A
Mormon List Electric
SUMMER 2003
Prices include FREE shipping & insurance.
HERE is the closest thing to a catalog that I have issued
in three years, since Mormon List 65 (August 2000). With the advent
of eBAY, general computer ownership, and websites everywhere (not to mention
a dramatically changing economy and customer profiles), my sales have become
more individual, more digitized, more private.
This
may not be a "Mormon List 66," but it offers much better
illustrations than the paper series - plus the same careful listings
and hands-on attention to your questions and orders. Items are returnable
within a few days of receipt for any reason (although that almost never happens).
Click
on the thumbnail pictures below to see larger illustrations, then use the
links beside the pictures to return to the same entry you were reading.
Arm the computer; browse and buy when ready . . .
——————————
". . . Mormonism . . . keeps its obnoxious
features in reserve – hidden
beneath a mask—and only gradually to be revealed
as they can be tolerated by the disciple . . ."
[ADAM-GOD]
Lengthy, presumably original editorial in the
Portland Transcript
(newspaper, Portland, Maine) for Saturday, June 3, 1854 [XVIII:8].
Folio,
paged [57]-64 (8 pages). Removed from a binding. Browning and faint dampstains,
but not too worn.
(order item #1): $60
Twenty column inches by the editor (Edward H. Elwell) complain about the "tenets
of mormonism" on page 62. The history of the sect is fairly well
known, writes Elwell, but not so with its peculiar doctrines, based on a recent
article in the Edinburgh Review. Polygamy, polytheism, and materialism
- even anticipating animal sacrifices in future temples - all form a part
of deeper Mormon doctrine, according to this writer.
While
some Latter-day Saints may imagine that the Adam-God doctrine was merely some
oblique misinterpretation by modern anti-Mormons of a passing phrase or two
in the Journal of Discourses, that doctrine was certainly not missed
by writers of the time, as we see in the newspaper now at hand:
It has been lately revealed by President Brigham that the God
of our earth is Adam, who was only another form of the Archangel Michael.
And to prove that polygamy has a heavenly sanction, Brigham Young shrewdly
says, "when our father Adam came into the garden, he bro't Eve, one
of his wives, with him!"
This
long complaint concludes with the same overly-optimistic prognostication seen
in so many commentaries of the mid-nineteenth-century . . .
It is not possible that these absurd and degrading doctrines
will long continue to delude even the most ignorant. There will be a reaction.
Those who have resided in Utah tell us that the younger citizens do not inherit
the faith of their fathers. A race is growing up which laughs at the plates
and prophecies of Joseph. These will naturally grow up in complete scepticism,
opening a new field for Christian missionaries. Mormonism may itself, shorn
of its absurdities, gradually subside into a Christian sect, or become peaceably
metamorphosed into a form of civil government.
Modern
trends in LDS public relations seem to play down the concept of eternal progression
to Godhood. A century and a half ago, however, informed "gentiles"
considered this to be an integral part of Mormonism, as reflected by Mr. Elwell
. . .
Another point of their belief is that God is a "material
personage, possessing both body and parts. He eats, he drinks, he loves,
he hates, and he cannot occupy two distinct places at once." He has
a local residence "in the planet Kolob." He is not the Creator,
but literally the Father of mankind. He was himself once a man, and has attained
his present superiority by continual progression. Man may thus also progress,
until he becomes what God now is, who will then be still further advanced
in power and glory. In proof that man will ultimately possess the power of
God, Parley Pratt says—
"What will man do when this world is filled up? Why, he will make
more worlds, and swarm out like bees from the old world. And when a farmer
has cultivated his farm and raised numerous children, so that the space is
beginning to be too strait for them, he will say, My sons, yonder is plenty
of matter, go and organise a world and people it."
This doctrine of indefinite development naturally passes into Polytheism.
Accordingly the Mormon theology teaches that these are Gods innumerable, with
different degrees of dignity and power.
A
separate blurb on page 63 mentions that "The Mormons have great facilities
for preserving their meat. The water of Salt Lake is as strong as brine,
and only needs to be poured into barrels in which meat is packed, to preserve
it."
[Beadle,
John Hanson.
Life in Utah; Or, the Mysteries
and Crimes of Mormonism . . .]
Conditions for Life in Utah; or,
the Mysteries and Crimes of Mormonism. Being
an Exposé of their Secret Rites and Ceremonies; . . . [National Publishing
Company, ca. 1870].
Small
broadsheet advertising
handbill listing the price of the book "In
Extra Fine English Cloth . . . at $2.75 per Copy" or "In Fine Leather,
(Library Style,) . . . at $3.25 . . ." On the back is a blank line for
the agent to sign and leave with the potential customer. "To avoid delaying
the Agent, whose time is valuable, subscribers are requested to be prepared
with the price of the book on its presentation by the Agent."
8
X 15 cm. (approximately 3 X 6
inches). Printed on the front and back. Condition essentially as new.
(order item #2): $20
Describing
the famous anti-Mormon potboiler as having 540 pages (the first edition),
these ephemeral advertising pieces would date from ca. 1870 and are bright
and well preserved. Disclaimer: I obtained a small quantity of these, so
more than one may be sold.
The Book of Mormon . . . Salt Lake City [c. 1920; at bottom of final page: "Press of Zion's Printing
& Publishing Co., Independence, Jackson County, Mo, U.S.A."].
18½ cm. [4]ff., 568 pp.+ list of "A few Interesting Book
of Mormon References" printed on front flyleaf.
(order item #3): $45
Flake
693 or similar ("cannot" spelled correctly on page 298). Original
black cloth, gilt-lettered spine. In pleasing, clean condition but for old
stake mission ownership stamps on the final back flyleaf & pastedown.
Some people would call this a "fine" copy, but let's save that word
for really spectacular examples.
[CARICATURE]
Puck (illustrated newspaper,
New York) for December 28, 1881 [X:251].
Quarto
(34 X 26 cm.), paged [261]-[276] (sixteen pages). Front & back pages and centerfold
printed in color. Some wear, and separating; the Mormon centerfold nearly
fine.
(order item #4): $75
Click on the thumbnail image at left to view three illustrations.
The large color centerfold of this issue (11 X
18½ inches + margins) is an elaborate political cartoon showing the 1882 New
Year baby hovering over the earth with assorted scandals and political squabbles
in America. Dead center, its body wrapped among the Brooklyn Bridge and various
swindlers, is a hissing snake labeled, "Mormonism." It is drawn
by J. Keppler, and is beautifully reproduced in color (much reduced in size)
in Gary L. Bunker and Davis Bitton, The Mormon Graphic Image, 1834-1914
. . . (Salt Lake City, 1983), page 107.
[Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. HYMNAL]
Rev. H. D. Jenkins. "The
Mormon Hymn Book." Article in Our
Monthly (Cincinnati) for December, 1870 [II:12].
25½ cm. Paged [377]-450, [iv (general title & contents)]
+ ads. Original light blue front (only) printed wrappers. Backstrip perished
and gatherings separated; partly unopened.
(order item #5): $45
Yes,
this issue is falling apart. However, a most unusual and intelligent article
(pp. 420-26) analyzes the artistic and theological aspects of the LDS hymn
book. Rev. Jenkins gives a precise description of the book and binding itself,
allowing one to identify it as Flake 1769 or -70. A choice contribution!
[Danish
converts] Jørgen W. Schmidt. Oh, Du Zion I Vest. Den Danske Mormon-Emigration
1850-1900. København: Rosenkilde og Bagger, 1965.
24
cm. [2]ff.; [7]-270 pp. + plates & folding map. Orig. illustrated wrappers.
Moderate wear. Unopened.
Scarce
and impressive work, with bibliographic checklists and great illustrations;
cited by Flake
as a reference used, p. 813. In Danish, but with the foreword, table of contents,
and promotional blurb in both Danish and English
(order item #6): *SOLD $65*
The Danish mormon-immigration 1850-1900 illustrated by the immigrants' own letters
and diaries and of what was written by the press and in the literature, also
descriptions of 23 »pre-railroad« immigrant-groups and glimpses of the history
of Utah. With a bibliography on Danish literature for and against Mormonism.
[verso of title page]
150-year-old lithograph
[FORT BRIDGER]
"FORT Bridger. Black's Fork of Green River."
Lithographed
illustration plate taken from Howard Stansbury's
Expedition to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake of Utah (Philadelphia,
1852; image lithographed by "Ackerman" on Broadway, New York City).
Single leaf, verso blank. The image measures 11½ X 19½ cm. (4½ X 75/8
inches; complete leaf measuring a little over 5½
X 8¾
inches). In excellent, clean condition, printed on good paper. Click
on the thumbnail image above to view two illustrations.
(order item #7): $65
Would
be nice on a wall, and it is small enough to frame inexpensively. It shows the famous fort as known by the early pioneers:
. . . Captain Howard Stansbury
. . . arrived in August 1849 to conduct a government survey of the Great Salt
Lake and Utah Lake. When the Saints first heard of Stansbury's expedition,
they were apprehensive about its military and political implications, fearing
another invasion of their rights. However, once the mission of the Army Corps
of Engineers was made clear, Brigham Young cooperated fully and Albert Carrington,
a Mormon, was hired by Stansbury to superintend the chain line. Stansbury's
published report included the first accurate maps of the two valleys and much
important scientific information about plant and animal life in the Great
Salt Lake region. [James B. Allen and Glen M. Leonard, The Story of the
Latter-day Saints (SLC, 1976/86), pp. 254-5]
The
1847 pioneers first saw Ft. Bridger on July 7. Some traded for buckskins
to replace their worn-out clothing. Entries in Brigham Young's diary over
the next few years highlight the significance of this fort to the people of
the region.
the "ghost" fort, faked
by Harper's
[FORT
BRIDGER] "Part of the Camp at Fort
Bridger." WOODCUT ENGRAVING
depicting Johnston's army at the fort during the Utah War. On a leaf taken
from Harper's Weekly (New York) for Saturday, January 30, 1858.
One
folio leaf, paged 71-2. Evenly toned. Edges somewhat uneven or worn, and
priced accordingly. Can still be matted for presentable display. Click
on the thumbnail image below to view three illustrations.
(order item #8): $37.50
The top of this page is dominated by an imposing three-quarter-length engraved portrait of Albert Sidney Johnston (of "Johnston's Army").
Also present is part of an article entitled, "The Utah Expedition.—[From
our own Correspondent.]" It
is dated from "Fort Bridger, U. T., December 1,
1857." "We are at present encamped on Black's Fort [sic],"
explains the correspondent,
in the vicinity of and around Fort Bridger. This fort is an old trading-post,
owned by a Major [Jim] Bridger, who has been in these parts for many years.
The commander has leased the fort, and is rebuilding and fortifying it, so
as to provide a safe retreat in case of disaster. In a very short time it
can be rendered impregnable. In many respects the locality is admirable as
a basis of operations. There is round the fort plenty of wood for fuel, and
the stream contains excellent water. As to distances, we are 113 miles from
Salt Lake City . . . ; as it is, the Mormons have the advantage of us; their
cavalry arm is excellent, their horses strong and well fed, their guerillas
indefatigable. They hover round us, trying to pick up stragglers, stampede
cattle, and burn trains; and so long as they keep out of gun range they are
safe.
The engraver cheated
when he created this illustration, evidently imagining the late 1857 appearance
of the fort from the illustration in Stansbury's Expedition (1852).
Add some soldiers, tents, a little snow, and what have you got? A scene created
out of whole cloth.
In
fact, the Mormons had burned Ft. Bridger to the ground two months earlier,
at the beginning of October 1857! And where is the stone wall which had been
erected recently (and of course did not appear in Stansbury's 1852 illustration)
? I am grateful to Utah War historian William P. MacKinnon who confirms my
suspicions above in e-mails of June 2003. He writes:
The stone wall around Ft. Bridger
was a cobblestone and mortar affair built in the spring of 1857 as a defensive
measure by Lewis Robison, quartermaster general of the Nauvoo Legion and
Brigham Young's agent in the Fort Bridger-Green River area for years.
The stones were taken from the bed of Black's Fork. After the fort was burned,
the only structure left standing was the scorched wall, which had tarps thrown
over it to serve as the roof for a sort of warehouse to protect the army's
supplies, which were unloaded from the contractors' wagons. Also, Albert
Sidney Johnston had several "lunettes" built atop the wall at the
corners on which artillery pieces were mounted so as to command the approaches
to the fort.
. . . . .
The tents are [also] wrong...what appears in the
image are the standard army "A" or wall tents, but all of that
changed once the Utah Expedition reached Bridger in Nov. 1857 and they unpacked
for use by the troops the new Sibley tents -- conical, tepee-shaped shelters
that were being field tested for the first time. There's no mistaking them.
So Harper's may well have received
a letter from Bridger dated 1 Dec. 1857, but it didn't get any images.
[Grant, Heber Jeddy
(Church President, 1918-45)] Compliments of Grant Bros Company. Telephone No
211. . . . Livery and Transfer,
Salt Lake City, Utah. [Heber J. Grant, Presdt. . . . Hall &
O'Donald Lith. Co. Topeka]. N.d., but ca. 1891.
