Soren Wilhelm Mackleprang

Born 1 October 1849 in Denmark to Peder Mathias Makkeprang and Sophie Margrethe Sorensdatter
Married Adelia Terry 5 October 1869 in Salt Lake
Samuel-Mary Ann-Dixie
Died 22 March 1889 in Provo
Buried in Huntington

1860 Census
1870 Census 
1880 Census


There's a good history of Samuel here.

Having been converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1854, in Rodby, Maribo County, Denmark, grandfather Mackelprang, with his family, came to America in 1855. He was seven years old at the time. The family settled in Cedar City, Utah. In his youth, he learned the carpenter trade, this became his occupation throughout his life.

Grandmother, Adelia Terry, was born to the Thomas Terry family in Little Cottonwood, Salt Lake City, Utah. Her parents were sent to colonize and settle what was later known as Hebron, Washington County, Utah. Grandmother was the second child in a family of ten children. The first five children were girls, so it was she who always helped her father with the outside chores. Her work was often hard, but this hard work during her growing years developed her into a strong, robust young lady. From her mother, she learned to card wool, spin yarn and weave cloth, which proved a boon to her in later life after she became a widow, and had to support a family of ten, the youngest being only three months old.

Grandmother had a very kind disposition, with a pleasing personality which drew friends to her always. When she was just sixteen years old, she and grandfather, with others, traveled by team and wagon, to Salt Lake City and were married in the endowment House, October 5, 1869. Their first home was an adobe house in Cedar City, Utah.

Five children were born to this couple in Cedar City. They were Samuel, Estella, Margaret, Lydia, and Minerva.

At this time, a large group of families were called by church authorities to dispose of their property and travel to South Eastern Utah. They were to settle the country and try to civilize the Indians roving about. No matter how hard, they never disobeyed counsel, but set about at once to dispose of their property.

The Mackelprang home and orchard were sold for two teams, a wagon, some corn and some
money. After loading one wagon with bedding, clothing, and some food, grandmother and four of the children climbed into the spring seat, with Estella holding the youngest child. Grandmother drove the team, Jack and Bald, all the way. Samuel, the oldest child rode horseback and drove cattle. Grandfather drove two teams hitched to his other wagon loaded with tools, corn, wheat and food supplies. The company from Cedar City left October 4, 1879, traveling a little east and north to Red Creek, now known as Paragonah.

Here the other company from Harmony, Parawan joined them. Silars S. Smith was chosen captain of the company.

The following are names of most of the men and their wives and families that belonged to the first Company to settle the new Country:

Silas S. Smith, Captain of the Company
Jessie N. Smith
Soren (Samuel) Mackelprang, Adelia and their five children, Samuel, Estella, Margaret, Lydia, and Minerva
Joe Smith
Ben Perkins, first wife Mary Ann, 2nd wife Sara
Jens Nielson, first Bishop of Bluff
Jennie Gowns
Hyrum Perkins, wife Racheal
Lem Redd, wife Eliza Westover, invalid daughter Lula
Samuel Rowley, wife Anna, Samuel, James, Annie, Hannah, Sarah, Jane, and Alice
Samuel Cox, wife Sara Cox, and Sarah Jane
George Hobbs, one of the first exploring party
George Ipson
William Hutcheson
Plat Delyman
Neils Decker
William Hyde
Charles Walton
Jim Decker
Carnelial Decker
Joseph Lyman
Buren Barney, Sr.
Buren Barney, Jr.
Amasa Barton
Fails Haskal, Indian interpreter
Irene Haskal, first school teacher
Julia and Leona Walton
Margaret and Caroline Neilson
Anna Decker, who gave birth to a girl at the fifty mile spring and named her Lena Deseret.

Leaving Red Creek, the company traveled due east up Red Creek to Panquitch. Then south to a small mountain. This was a distance of about three miles over the top and down the south side. The country opened into a small valley known as potato valley. They traveled on into Escalante, where they found a small colony of people who had raised abundant crops. The company tried to buy food, but the prices were raised so high that very little food products were purchased.

Their next camp was near a wash where they found a little spring. This was called the ten mile spring. The water proved very hard for cooking and washing, but they had to stay there until a road could be built. A scouting party of men was sent ahead. After cutting timber, clearing rocks, the wagons were brought up within a few miles of the Colorado River.

