Saga of the Sanpitch Volume 13, 1981 - Sanpete County

One spring the old house could stand no more and the last of the bricks, placed one on the other in
such a loving manner, fell to the ground. Later in the season, the rubble was hauled away and there existed
only a pleasant spot under some mature leafy trees to mark the original old home site.
A passerby would see that a house had once stood there, but how could anyone know the joys and the
sorrows of those who called it home in bygone days.
In Sanpete, as in all places of the earth, there is a season for all things, a time to live and a time to die.
The cycle had completed itself for the original family, and would continue on through the generations into the
eons of time on this earth.
Little does the modern visitor seeing the spot reflect on the place, and few who pass that way now
stop to think of the tears and struggle the couple had to tame this harsh land.
Oh, modern traveler, as you pass the remains of a once-thriving Sanpete farm, pause to reflect on the
pioneers and what they did to make your life what it is now. Whatever the valley is today and becomes in the
years ahead is built upon the foundation which the pioneers struggled to lay.
Source: Based on personal pioneer histories of early Sanpete settlers and personal observances.
A MODEL T COURTSHIP
Eleanor Peterson Madsen
295 East 1st North
Ephraim, Utah 84627
Professional Division, Second Honorable Mention Anecdote
Dancing was an important recreational pastime in the lives of the young people in Sanpete County in
the early 1920's. The young men in Ephraim would often go to Moroni and Wales to participate in dances
there. The Model T Ford provided faster transportation than the buggies which had previously been used by
the young people for their courting.
One evening in March, two young men from Ephraim decided to continue their courting with two young
ladies from Moroni by taking them to a dance in that community.
The young men filled their Model T with the necessary gas, cranked it up, and were soon on their merry
way. The dark clouds overhead and the March wind did not dampen their spirits or cause them any frustration
as they drove toward their destination.
Soon big flakes of snow commenced to fall, but the young men continued on until finally the
windshield on the car became so covered with snow they were unable to see the road. The early model car
had no windshield wipers so the travelers decided they would raise the windshield, which opened from the
front, so they could see the road. This accomplished, they traveled onward with a better view until they finally
reached Moroni.
As they stopped the car at the girls' home, the young men weren't quite sure about going dancing that
night. Two inches of snow had accumulated on their laps during the trip.
Source: Personal recollection.
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