(order item #9): *SOLD $275*
BI-FOLD
CARD printed in colors. 14¼ X 8½ cm. (5½ inches tall). [4] pp.
Very good, evenly toned. Light wear but quite presentable, the two halves
re-joined along the inside of the backfold using Japanese tissue. Click
on the thumbnail image to view illustrations.
Intended
particularly for tourists, delineating basic history and statistics of the
city and territory. Salt Lake City has 600 telephones and 52,800 people.
In 1890, real estate transfers totaled $21,759,004.00.
The Temple.—The corner stone was laid April 6, 1853. It is 200x100 feet;
height of walls, 100 feet; middle towers on east end will be 200 feet high.
Built entirely of granite, part of which was hauled by team 22 miles, one
stone at a time. It is to be finished in 1893, at a total cost of $4,000,000.
Located
at 40-46 S. West Temple Street, the Grant Brothers Company boasts "The
Largest Livery Barns west of Chicago. For Carriages and Light Livery. Special
Attention to Tourists and Visitors." Each page has a nice engraving,
the outside pages showing Temple Square with horse-drawn carriages and the
Grant Brothers Building, in color, and on the inside, views of Brigham Young's
grave and the "Gardo House. Residence of Brigham Young."
Acquired
from an old collection, this rare Grant handout is something I have not seen
before. "Apostle Grant is pre-eminently a business
man," wrote Andrew Jenson in 1901 (without mentioning the
Livery company documented by the present card),
and would doubtless have devoted his days to financial affairs exclusively,
if the call to the Apostleship had not changed the trend of his life from
its natural course . . . His business maxims are: Promptness in keeping
appointments and in fulfilling promises. He always aimed to give value received
to those who employed him, and since he became an employer, he has always
sought to treat his employees with respect and consideration. [LDS Biographical
Encyclopedia I:148-9]
Hartranft,
Rufus
C.
GUIDE
TO THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA. Compiled by Rufus C. Hartranft.
Presented by the Local Committee for the use of Members attending the Meeting
of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in Philadelphia,
September, 1884. Philadelphia, 1884.
15½
cm. [1 (title)]f., 126, [14 (blank “Memoranda”)] pages + 2 folding illustrations.
Original grayish-green printed front (only) wrapper detached and worn, but
present. The text block itself - not counting worn front wrapper (and missing
back wrapper) is in fine condition.
(order item #10): $85
Not
in Flake.
How many copies of this one-time meeting-participants’ guide to Philadelphia
do you expect would have survived? There is at least this copy, and in the
section listing churches for visiting scientists to attend, both Brighamite
and Josephite Mormons are thoughtfully considered on page 82:
Latter-Day Saints (Mormon, Joseph Smith, Jr., Branch), Anti-Polygamous.–Church,
N. E. cor. Ninth and Callowhill sts.
Mormon, Polygamous.–Congregation, Caledonia Hall, Pine st. ab. Second.
Think of it! In 1884, the Association for the Advancement of Science
was willing to list the location where any of its polygamous Mormon members
might attend church while in Philadelphia. Quite remarkable.
Hofmann,
Mark. AUTOGRAPH,
signed "Mark W. Hofmann 1-6-86 My left hand"
on a sheet of my business stationery. [Salt Lake City], January 6, 1986.
(order item #11): *SOLD $1,000*
One page, 8¼ X 8½ inches. Fine. Rare cursive
signature in his naturally awkward left hand, written while his right hand
was mending from his own bomb explosion. From the period at home, between
the bombings and the preliminary hearing. Click on the thumbnail image
at right to view three illustrations.
::Also
signed::
by Shannon P. Flynn
("Truth will prevail") December 17, 1985,
::and::
by Brent Lee Metcalfe,
January 15, 1986,
::and::
with an outline drawing
of a salamander in red ink by Lyn Jacobs,
the end of the tail forming his initials, "LRJ," March 16, 1986.
Signed
at my request on the dates noted (the dates also written by the individual
signers).
The
three friends of Hofmann (victims discussed in most of the books about the
forgery/murders) signed this sheet when we still believed the man to be innocent
of forgery and murder. The late Dr. Jacobs, who had been working on an original
home-crafts style "stained glass" window portraying Joseph Smith,
the white salamander and Angel Moroni, left off that project shortly afterward,
when evidence finally emerged which could not be doubted.
NOTE:
I had a number of these signed at the same time, but have only sold one example,
several years ago, and retain the others. Being manuscript, each example
is naturally somewhat unique. In addition, Jacobs drew the salamander on
each one in a different color. This is therefore the "red salamander"
version.
As
an avid . . . collector of autographs, Mark Hofmann must have sensed
an ironic parallel situation when he signed this piece of paper that day .
. .
All things considered, the autograph of Lord Nelson, another
great adversary of Napoleon, is not so rare as the collector might expect.
. . . Nelson lost his right arm at the Battle of Tenerife in July 1797.
He learned to write quite well with his left hand, but the two hands are extremely
distinctive: the normal hand slants strongly to the right; the left hand
has a backward slant. [Jerry E. Patterson, Autographs: A Collector's
Guide (NY, 1973), p. 157]
"All are at liberty to select
new partners if they choose;
and many have chosen." p.6
The Home Missionary
(pamphlet-format monthly newspaper, New York, published by the Executive
Committee of the American Home Missionary Society) for May, 1846
[XIX:1].
23
cm. 24 pp. Original green wrappers printed on all sides. A nice-looking
copy, although text shows dampstains & foxing. "Hon D Mack"
neatly penned in upper margin of front wrapper.
(order item #12): $45
A
report entitled, "Mormon atrocities," sent in by Rev. A. B. Robbins
from Bloomington, Iowa, occupies four column inches, and complains of the
corruption among nearby Mormons who "are now receiving their endowments.
The Lord having accepted the temple, as they say . . ." One aspect of
their new-found "power from on high," explains Robbins, ".
. . is the power to dissolve the marriage covenant." Dejected Mormon
wives ". . . now come to the 'Gentiles,' and in the bitterness of their
souls inquire, 'What shall we do? our husbands have left us and taken young
wives, and we and our children are left destitute.'"
One
woman, we read, educated and formerly pious, has embraced the system to the
point of abandoning her husband and only child in order "to seek out
a 'spiritual [husband],' for California."
[Howe, Eber D., printer] Report
of the Engineer, to the Directors of the Ohio Rail Road Company, March
20, 1837. Painesville: Printed by Howe & Jaques, 1837.
23½ cm. 16 pp. Original printed glossy lavender wrappers.
