Pioneer heritage is one of the elements of Mormonism which differentiates
Mormon identity from most other Christian faiths. Around July 24th,
1947 Brigham Young entered the Salt Lake Valley, recognized the valley from
previous vision, and declared “This is the right place.” The 24th of
July holiday is now commemorated in Mormon communities with parades, rodeos,
music, food, recreational competition, and religious meetings. Whether an
individual is religious or not the holiday is a meaningful day to reflect on
how far our society has progressed and the great labors which our progenitors
endured to ensure our current standard of living. My holiday celebration yesterday
in Snowflake, AZ was especially enjoyable because I remembered the noble pioneer
heritage which my family comes from. Here is a brief exposition about my great
great great grandfather Charles Hall. I will note that while it might appear
that I am only giving Charles’ history . . . his work is very much entwined
with his wife Caroline’s accomplishments. In pioneer days particularly, any
success which a man had was a direct result of the steady hand of his helpmeet.
Charles Hall was a skilled boatmaker in Belmont, Maine. Charle and his two brothers were converted to the Latter-day Saint faith in New
England and were baptized in 1844 in Nauvoo, IL where the majority of saints
were gathering at the time. Records indicated they were baptized in Nauvoo but
I surmise this could have been a re-baptism. Charles was ordained a seventy in
Nauvoo and later was an electioneer in New England for Joseph Smith’s
presidential bid. An excerpt from a patriarchal blessing given to Charles
promised that “As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
thou are entitled to the priesthood because of the integrity of thy heart. The
Lord has given an angel to look over thee in times of danger to defend thee
from thine enemies, to go before thy way that thou mayest prosper in every land
wherever thou art called to labor.”
Charles and Elizabeth Caroline Freeman were married in Salt
Lake City in 1849. It is probable that they fell in love in present day Omaha,
NE while quartering for the winter prior to making the trek west with the early
companies (finding love in Nebraska is possible!). Charles had been endowed
with temple blessings in the Nauvoo temple. Caroline was endowed in 1856 and
they were sealed on that same day in the Salt Lake Endowment House. In 1850 Charles answered George A. Smith’s
calling for settlers of Iron County. They spent a season in present day Provo,
UT before continuing the trek to Parowan, UT.
In Parowan Charles was elected as one of four constables and
continued in barrel making and other wood related trade. Charles had five
children in Parowan, losing one in infancy. Charles was called to practice polygamy
in Parowan and was sealed by Brigham Young to a 15 year old Danish girl named
Dolta Jensen. No further history is known about Dolta so it is likely she
either died or divorced Charles fairly soon after their marriage.
While in Parowan, Charles sat on a commission called to determine
responsibility for the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre. Beginning in Nauvoo, Charles
had been good friends with John D. Lee, the stake president who orchestrated
the massacre. Charles and his commission found Lee to be liable for the massacre.
Interestingly, Lee and Charles remained good friends after the commission
determination. Lee established Lee’s Ferry over the Colorado river near present
day Page, AZ. Additional details will be given about Charles Hall’s Ferry which
was operated further upstream years later. Lee was executed in 1877 at the site
of the massacre.
The family settled Kanosh, UT around 1863 and another son
George was born to them while living there. George never married and lived with
his parents until their deaths. In 1874 Charles was called to serve a mission
in Maine, 30 years after leaving.
Records indicate that among the settlers of Escalante, UT in
1876 was the “boatbuilder and explorer” Charley Hall. In 1879 John Taylor
shared now deceased Brigham Young’s concern about the settlement of present day
south eastern Utah. Most Mormon settlements were located in a corridor from Salt
Lake City through Las Vegas to San Bernardino, CA and south eastern Utah was
being settled by outlaws (who were apparently stealing millions of dollars
worth of livestock), miners (you know, drinking types), Indians, and other
non-Mormons.
Rivers and canyons prevented easy access to San Juan County
(south eastern Utah) from the corridor of Mormon settlements (present day
national parks Capitol Reef and Canyonlands notably in the way). Charles was a
leader of the group tasked to trailblaze a shortcut from Parowan to San Juan. It
is during this expedition that the famous “Hole in the Rock” trail was
established. Charles is credited with discovering Hole in the Rock after following
a deer and losing it when it bound into the cleft of a rock. The cleft in the
rock was too narrow and jagged to fit a wagon through and stood over two
subsequent 50 foot drops. However, with some ingenuity (and a bunch of black powder)
it was decided that the cut could be expanded, the steep drops leveled, and a
system of pulleys created to lower wagons through the narrow cut. I plan to
visit this site ASAP, it appears to be about a 300 foot stretch down into
present day Lake Powell. The stretch was longer before the 1970’s when the
waters of Lake Powell rose some 300 feet over the 1880 river bottom.
At the bottom of the Hole in the Rock decent was the Colorado
River. Charles and his two sons prefabricated planks of wood and carried them
down to the river for assembly of a ferry. I wont go into detail about ferry construction
but needless to say it was a very specialized task and was quite the accomplishment.
And Charles’ ferry was ready on schedule promptly once the expedition made it to
the river floor. He transported 26 wagons on the first day across the 350 foot
wide river and had the entire expedition across in two days. Charles operated
the ferry at Hole in the Rock for one year. Charles discovered an easier route
from Escalante to San Juan and established a crossing 35 miles upstream from
Hole in the Rock. Researchers have debated how Charles transported his boat 35
miles upstream, I simply think he was a beast and rowed upstream. Halls Creek
Narrows in Capitol Reef National Park also likely was used in the journey.
From 1881-1884 Charles and his family lived at the river or at
a nearby ranch and operated the ferry. Cost to cross was $5 a wagon and $0.75 a
horse. Two wagons could cross on the ferry at a time and 3 men were needed to
navigate. The ferry became obsolete when the Rio Grande Railroad connected to
south-eastern Utah in 1883. Today a boating marina providing entrance to Lake
Powell carries the name Halls Crossing Marina. A modern day ferry called Charles
Hall Ferry, operated by the Utah Department of Transportation, ferry’s
travelers on Highway 276 across the lake.
In 1885 Charles followed one of his married daughters Nancy
Flake to Snowflake, AZ. Nancy was married to James Flake, brother of the
founder of Snowflake. Charles was an accomplished brick maker in Snowflake and
provided the brick for the James Flake home which still stands on the corner of
2nd Street North and 1st East in Snowflake.
Charles and Caroline raised their granddaughter Luella in
Snowflake. Luella was married to Ed Roethlisberger, lived in Vernon, AZ, and
was the mother of my grandmother Nellie Gillespie.
A certain sense of unrighteous entitlement might stem from
realizing my pioneer heritage but ultimately I think a healthy empowerment
comes from knowing what my family is capable of. I am grateful to be a part of
this proud fabric which extends from New England to Nauvoo to Utah and to the
White Mountains. A fabric which is comprised of industry, faith, and
determination. A fabric which, while changing and growing, still cannot be
unthreaded from its roots. Happy Pioneer Day!
The following sources were used generally:
https://umarket.utah.edu/um2/press/product.php?product=42&storecookie=1
https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/glca/baker.pdf
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