Marauders, Misfits, and Mormons: True Stories of Early Utah

By George U. Hubbard

Experience pioneer life. Be taken on adventures while learning some of the history of the Old West. Laugh, cry, and wonder while you read about familiar and unfamiliar characters, animals, and railroads.

 

Discover why Butch Cassidy was called "The Robin Hood of the West". Find out about Pancho Villa's and Sherlock Holmes' relationships with the Mormons. Read about John D. Lee 'Pioneer Extraordinaire'. Follow the Donner Party and Brigham Young along with other characters who helped shape the Utah Territory.

 

Marauders, Misfits, and Mormons: True Stories of Early Utah will entertain you. It will also teach you about the struggles encountered by those conquering the wilderness of the western United States.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Punaluu Data, LLC
• Release date: Apr 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781735833866

George U. Hubbard

George U. Hubbard, PhD, MS, BS Born in 1928, George Hubbard was born into and grew up privileged. He wasn't privileged the way most people think of privilege - financial wealth - he was privileged to grow up where education and culture were prized above money. The son of a university president and beloved educator who created a cultural Mecca in North Central Texas, George literally sat at the feet of luminaries such as Robert Frost, Amelia Earhart, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Lily Pons, Eleanor Roosevelt, and many, many more. From these internationally renowned icons, George learned the art of storytelling and the thrill of adventure and exploration. George loved unhurried road trips. He took great pleasure in wandering the back roads of the Old West; in taking ten mile detours off the Interstate to some obscure historical market; in combing through small local museums and libraries to unearth the facts behind myths and legends then bringing to life riveting histories of little-known people, places, and animals. Through his writings, Hubbard provides true and entertaining glimpses into the characteristics and escapades that made them great – their hopes, their dreams, their schemes, their successes, and their failures. He found the mid-19th Century and early 20th Century an especially exciting time in the Old West, and Hubbard’s stories focus on that excitement. Award-winning and bestselling author George U. Hubbard spent his life as an educator. Writing was his avocation. After completing his tour of duty in the United States Army during the Korean War, George taught junior high school mathematics briefly before being recruited by corporate America at the dawn of the computer age. IBM lured him away from Lockheed, but after 32 years teaching and training both IBM employees and clients, he retired to focus on his true passions – writing and academia. He retired again from Texas Woman’s University where he taught statistics. George holds a PhD from the University of North Texas, an MS – Statistics from Stanford University, and an MS and BSEE from The University of Texas. He is the author of numerous newspaper, magazine and journal articles books.

Book preview

Marauders, Misfits, and Mormons

Marauders, Misfits, and Mormons: True Stories of Early Utah

George U. Hubbard

Published by Punaluu Data, LLC, 2022.

Also by George U. Hubbard

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Marauders, Misfits, and Mormons: True Stories of Early Utah

Purple Mountains & Wilderness: True Stories of the Great American West

Watch for more at George U. Hubbard’s site.

PRAISE FOR MARAUDERS, MISFITS, AND MORMONS

What a wonderful and inspiring work; it was a pleasure to read it.

ALFRED H. WHITE, PH.D., AUTHOR OF IN SEARCH OF TRUTH

I welcomed the opportunity to read this very interesting, informative collection of truly fascinating accounts, validated with details that arouse emotions of every kind. Impressive examples of endurance, determination, conflict, all supported with real moments in experiences that invite very thoughtful reflection of the past, the present and the future. The drama of each brief encounter is strengthened with historic names, places and consequences that those of us following might give thought to as we face our own time with respect for those who came before us and those who will follow us before the return of our Savior.

ARDETH G. KAPP, AUTHOR OF EYES TO SEE: RECOGNIZING THE LESSONS IN OUR LIVES AND BETTER THAN YOU THINK YOU ARE

George Hubbard never disappoints.

DAN CASE

"I do not read many non-fiction books, but I found Marauders, Misfits, and Mormons a very entertaining read and was not disappointed. Each story had a purpose and a tale to tell. There was sadness, laughter, good times, and struggles, and each story was able to stand on its own merit. Informative, educational, and fun, George Hubbard's hard work shows in the accurate account of Marauders, Misfits, and Mormons. As I read each story, I thought 'this one is my favorite,' but when I finished the book, I realized how each one had a distinctive quality of its own, and they were all my favorites. History buffs will enjoy Marauders, Misfits, and Mormons."