Unopened and uncut. Nearly fine; foxing. On September 30, 1837, someone
could not resist writing the name of "Rice Harper Esqr, Richmond City
Ohio," over and over again, covering the back blank wrapper. The writing
is very nice, due in part to the fine, slick surface of the paper. He adds,
along the edge of the page, "By virtue of an Execution . . . $37500."
I'm sure some final document was the better for this practice session.
(order item #13): $300
American Imprints 46071; T. R. Thomson, Check List of Publications on
American Railroads before 1841, 1706. Intelligent detailed cost estimates
by R. Higham for a line to run from the state line west across the north,
through Painesville, Cleveland, and other towns to the Maumee River (where
it would undoubtedly connect with the line completed the previous year from
the Toledo area into southeastern Michigan). Click on the thumbnail image
at left to view the larger illustration.
Printed
by the man who, three years earlier, published the landmark anti-Mormon source
compilation, Mormonism Unvailed (Painesville, 1834). There is no Mormon
content in this railroad pamphlet. Howe-ever, I was willing to pay $200
as a dealer to assure that it would be preserved and recorded in LDS circles.
It is worth my price as an early railroad piece, and does double duty as an
interesting specimen from the hand of the man who
brought us the Spaulding theory and some of the most important early accounts
of the Smith Family in Palmyra.
The Panic of 1837 was eminent, and the "Ohio Rail Road" was not
built as proposed. At the moment this pamphlet appeared, Joseph Smith, a
few miles away, faced the first of countless financial court actions which
would ultimately inspire him to skip town by night and flee to Missouri.
This
pamphlet is curious in two regards. First, the bottom margins are very generous
in some sheets, and the text rather short on the page, on all sheets. Yet
the wrapper printing arrangement dictates nearly the full length seen in this
uncut copy, forcing some text leaves to be shorter than the covers. In other
words, the shorter leaves of text are on paper which does not reach the bottom
level of the printing seen on the front wrapper.
Second,
like an Ohio antimasonic publication which I spotted and attributed to Howe's
press years ago (based on content, typography and other factors), this pamphlet
is sewn into the wrappers with a single narrow stitch in the center of the
backfold. Such a technique is quite unlike that used to sew most such publications
of the time. (Compare to Proceedings of the Ohio Antimasonic State Convention,
Held at Canton, Ohio. On the 21st and 22d days of July, 1830. [caption
title] N.p., n.d. [Painesville, Ohio? Eber D. Howe? 1830?]. 21 X
12½
cm. 16 pp.)
[Howe, Eber D.] See also item 42 (Seymour, S[tephen]. P.)
". . . through some mysterious
influence he was acquitted by a Mormon jury." p. 4
[Indian
murders] . . . Hooper & Williams, Livingston, Kincaid &
Co., Gilbert & Gerrish, and Others. {To accompany Bill H.R. No. 720.} May 18, 1860. Mr. Walton, from the Committee of Claims, made the following Report.
The Committee of Claims, to whom was referred the memorial of H. S. Eldredge
and Gilbert & Gerrish, and others, have considered the same, and report:
. . . [caption title; at head: "36th
Congress, 1st Session.} House of Representatives. {Report No. 521."]
[Washington: Government Printing Office, 1860].
22½ cm. 5 pp. + integral blank leaf at the end. Removed from
a binding, else nearly fine. Bright and clean.
(order #14 - includes the two items): *SOLD
$185*
Not
in Flake; not in Fales
& Flake. I purchased this item a mere sixteen years ago,
and now hasten to catalog it for your possible interest. Do not be
afraid of a Government document. The content is excellent, and the condition
nice. It has no pretty picture, so I will give you one to go with it:
::together with::
[Illustration
- Salt Lake City] "Interesting Facts About the Mormons. From
Our Utah Correspondent." Two excellent half-page engravings
of scenes in early Salt Lake City on a single leaf taken from Harper's
Weekly (New York) for Saturday, December 4, 1858 [II:101].
Folio.
Two pages on one leaf (781-2). The illustrations are both on one side of
the leaf and are attractively hand-colored.
Very good, and ideal for framing.
Prominent
in the lower illustration is the substantial building
of "Livingston, Kinkead
& Co.," one of the firms named in the government document
offered here. The photograph from which this engraving
was made would have been taken near the time Judge Kinney wrote his letter
to Washington on behalf of this firm and others which he had encouraged to
forward money to the marshal (see below).
Other
buildings illustrated are the Social
Hall, Council House, Candland's
Saloon, and another firm. What a rough-looking, muddy street!
The back of this leaf has three columns of very colorful, descriptive text
(but not the entire article, which began on a page not present here). According
to the correspondent, tourists would arise in the morning from their beds
at the saloon and go out to wash in the pure water running in the gutters
beside the road. Brigham owned the saloon, we read - the only place where
he would allow gentiles to board - and the patrons amused themselves observing
David Candland's simpering manipulation of charges from day to day, sizing
up the gentiles' maximum ability to pay.
Mr.
Walton's Report explains that when Joseph P. Heywood
was appointed Utah Territorial marshal in 1851, the federal government allowed
him to give local merchants drafts on the US treasury in order to get cash
to run the federal courts there. In other words, Heywood cashed checks at
the local stores. Why the merchants accommodated him is not explained here.
What is important, however, is that when the government later tightened up
procedures, an overlap in the system left major Utah firms holding the bag.
They had advanced the money, partly on the word of federal Judge John Fitch
Kinney, (1816-1902; Chief Justice for the Territory of Utah;
Utah Territorial Delegate to Congress).
This
entire document is instructive, but the supporting letter of Judge Kinney,
dated from Washington, May 21, 1858, is particularly interesting. Here is
a substantial excerpt . . .
In the spring of 1854 I accepted the appointment of chief justice
of Utah Territory, and crossed the plains. In entering upon my official duties
I found considerable business pending . . . A number of important criminal
cases were tried before my court. One of the most important, the indictment
against the murderers of Captain Gunnison and his party; one of Carlos Muny
for the murder of an Indian, together with other indictments against Indians
wherein some seven whites had been murdered during the winter of 1855 and
1856 in the suburban portion of Utah valley, bordering Utah lake on the west.
In one instance, wherein two whites and three Indians were killed in making
arrests; these were United States cases. The business of the courts, pay
of witnesses, grand and petit juries, and officers, involved a large expenditure
of money.
Out of the settlements the country was in the hands of Indians, some of
whom were hostile, and in many instances requiring a strong force to serve
process and secure arrest. Particularly was this the case in serving writs
against Indians, some of whom were indicted for murder, stealing, driving
off cattle and horses—some six hundred having been driven off at one time
in December, 1855, or January, 1856.
