Saga of the Sanpitch Volume 17, 1985 - Sanpete County
Saga of the Sanpitch Volume 17, 1985 - Sanpete County
Saga of the Sanpitch Volume 17, 1985 - Sanpete County
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DOING YOUR BIT<br />
World War I Years in Mt. Pleasant<br />
Dorothy Jacobs Buchanan<br />
267 East 300 North<br />
Richfield, UT 84701<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essional Division<br />
Second Place Personal Recollections<br />
Kaleidoscopic memories surge through my mind when I recall those busy years in Mt. Pleasant during<br />
World War I. I am grateful that I retain mental pictures <strong>of</strong> ano<strong>the</strong>r era that is significant in our historical world.<br />
On a sunny day in August, 1914, Mama and I were preparing lunch at noon for my fa<strong>the</strong>r who came<br />
from his work downtown at that time0 However, he was a few minutes late that day, which was unusual;<br />
but suddenly he hurried into <strong>the</strong> room and stated in excited tones, "We've just had word that Germany has<br />
declared war on Russia. I'm afraid we're in for real trouble." And he was definitely right. Our lives changed<br />
perceptibly. New patterns and problems engulfed us, as was true <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> whole country. We were frequently<br />
urged to direct our vigorous energy toward <strong>the</strong> War Effort. The Red Cross became activated, where many<br />
women met to roll bandages and do necessary sewing and fashioning <strong>of</strong> medical supplies„ We were aware <strong>of</strong><br />
how much <strong>the</strong> European Allied countries needed our help and we heard many sad stories <strong>of</strong> privations and<br />
casualties <strong>the</strong>y were experiencing.<br />
In school, we sewed many grey flannel petticoats and underwear suits for needy Belgian children.<br />
Every Monday morning we bought a twenty-five cent Thrift Stamp and pasted in our small booklets until<br />
we acquired $5.00 which we were supposed to save until we had enough to buy a $50.00 Liberty Bond.<br />
School boys were directed to ga<strong>the</strong>r fruit pits, grind <strong>the</strong>m up and burn <strong>the</strong>m into charcoal which had<br />
marvelous power <strong>of</strong> absorbing gases in <strong>the</strong> cannisters <strong>of</strong> soldiers' gas masks„ Ano<strong>the</strong>r task that Mt. Pleasant<br />
boys were assigned was to collect spokes from old wagon wheels, sand <strong>the</strong>m well, <strong>the</strong>n scrape <strong>the</strong>m with<br />
broken glass to make <strong>the</strong>m very smooth, and finally, whittle <strong>the</strong>m into knitting needles for <strong>the</strong> ladies to use0<br />
For most women owned large knitting bags equipped with knitting needles, yarn, and items <strong>of</strong> clothing<br />
that <strong>the</strong>y were frequently knitting for soldiers. Thousands <strong>of</strong> socks, sweaters and scarves were sent overseas.<br />
This ga<strong>the</strong>red momentum after <strong>the</strong> United States entered <strong>the</strong> World War on April 6, 19<strong>17</strong>. We were all thrilled<br />
to know that General Pershing made <strong>the</strong> remark, "Lafayette, we are here!" when he landed <strong>the</strong> first troops in<br />
France.<br />
Now, we had to redouble our helpful efforts„ Flour and wheat were badly needed by <strong>the</strong> troops and<br />
Allies. We experimented using substitutes for white flour by using corn meal, oatmeal, graham flour and some<br />
people even tried grinding up alfalfa leaves to mix with o<strong>the</strong>r ingredients to make a ra<strong>the</strong>r questionable type<br />
<strong>of</strong> bread.<br />
I have a letter which gives us an idea <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> importance <strong>of</strong> wheat and <strong>the</strong> action that was taken to<br />
acquire it. The letter came to my fa<strong>the</strong>r who was Bishop <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> L.D.S. North Ward, and is as follows:<br />
UNITED STATES FOOD ADMINISTRATION<br />
Kansas City, MO<br />
May 28, 1918<br />
Bishop <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Mt. Pleasant North Ward<br />
20