civil War started. From New York they traveled by river to Saint Joseph, Missouri, and by steamboat to Florence, Nebraska, arriving June 10. They traveled from Florence to Salt Lake City in the Milo Andrews and Abner Duncan train. “We had a first rate time and a good trip. I don’t think we were $5.00 to the good or $5.00 to the bad when we arrived in Salt Lake.” Here James and his wife met some of their Sheffield friends, including Harry Roper and Mathew Rowman.

Continued
James Wilson Memmott

Heaton Lunt of Colonia Pacheco
book review

Marian L Lunt’s book, Heaton Lunt of Colonia Pacheco, was a lot of fun to read. The biography was written from audiotapes recorded by her father-in-law, Heaton Lunt.
I don’t think that Louis L’Amour or Zane Grey could have written better stories than the life Heaton lived. It's like a Hollywood screenwriter had John Wayne or Clint Eastwood in mind as he created a script filled with banditos, hermits, army scouts, wild animals, and gunplay.

Heaton Lunt cont.

The Walter J. Stevens Tragedy

by Joel H. Martineau

When the families left Colonia Pacheco in July 1912, at the time of the Exodus, it was with the hope that the federal army, under General Blanco, would arrive soon and the rebels would be driven out of the country and the families could return.

There was one family, however, who did not go, that of Walter J. Stevens. This family lived on a ranch a mile north of town and instead of going to El Paso, they moved into a small cave on the riverbank not far from their home. The mouth of the cave was in a patch of brush and trees and had recently been discovered. The cave was not known to anyone except the Stevens family.

The entrance was not very large but the cave widened out and extended into the bank about 40 feet. Into this, they brought supplies of food and bedding, and when General Salazar, with his army of 700 men occupied Pacheco for three weeks, they pass the time quietly and were not discovered.

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Walter J. Stevens Tragedy

Eli Whipple
1820 – 1904

Eli Whipple was the fourth child of John and Mary Jane Whipple. He was born October 17, 1920, at Lucorn, Warren County, New York.

At the age of 15 his parents left New York and went to Pennsylvania where he located in McKean County in the town of Bradford. They bought a farm and put in a sawmill in store. His father was very successful in all these ventures.

Eli was in charge of the work until he was 21 years of age. He then met Patience Foster, who was the daughter of a successful lawyer. They were married and were happy in their home. They were members of the Christian Church until 1845. Then Eli joined the Mormons. Patience, however, was unhappy with this. Eli tried to persuade her to leave her mother and go with him and the Mormons, but to no avail. A child was on November 15, 1846. Her name was Marion.

Eli heard of riches in California and saw prospects of wealth. His wife Patience consented to go, so in 1852 they left New York and went to San Francisco where he went into the store and lumber business. They soon had three mills and made lots of money. However, early one spring, two mills burned down. They became discouraged and went to Utah, arriving on March 17, 1858. Eli invested in some woolen mills with some other fellows but lost a great deal of money.

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Eli Whipple

Las Colonias magazine tells the amazing stories of the Mormon colonists, and introduces generations new and old to the incredible history and landscapes that act as a backdrop on which the colonists lived their lives.
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Las Colonias magazine

P.O. Box 15441

Ogden, UT 84403

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