Muny, who was indicted for killing an Indian, had the reputation of being
a most dangerous and desperate man. He had joined a band of Indians, marauders
on the Humboldt, occupying a portion of country contiguous to the great thoroughfare
leading to California, and who, the Indian agent, Garland Hunt [sic], informed
me, was depredating upon the emigrants and inciting the Indians to acts of
hostility. I instructed the marshal to take with him, at any reasonable expense,
a sufficient posse to secure his arrest, and bring this notorious offender
to justice. He accordingly summoned a posse of forty
men, who went about four hundred miles, arrested, and brought this man to
trial. He had previously been in fellowship with the Mormon church, and although
the proof of his guilt was conclusive, through some mysterious influence he
was acquitted by a Mormon jury. The expenses of all these courts
in my district, as well as those of my brother judges, were paid, to a great
extent, by Gilbert & Gerrish and other merchants in Salt Lake City, by
advances to the marshal in behalf of the government, and receiving in return
his drafts on the United States treasury. Without such advances the judicial
wheels of the government would have been completely blocked. They frequently
advised with me whether they would be safe in doing so, and I as often assured
them that the government would certainly pay their demands without hesitation,
believing, as I did, after the reappointment of the marshal in 1855, that
the marshal had the confidence of the government, and that his accounts had
been satisfactorily adjusted with the proper department.
. . . . .
I have looked over the petition of Messrs. Gilbert & Gerrish, now pending,
and I hesitate not to say that I believe their demand to be just, and ought
to be paid without further delay. These advances were made upon the faith
of the government for government expenses incurred by the courts, and in many
instances advised by the judges. The marshal having no funds of the government
I regard it exceedingly unjust to delay payment. [pp. 3-5 (emphasis added)]
This was no small matter. The amount in question came to $57,840.28, which the
Salt Lake merchants had advanced and waited for years for the government to
repay. "However innocent Mormons may have been of involvement in the
Gunnison affair," writes Will Bagley,
the fate of the murderers revealed how local religious authorities manipulated
Utah's courts. Federal judge John Kinney directed the Mormon jury to acquit
the defendants or find them guilty of murder. Instead the jury returned a
verdict of manslaughter, following instructions from their religious leaders.
The verdict demonstrated "that the authority of the Priesthood
is paramount to the law of the land," Kinney complained to the attorney
general. When the Pahvant convicts simply walked away from the territorial
penitentiary and returned to Corn Creek, their escape did little to burnish
the reputation of Utah's justice system. [Blood of the Prophets; Brigham
Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows (Norman, Oklahoma: Univ. of
Oklahoma Press, 2002), p. 46]
Kinney returned to his post in Utah, and worked within the system, often catering
to Brigham Young when not arresting him for bigamy. He represented Utah in
Congress 1863-5, moved to Nebraska, then California, and died in Salt Lake
City on August 16, 1902.
"Louisa." Letter
to friends in the Syracuse, NY, area. Chicago, May 9, 1884.
20
X 12 cm. 6 pages on 3 leaves (two of which are conjugate). Written in purple
ink. Without cover or address. Very good.
(order item #15): *SOLD $40*
Rambling
social correspondence, mentioning Syracuse, and "your Brother Jerome
& his family I knew there when I lived in Lafayette I feel as if all
the Cook family was my connection . . ." The following enigmatic passages
appear on page [4, i.e., back page of the conjugate leaves], continuing
along the upper margin of that page, and on the final page of the single leaf
. . .
Yesterday I went & saw your Aunt Sleeper & her daughters
. . . Your Aunt Sleeper is 88 & real smart goes all over the house up
stairs & reads a great deal she is a very small woman & her daughter
Mrs Jones is tall & a very plesant [sic] woman & her grand daughter
is a lovely woman so sweet & genteel in her manner I think every one
who know them must love them they said that Cornelia talked as if she was
very poor & much cramped for money she told them that the family did
not know if Mary was sealed to one of the men there but they thought she is
she said Mary is a perfect tyrant in the family with them all . . .
. . . . .
Mrs D[arre ?] used to correspond with Mary but Mrs D[arre ?] was so very bitter
against the Mormons that Mary droped them (they are spiritualists) . . .
From
the context of the letter, it would appear that the writer means to say that
Mary, the Mormon, dropped Mrs. D's family from her correspondence, and that
Mrs. D's family were Spiritualists.
[Map]
Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada. Idaho.
McNally's System of Geography, Map No. 17. 1865?
29½ X 23½ cm. (11½
X 9¼ inches). Hand-colored in pastel tones. Geography questions
and exercises about California and Minnesota printed on the other side (p.
41). Moderate wear & soil, but presentable. Click on the thumbnail
image below to view two illustrations.
(order item #16): SOLD
Page
42 from an unspecified McNally's geography textbook, dated in pencil by a dealer
from whom I acquired this a dozen years ago as "1865." The coloring
was done quickly, staying somewhat within the lines. If you like to
see Utah larger than it is today (extending well into present-day Nevada), then
this is a map for you.
"Theirs is the only true
church; they know this with absolute certainty."
[Missouri]
Newark Daily Advertiser
(newspaper, Newark, NJ) for Monday evening, November 29, 1841 [10:129].
Folio,
[4] pages. Some foxing and light wear but presentable; disbound.
(order item #17): *SOLD $65*
An
interesting letter from Iowa to the New York Sun is picked up on page
two (10 inches of tiny type). The writer delineates Mormon doctrine on several
points, and quite accurately - but the portions regarding Missouri sound wide-eyed
. . .
6. Zion, or the New Jerusalem, is in Missouri, where the Savior
is to appear, in a short time in person.
. . . . .
9. The prophet predicted eleven years ago, that Zion is to be built in Missouri
in this generation.—But they have been dispossessed, and the city of
their hopes lies desolate; still they are not withont [sic] hopes. Nauvoo,
their principal city in this vicinity, contains 3000 inhabitants. Every one
of a certain age is called on to bear arms; and the "legion of the Lord"
is drilled twice a week, and it is the common belief that they intend soon
to attempt to retake their claim in Missouri.
"A
Mormon Trouble Brewing---Seditious Preaching in Salt Lake City."
Front-page column in the Rochester Daily Democrat
(newspaper, Rochester, New York) for Tuesday Morning, November 14, 1865 [33:504].
Large
folio, [4] pages. Very good; moderate edge wear.
(order item #18): SOLD
A
major and damning article twenty inches in length, printing "a few extracts"
from "a long letter from Great Salt Lake City, Oct. 8th" by "A.
D. Richardson, the well known Tribune correspondent, . . . making some important
and startling revelations of a rebellious purpose among the Mormons."
