John Stevens' Courtship: A Story of the Echo Canyon War — John Shaqi
John Stevens' Courtship: A Story of the Echo Canyon WarGates, Susa Young
General
John Stevens' Courtship: A Story of the Echo Canyon War
Gates, Susa Young
Latter Day Saints -- Fiction; Utah Expedition (1857-1858) -- Fiction
"Oh, Dian," breathed the happy girl, "I never thought there was so much
beauty in all Utah."
"Utah is the home of beauty and goodness," said Charlie Rose gallantly,
and even Dian could not answer this trite compliment saucily, for her
heart was melted with rapture at sight of so much grandeur.
The camp was located on a fairy-like spot, overlooking the surrounding
meadows and lake. The boweries, President Young's marquee, and
President Heber C. Kimball's tent, occupied an open space amid the
small copses of pine on the north side of the lake. The tents,
carriages and wagons, were soon grouped about these central points. A
massive granite rock, fifty-four feet in circumference by fifty-four
feet high, stood at the entrance of this lovely, natural bower; from
the center of this spot, and apparently without earth to sustain them,
grew three pine trees, which were fringed round at the top of the rock
with a thick cluster of young pines, about two feet high. A large flag
was suspended from these trees, bearing the motto "Clear the Way,"
with an all seeing eye in the oval of the upper margin, above two
clasped hands, under which, inscribed on a scroll, were the words,
"Blessings Follow Sacrifices." A representation of the Pioneer company
crossing the North Platte River, on rafts, occupied the central space
of this great flag. Below was another legend, "The Pioneers of 1847
at the Upper Crossing of the Platte, in Pursuit of the Valleys of the
Mountains."
A little farther to the right, and near the northwest corner of the
great, central, hundred foot bowery, was a stately pine, from which
floated the loveliest flag on earth--the Stars and Stripes--its silken
folds now whipping out wide and full now curling in graceful half
circles around the unique flagstaff.
Another banner near by, bore the representation of a bundle of
sticks, bound together with strong cords, and the inscription, "The
Constitution of the United States. Equal Rights! Woe to the Violators!"
From the front of the central bowery hung three great banners, the
first having painted thereon a rock in the midst of billowing waves;
from the summit of the rock floated the starry flag, and below was the
inscription, "The Constitution of the United States! The 'Mormons'
will Defend the Rock! Who can Prevail Against it?" The second banner
had the picture of a lion, with one paw upon a rock above which was
the inscription "Utah Courage," and underneath in golden letters, "The
Spirit of '76 is not Dead." The third banner had a lion standing beside
the docile figure of a recumbent lamb, with the inscription, "Peace
Reigns Here," painted across the silken surface beneath.
On the tallest pines at the crowning point of both eastern and western
summits, there floated great flags, the red, white and blue of their
glory accentuated by the clear, brilliant blue of the sky, and the deep
green of the wooded slopes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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