TRUDI LOPRETO FOR READERS' FAVORITE

MARAUDERS, MISFITS, AND MORMONS

TRUE STORIES OF EARLY UTAH

GEORGE HUBBARD

Copyright © 2020, 2023 by George Hubbard

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Cover Design by Book Brush

ISBN: 978-1-7358338-3-5 (print)

ISBN: 978-1-7358338-6-6 (ebook)

CONTENTS

Preface

Part I: Memorable Experiences

Rebecca Winters – May She Rest in Peace

Brigham Young Gets a Lesson in Rafting

The Donner Party Leaves a Vital Legacy

Advice from Abraham Lincoln

How to Get a Good Dam Built

Sam Houston Speaks Out About the Utah War

Emma Lee Was One Feisty Pioneer

The Indians Help Peter Shirts Plow His Fields

The Panguitch Quilt Walk

Necessities Are Where You Find Them

Live Up to Your Commitments

When Brigham Young’s Daughters Dimmed the Light

Ethnic Cultures Had to Blend in the Early West

The Golden Spike Ceremony Met With an Unexpected Delay

Sometimes It Pays to be Late

The Ghost of Salt Lake City’s Rio Grande Depot

The Marshals are Coming! The Marshals are Coming!

Part II: Unforgettable Personalities

Sherlock Holmes Debuts Against the Mormons

Samuel Brannon Sets Out to Liberate California

John the Baptist: Salt Lake City Grave Robber

John D. Lee: Pioneer Extraordinaire

Chief Walker Doesn’t Get His Way

Wovoka and the Ghost Dance: The Indians’ Last Great Hope

Butch Cassidy: Robin Hood of the West

Pancho Villa Befriends the Mormons

Ina Coolbrith Helps Launch Several Writing Careers

Jack Dempsey Begins His Boxing Career

Old Ephraim Was a Bear to Remember

John Morgan: Missionary Supreme

Preview: The Saga of Bummer and Lazarus

Also By George U. Hubbard

PREFACE

My mind frequently goes back to that Sunday in August 1951 when I attended my first church service of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was in a small branch in Junction City, Kansas, and the attendees were mostly young military families serving during the Korean Conflict.

My wife wore her finest, which included hat and white gloves. She was the only woman so attired. I kept wondering when they were going to pass the collection plate. They never did. Various people would hand small envelopes to someone sitting in front. I assumed they were invitations to something.

As the meeting progressed, different people would go to the rostrum and say something. Then after a song and a prayer, half of the congregation got up and left the room. Those of us who were left had another song and prayer. Instead of a preacher delivering a sermon, a young fellow led a discussion with participation from the congregation. Although I don’t remember what was said, I do remember that I enjoyed hearing a lot of scriptures quoted along with their intended meanings.

Then another song and prayer, and those who had left earlier came back. The poor missionaries who brought us tried to explain what was happening. It was all very different from anything I had previously experienced.

As my wife and I continued attending each Sunday and as we listened to the testimonies they expressed, we began to realize that this was not just another religion. This was not just another church. This was a whole new culture. It wasn’t just a Sunday thing for those who were there. It was their whole life. They were living, to the best of their abilities, the good life, and they were experiencing joy and happiness in so doing. I wanted what they had.

After my wife and I were baptized, I developed a two-prong insatiable curiosity to know more about the Church. Through the scriptures and prayerful contemplation, I studied their theology. And through stories I studied their marvelous culture.

My intent for this volume is to present a selection of my favorite stories that will give an enjoyable glimpse into that special culture that we frequently call Mormonism. The stories are selected for their human interest quality. They are true stories. They are well documented, but many come from sources not usually found in the libraries of most LDS families. Therefore it is expected that most readers will be encountering many of these stories for the first time.

These stories should be interesting to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as to non-members. I hope they will be enjoyable to all.

George U. Hubbard

PART I: MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES

REBECCA WINTERS – MAY SHE REST IN PEACE

If you have never heard of Rebecca Winters, you are in the majority. Her name does not appear in many history books, and what fame she has did not come until after her death.

Rebecca Burdick Winters was one of the several thousand Mormon pioneers who set out from Winter Quarters, Nebraska, bound for their promised land in the valley of the Great Salt Lake. But Rebecca never made it to her intended destination.

Rebecca, along with her husband and five children, embarked from Winter Quarters in 1852 as members of the James C. Snow party. While following the North Platte River in western Nebraska, cholera struck the travelers, and Rebecca nursed and cared for many of the sick -- until contracting the disease herself. She died on August 15, 1852.

After wrapping the body in blankets, Rebecca’s family buried her in a grave just east of present-day Scott’s Bluff, Nebraska. Her husband, Hiram, insisted that the grave be deep enough for protection from wild animals, and boards were placed on top of the