Richardson
begins by explaining that he has spent seventeen days in Salt Lake City, studying
affairs in Utah. He insists that in the summer of 1865, Brigham Young left
several prominent visiting interviewers with the distinct impression that
polygamy was a secondary feature of Mormonism which would soon be allowed
to die a natural death. "I do not say that he willfully deceived us;
but he certainly gave us this idea." This is a reporter who is attempting
to be accurate. "In this faith I endeavor to write of the people and
leaders, with the utmost kindness;" he says,
to say nothing of their disloyalty in the past; nothing of the
grave crimes alleged to have been committed in the name of the Church; . .
.
But Brigham simply deluded us. Within a few hours after the interview with
Mr. Colfax and his friends, he solemnized three Polygamous marriages. One
of the bridegrooms was Mr. John Myers, keeper of Myers' Stage station at Bear
Lake. The other parties will be named if the statement is authoritatively
denied.
The public tone of all the leaders has radically changed. They preach that
Polygamy is their religion, that they will adhere to it, living or dying,
even by force of arms, if necessary; that the people and Government of the
United States are their bitterest enemies, and desire to destroy them, but
must be resisted to the death if they adopt violent measures. I have heard
sermons here so disloyal that they brought the blood to my cheeks; . . .
According
to the History of Brigham Young 1847-67 (Berkeley, California, c. 1964),
pp. 355-6, on June 11, ". . . Hons. Schuyler Colfax, and Wm. Bross, and
Messrs Albert D. Richardson and Samuel Bowes [i.e., Bowles] visited
G. S. L. City, and were hospitably entertained. . . . On Sunday evening,
18th, Speaker Colfax delivered, to a large audience in the Bowery, G. S. L.
City, an oration on 'The Life and Principles of President Lincoln.'"
So
Richardson was there, as he claims. He continues his account by quoting from
a sermon which he did not hear personally, but which seems to be a reaction
to Colfax's oration . . .
August
28 was not a Sunday - perhaps the intended date was the 25th, one week following
the future Vice President's oration in the Bowery. The pro-Southern Mormon
bias reported above seems confusing when contrasted with Samuel Bowles' account.
"In mid-summer of 1865," writes E. B. Long,
Speaker of the House Schuyler Colfax, prominent newsman and reporter Albert
Richardson of the New York Tribune, and leading editor Samuel Bowles
of the Springfield, Massachusetts, Republican visited Salt Lake City.
Bowles later wrote of an interview with Brigham Young in which he quoted the
Mormon leader as saying, "'Now that peace is established, let all be
pardoned,'" but he also told Bowles that "early in or during the
war he would have disposed of the rebel chiefs who fell into the hands of
the Government without mercy or hesitation. Had he been President when Mason
and Slidell [Confederate Commissioners to Britain and France] were captured,
he would have speedily put them 'where they never would peep,' and negotiated
with England afterwards." Bowles said Young uttered this sentiment "with
such a wicked working of the lower jaw and lip, and such an almost demon-like
spirit in his whole face, that, quite disposed to be incredulous on those
matters, I could not help thinking of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, of recussant
Mormons, of Danites and Avenging Angels, and their reported achievements."
[E. B. Long, The Saints and the Union; Utah Territory during the Civil
War (Urbana & Chicago: Univ. of Illinois Press, 1981), p. 265, citing
Samuel Bowles, Across the Continent (Springfield, Mass.: Samuel Bowles,
1866), p. 113]
On
September 24, five of reporter Richardson's acquaintances attended a morning
service at the Bowery and listened to Heber C. Kimball supposedly lie in order
to inflame the congregation:
. . . Heber's remarks were intensely disloyal. Among other excuses
for his bitterness, he said to his hearers; "Colfax told us that they
had wiped out one National cancer, and were now about to remove the other;
that we should not be permitted to stay here more than three years longer."
This was a deliberate, unmitigated falsehood: Mr. Colfax never said anything
of the kind; but such statements serve to embitter the people, who receive
as Gospel truth whatever their leaders tell them.
In the afternoon I found the Bowery densely crowded. Upon the platform sat
[sic] (wearing his hat, which he seldom lays aside) and several other church
leaders. The preaching, as it invariably is, was extemporaneous. Heber called
up speaker after speaker, and all responded without hesitancy or preparation.
* * [i.e., ellipses intended in the original newspaper text here]
Though it was not stated in so many words, the plain, direct, only inference
from the language was that if any possible attempt should be made to render
the anti-Polygamy law operative, they would resist it by force of arms.
According to statements published in the Mormon papers, and the concurrent
testimony of all Gentiles, whether in civil life or connected with the army,
the Mormons are perfecting their military organization, which extends throughout
the territory, drilling the people, and, of late, with peculiar earnestness
and zeal, obtaining all the arms and ammunition they can purchase from discharged
soldiers, miners and others.
. . . . .
The Church of Rome, in its palmiest days, never expected and received more
perfect allegiance from its followers than is rendered to Brigham. No Mormon
jury could be empanneled [sic] which would convict of polygamy—indeed, of
anything—contrary to the mandate of Brigham. Hence the law is not only a
dead letter, but a scoff and a bye-word. . . .
[Nauvoo]
"The Mormon War." Action-packed article in The Union
(newspaper, Saco, Maine) for Wednesday, October 8, 1845 [1:36].
Folio,
[4] pages. Very good; a medium edge wear.
(order item #19): $65
The
article occupies 3½ column inches on the second page . . .
Mormon murder on the way West?
[Pioneers]
Tri-Weekly Ohio Statesman.
Daily During the Session of the Legislature and Tri-Weekly the Balance of
the Year. (newspaper, Columbus, Ohio) for Wednesday, June 2, 1847
[I:116].
Listed
on eBay March 11, 2005 (seven-day sale)
Folio,
[4] pages. A very good, clean copy, the two leaves neatly trimmed and separated
from one another. Bearing a manuscript subscriber designation at the top
of page one:
Hon D. Tod
David
Tod (1805-68; Governor
of Ohio 1862-4), hopefully got this paper! This was the year he went to Brazil
as U.S. ambassador, returning in 1851. He was a founder of the Youngstown
iron industry, and president of the Cleveland and Mahoning Valley Railroad
through the final decade of his life.
A
scarce Midwestern newspaper, with a scandalous report on page three from St.
Louis regarding the actions of 1847 Mormon pioneers heading West . . .
fresh from Salt Lake, a month
after the fact
[Pioneers]
Rochester Daily Advertiser
(newspaper, Rochester, New York) for Wednesday Morning, August 25, 1847 [Volume
XX].
Folio,
[4] pages. Some toning and moderate edge wear.
