Cabins were erected, grounds were fenced and plowed, crops were planted and individuals were chosen to remain and oversee the place. There also, in a windswept lot known as "the cow yard," the bodies of several Saints were laid to final rest. The site was vacated in the spring of 1848.
Parley P. Pratt:
"All things being harmonized and put in order, the camps moved on. Arriving at a place on a branch of Grand River we encamped for a while, having travelled much in the midst of great and continued rains, mud and mire.
Here we enclosed and planted a public farm of many hundred acres and commenced settlement, for the good of some who were to tarry and of those who should follow us from Nauvoo. We called the place 'Garden Grove'" (Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt [1985], 307).
Allen Joseph Stout:
"So we kept rolling on from place to place through the mud until the 27th [of April] when we pitched our tents in a beautiful grove of timber where we began to make a farm. This place was called Garden Grove. Here it was determined by the council that those who were out of provisions should stop and raise a crop.
"About these times the rattle snakes bit a good many of our animals, and there was a great exposure the Saints were forced to under go. There one of Hoseas boys died. There was great want of bread in camp, so that we were oppressed on every hand; but we cried to the Lord, who heard our prayers, and we were fed by his all bountiful hands; but some showed out their evil hearts by their mean mutterings and selfishness" (Autobiography of Allen Joseph Stout, 1846, Miscellaneous Mormon Diaries, vol. 17, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, 24-25).
People I've met:
Willa Clark:
Willa works for the Corydon Times Republican. While I was visiting the Corydon Historical Museum, some of the staff called her and alerted her of my intention to walk across the Mormon Trail. Willa drove across the small town inmmediately to meet me. She thought the story would make a great story for the local paper.
While Willa and I visited I had the chance to ask her some questions as well. Willa's first semester at college was as an art major. However the program where she studied was fairly liberal; rather different than her upbringing. She didn't feel she fit in with all the other artists. With that experience she left the program to pursue other interests. In her late 40's she went back to school. This time to pursue a degree in English. Her initial goal was to become trained as a technical writer. However, when graduation came and she was pursuing a job, she saw an ad in newspaper for a journalist position. She applied and got the job in 1999. She's worked in journalism ever since.
I asked her what its like being small town journalist. She said its suprisingly fun and varied. With a smaller staff, you get to cover everything. Accidents. City council meetings. The county fair. Graduations. And human interest stories; like mine. Her favorite part about journalism was "not the pay" she joked, "but definitely the people." Her job is all about people. She loves finding the really dazzling parts of what might otherwise be a "normal" story. "Everyone has a unique story," she said in a matter-of-fact way, "it just depends if you're listening enough to hear it." You have to be open to it, she says. You have to really pay attention. You can't be thinking about your next question, she explains. I told her I was often guilty of that in my conversations with girls. Sometimes when I'm talking to a really beautiful girl like Annie, I'm racking my brain to think of questions that make it sound like I'm really paying attention. But Willa makes a better point, I should just actually pay attention. Sorry, Annie. I'll be better a better listener when I get home.
I asked Willa about her most memorable stories. She told me about how she's been covering the school closings in the area for several years. Just recently it was the last day of school for Lineville Clio Jr-Sr High School. She wrote an article all about it. The school has had about 40 students from all grades for just over a 100 years, but due to new standards from the State legislature, the school is finally closing its doors. Many other schools in the area are following suit. Schools and school districts are being consolidated and many Iowans feel like they are losing a local element to their educational system. Willa explains how she tried to put real faces to this story. Decisions like these are affecting lives in a real way, and she tried to capture that.
Before Willa and I parted she gave me a great tour of a few neighboring towns, including Garden Grove itself. Willa is passionately involved in an effort to revitalize this area. Here are a few pictures and captions of what we saw.
The Grass Roots Cafe in nearby Humeston, Iowa. Just like grass surprisingly has a vast network of roots to sustain it, so too does this cafe and the effort to revitalize the local area. Willa is one of the many passionately involved is the work--fighting to protect the small towns they love.
Downtown Snyders, a women's clothing shop attracts much regional business and has helped to buoy the town up.
This was fascinating for me to see: a community supported grocery store. When the town's last grocery close down, the citizens got together and organized their own, selling shares and running it like a co-op.
One of the grocery store attendants who happily and kindly sliced me some delicious meat and cheese for my dinner.
One of the fresh items for sale. Is this what we call this back home? For some reason this sounds wired to me.
Garden Grove's local high school gets it namesake from our ancestors. Willa said visitors always ask if this is a religious school. School mascot: The Saints.
The Mormon Trail swimming pool. I bet the Saints wish this was open in 1846.
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