(order item #21): *SOLD $125*
Readers
of this newspaper knew of the first Mormons in nearby Palmyra, and would have
read this very recent news with interest (page 2, column 5). Notice that
this purports to be first-hand reporting, based on original letters
just received. If I felt entirely certain of that, the price would be higher.
[Polygamy]
The Burlington Free Press
(newspaper, Burlington, VT) for Friday Morning, August 25, 1865 [XXXIV (New Series XII):8]
Large
folio, [4] pages. Very good; moderate edge wear. Disbound from a volume,
the two leaves nearly separated from one another.
(order item #22): $45
"Polygamy
in Utah.—Mr.
Samuel Bowles writes to the Springfield, Mass., Republican from Utah
. . ." (page 2, columns 2-3; 12 column inches of small type).
This
is an early report, before the book. Bowles and Schuyler Colfax (future Vice
President under Grant) traveled from Atchison, Kansas, to San Francisco, May
21 - July, 1865; see Flake 767, note on Bowles' Across the Continent:
A Summer's Journey to the Rocky Mountains . . . (Springfield, Mass., and
NY, 1865). Here is a sampling from the lengthy correspondence preserved in
this paper:
". . . There are several cases of men marrying both mother
(a widow) and her daughter or daughters—taking the 'old woman for the sake
of getting the young ones; but having children by all. Please cipher out
for yourselves how this mixes things. More disgusting associations are known—even
to the marrying of a half-sister by one Mormon. . . . and it is safe to predict
that a few generations of such social practices will breed a physical, moral
and mental debasement of the people most frightful to contemplate. . . .
". . . The Mormon religion is an excellent institution for maintaining
masculine authority in the family; and the greatness of a true Mormon is
measured indeed, by the number of wives he can keep in sweet and loving and
especially in obedient subjection. Such a man can have as many wives as he
wants. But President Young objects to multiplying wives for men who have
not this rare domestic gift. So there[,] there is no chance for you and me,
my dear Jones, becoming successful Mormons.
. . . . .
". . . Brigham, Jr., is mainly distinguished for his size and strength—he
weighs 200 to 300 pounds, and is muscular in proportion. He has now taken
one of his wives and gone to England with her on business for the church.
The next son, John, is a poor and puny looking fellow, with several wives
and an inordinate love for whiskey. Brigham's dynasty will die with himself.
. . ."
[Polygamy]
A pair of classic views seen by millions of Americans in Harper's Weekly
at the beginning of 1875. Such pictures helped to prejudice the public
mind against the peculiar institution, with the result that if you are LDS
today, you are most likely not a child of plural marriage. Click on the
thumbnail image at left to view four illustrations.
These
are LARGE ENGRAVINGS by Tavernier
and Frenzeny. "Since 1857," write Gary L. Bunker and Davis Bitton,
no illustrated weekly, with the possible exception of Leslie's Weekly,
had followed the fortunes of Mormonism more assiduously than Harper's Weekly.
As interest in Utah, California, and other parts of the West mounted, Harper's
commissioned two French artists, Paul Frenzeny and Jules Tavernier, to make
detailed sketches of a transcontinental expedition beginning in 1873. Their
woodcuts can be found sprinkled throughout the pages of Harper's from
1873-75, long after the completion of their assignment. Resembling Joseph
Becker's earlier work for their competitor in terms of neutrality of tone,
the illustrations were not nearly as callous as the accompanying text. "Mormons
at the Communion Table" and "Brigham Young's Wives in the Great
Mormon Tabernacle" appeared in 1874 . . . "Bringing Home the Fifth
Wife" and "A Fresh Supply of Wives Out of the Settlements"
and "Reading a Ukase" were published the following year. [The
Mormon Graphic Image, 1834-1914 . . . (Salt Lake City, 1983), pp. 41-2]
TWO
INDIVIDUAL LEAVES, each with
modern hand-coloring,
measuring approximately 11 X 16 inches, completely filled
with the engravings except for captions, datelines, and suitable margins.
A matched pair, the same size in very good condition. Frame the pair and
send them to your mother-in-law.
Listed
on eBay March 10, 2005 (seven-day sale)
A.
"Bringing Home the Fifth Wife
- A Sketch in Mormondom." On a single folio leaf taken from Harper's
Weekly for January 2, 1875. Intermediate wives peer dubiously from behind
the first spouse who glares at the newly-weds with a resigned expression,
arms akimbo: they are not nearly so well attired as the latest addition!
The children and a wagon driver look on. A simple but frameable illustration,
revealing the popular image of Mormonism disseminated across the nation in
this major household periodical.
B.
"Mormondom—A Fresh Supply of Wives—Going
Out to the Settlements." Mouths agape in songs of praise, a trio of
smartly-clad young lovelies (looking like stylish, singing zombies) carrying
an umbrella and purse strides down a rocky incline beside wagons which carry
more women, with their trunks, and the men who have led them astray. A real
eye-catcher.
[Polygamy]
{Form of Oath for a Woman,} Territory
of Utah, County of . . . N.p., 188- .
Oblong,
partly-printed form, never used. 7½ X 21½ cm. (3 X
8½
inches), verso blank. Evidently removed from a stab-bound booklet of forms
(and thus not necessarily the only example floating around, although I have
never seen one). Very good; negligible light creases and minor dampstaining
near the upper blank edge.
(order item #24): *SOLD $65*
I
could research this all day long. In consideration of the modest price above,
however, such a task will transfer to the next owner.
I, being first duly sworn
(or affirmed), depose and say that I am over twenty-one years of age, and
have resided in the Territory of Utah for six months, and in the precinct
of one month immediately preceding the date
hereof, [and I am a native born, or naturalized, or the wife, widow or daughter
(as the case may be) of a native born or naturalized citizen of the United
States.] I do further solemnly swear (or affirm) that I am not a bigamist
nor a polygamist: that I have not violated the laws of the United States
prohibiting bigamy or polygamy; and I am not the wife of a polygamist, nor
have I entered into any relation with any man in violation of the laws of
the United States concerning bigamy and polygamy. . . . Subscribed and sworn
to before me this day of 188 . . .
Note.—The Registration Officer, or his Deputy, will erase from the clause
between [brackets] such parts as are not applicable to the case. In every
case the female must swear that she is over twenty-one years of age, otherwise
she must not be registered.
[Postcards] Three early Utah postcards printed in color, never used
and in very good condition. Click on the thumbnail image at left to
view illustrations.
(order #25 - includes all three early postcards): SOLD
A.
"The Oldest House in Utah. Built 1847." Pleasing color. Published
in Salt Lake City by Frank H. Leib, no. 957. No date, but ca. 190- .
3¾
X 5½ inches. Unused, in very good condition.
Early
1900s (back side is a single section, undivided, suggesting pre-1907). A
nice image of a familiar relic, as seen a century ago when only sixty years
old, before it was moved to Temple Square.
::together with::
"Brigham
Young's Statute [sic], Salt Lake City, Utah. N.p., n.d., but 190- .
Size as above. Very good. Never mailed, but with a pencil note in the address
space, "From Mr Stacey, Nov 6. 1905." Image captioned in the negative,
"Brigham Young Mon't. Salt Lake. Johnson. A."
::and::
"Tabernacle
Organ and Choir. Salt lake City, Utah." [Salt Lake City: Souvenir Novelty
Co.; Copyrighed [sic] by Utah Photo Material Co., 1913.
Size
as above. Nearly fine, never used. Printed in colors and quite striking.
Showing the smaller organ and the electric star "Welcome, Utah"
sign which would look gaudy to later generations.
"The
Reformation in Utah." Article in Harper's
New Monthly Magazine for September, 1871 (No. 256).
25½ cm. Paged [481]-640 + ads.; illustrations throughout
the text. Orig. wrappers. Untrimmed; wear to backstrip, etc.
(order item #26): $15
The
anonymous article, pp. 602-10 traces Federal and civic efforts (by Godbe,
among others) to break the theocratic stranglehold of Brigham Young. Concludes
naively:
The future of Utah is very distinctly marked. Theocracy will pass away,
and a republican State take its place, while ten years hence scarcely a relic
of polygamy and the patriarchal system will remain. [p. 610]
Robbins,
Irving W.
An Investigation into the printing
of the first Annual Message of Governor Brigham Young, Utah Territory,
September 22, 1851 [caption title; large beehive device at
top of first page]. [San Francisco: Designed and Printed by Lawton Kennedy.
Presented to The Western History Association by Warren R. Howell, Irving W.
Robbins, Lawton R. Kennedy, Salt Lake City, October 18, 1963].
Quarto,
28½ X 21½ cm. (11¼ inches tall). One
large sheet folded twice to form [4] pages for text (the back of each blank,
on the inside of the first fold). Printed in black and red on fine paper
with deckle fore-edge to first two pages. Fine but for slight dents to the
deep texture of the paper.
(order item #27): $45
Tipped
onto the third page is a facsimile
reprint of:
First
Annual Message of His Excellency, Governor Brigham Young, to the Legislative
Assembly of Utah Territory, September 22, 1851. Printed by Order of the Legislature. [caption title]. 20 X 14 cm., 4 pp.
Robbins
discusses this rare early Utah imprint briefly, having compared it to a copy
at the LDS Church Library, and calls it a "great historical document."
I firmly believe that this document is authentic in nature
and provenance. It is neither a reprint nor a forgery. Several reasons seem
to justify this conclusion.
. . . . .
In retrospect, I do not believe now that McMurtrie ever saw the copy being
discussed. . . .
The
pamphlet in question is Flake 9346. The facsimile shows two radically different-sized
fonts used, which Robbins excuses from the hardships of the early Deseret
News press which did the work, and was short on type. We now have more
precise information on this imprint from Richard L. Saunders (Printing
in Deseret . . .), entries 43a, b, and 44. However, the large pamphlet
offered here is an attractive fine-press collectible, sporting prestigious
names from the book world, and includes the useful facsimile of Young's
entire four-page Message.
The
Saints' Advocate. . . . Plano, Illinois, March, 1879 [1:9].
23½ cm. Paged [81]-88 (complete issue). Unopened; uncut.
Some light wear, but certainly a very good copy. One sheet, folded to form
the 8 pages. Never bound, never cut open, never trimmed.
(order item #28): $40
Flake
7476, recording the full run extending from July 1878 - June 1886 (showing
the full run at the RLDS library and incomplete holdings at the LDS library).
Edited by W. W. Blair, published in the interest of the Utah Mission of the
RLDS Church. The illustration at right shows a portion of page 88 . . .
cow town
[Salt
Lake City] "Great Salt Lake City, From the North." Lithographed
illustration plate taken from Howard Stansbury's
Expedition to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake of Utah (Philadelphia,
1852; image lithographed by "Ackerman" on Broadway, New York City).
Single
leaf, verso blank. The image measures 11½ X 19¾
cm. (4½ X 7¾
inches; complete leaf measuring approx. 5¼
X 8½
inches). In excellent, clean condition, printed on good paper. The image
was printed somewhat crooked on the leaf, which has also been trimmed, leaving
only a narrow margin at the top. Click on the thumbnail image at right
to view illustrations.
(order item #29): * SOLD $45 *
A
delightfully primitive view of the city during the earliest pioneer years.
If you raise cattle (or if you're just a suburbanite exhausted by Salt Lake
City traffic), this picture belongs on your wall.
. . . Captain Howard Stansbury
. . . arrived in August 1849 to conduct a government survey of the Great Salt
Lake and Utah Lake. When the Saints first heard of Stansbury's expedition,
they were apprehensive about its military and political implications, fearing
another invasion of their rights. However, once the mission of the Army Corps
of Engineers was made clear, Brigham Young cooperated fully and Albert Carrington,
a Mormon, was hired by Stansbury to superintend the chain line. Stansbury's
published report included the first accurate maps of the two valleys and much
important scientific information about plant and animal life in the Great
Salt Lake region. [James B. Allen and Glen M. Leonard, The Story of the Latter-day
Saints (SLC, 1976/86), pp. 254-5]
[Salt Lake City] "STREET IN GREAT SALT LAKE CITY - Looking East."
Lithographed illustration
plate taken from Howard Stansbury's Expedition to the Valley of the Great
Salt Lake of Utah (Philadelphia, 1852; image lithographed by "Ackerman"
on Broadway, New York City).
Single
leaf, verso blank. The image measures 11¼
X 19½
cm. (approx. 4½ X 7½
inches; complete leaf measuring 5½
X 8¾
inches). In very good, clean condition, printed on good paper. The image
was printed somewhat crooked on the leaf, which has also been trimmed, leaving
the bottom and lower left margins narrow. Click on the thumbnail image
above to view illustrations.
(order item #30): $45
Choice
early view of the city during the earliest pioneer years. The famous width
of the street is already well-apparent. The pavers will come later.
. . . Captain Howard Stansbury
. . . arrived in August 1849 to conduct a government survey of the Great Salt
Lake and Utah Lake. When the Saints first heard of Stansbury's expedition,
they were apprehensive about its military and political implications, fearing
another invasion of their rights. However, once the mission of the Army Corps
of Engineers was made clear,