Here they found rock formations, sand stone Mountains, cliffs, and little wells or holes in the rocks. These contained water, which looked tempting for thirsty men and animals, but it was not fit for human consumption, although there were trails leading from them, revealing that wild animals came to drink there. Some distance farther south a spring of good water was found. They named this spring the Fifty Mile Spring.

The face of the cliff at the top of the canyon leading up from the river was perpendicular. A rope was thrown over from the top to the bottom of the first cliff, measuring forty seven feet. Below this was a sandy spot covered with trees and shrubs–then on down; trees, rocks and small cliffs extending to the Colorado River, a distance of several hundred feet. The men would go down the rope to clear a way to the river.

With the Navajo Mountains on the south, and the mouth of the Grand Gulch on the north, the only way to make a road to the river was to widen the chasm through the rock ledge. The company, not having blasting powder to work with, knew what a grave situation it was. Silas S. Smith was chosen to return and ask for help from the state and church authorities to get material for blasting a road. Platt DeLymon was chosen to take charge in Smith’s absence.

During the waiting period, ferry boats were made to cross the river when the company would reach it. Grandfather Mackelprang, being a carpenter, was put in charge of the ferry making. During the first week in January, 1880, Charles Hall and Grandfather were lowered over the cliff and ropes around their waists, down to the banks of the Colorado River. There they cut trees to get logs for the ferry. Lumber was brought from Escalante through the chasm in the rock for the bottom of the ferry. All this work was done by hand in order to finish the ferry so the wagons could cross the river. Grandmother and some of the other ladies gathered hoofs from the dead animals found in surrounding plains to make glue for tightening the ferry boat.

Grandmother was in a delicate condition when they left for Bluff. But she never complained, although she suffered sometimes with neuralgia pains. One night in December, she sat in the spring seat of the wagon and Grandfather extracted a tooth with a pair of pliers. This was done in the moonlight after the children were asleep.

Christmas was spent at this camp ground. Charles had his brass horn along, and Christmas night, and every other night he gave a bugle call, and all who were able gathered around the camp fire to sing songs; some spoke, and one would lead in prayer. Quite often, Samuel Cox, with his violin, would lead in dancing in the cool air around the camp fire.

Powder for blasting was brought from Salt Lake and the chasm was cut through the cliff. It took three and one half months to make the trail possible for the wagons. When the time came for the wagons to go down, a team was stationed behind the wagon with a chain attached to the running gear to keep the wagon from going too fast. Old Jack and Bald, the trusty team, were put on the tongue of many of the wagons that went down over the rocky trail through the “hole in the Rock.”

The ferry was large enough to carry two teams of horses or oxen, one wagon, and men to care for the animals, each trip across the river. The ferry was named Hall’s Ferry, after the man who helped build it. The company crossed the river the first week in February. The women were very happy to have all the water they needed to wash and clean up the wagons before moving on.

From there they went up Cottonwood Canyon. Another halt was made there, while a dugway was blazed up the sloping side of a solid sandstone bluff. On one side the rock was standing out like three separate shelves which had to be blasted out.

Getting upon the surface of the earth again, they traveled on for about one day’s journey, when another halt was made. From here a number of men returned to the Escalante desert to assist in gathering some of their cattle that had been separated and lost while crossing the desert.

After their return, the company traveled east until they came to a lake, some eight by forty rods in size. The southern end and head of this lake terminates at the base of two solid sand stone bluffs at about a rod and a half apart. Back of these there was a beautiful strip of meadow, a striking contrast to the mounds of sandstone. Moving on, they wound around between the sand stones and soon came to a slight divide of this same formation which was severe on the animal’s feet. It was here at Clay Hill that a party came bringing more powder for blasting. They also brought some cheese and squash which was divided according to the number in each family.
However, before reaching Clay Hill, it had been necessary to shoe the horses and many of the oxen. Shoes for the oxen were made with two plates oblong in shape for each foot.

They had traveled to Castle Gulch, some nine miles when they came to Oak Springs. Here they stopped again, while a road was made down Clay Hill. This took some weeks. This was when the party brought the powder for blasting.

Before going down the steep hills which confronted them, the lead teams would be taken off, and the women would walk and drive the teams down while the men would bring the wagons down with the rear teams. At the foot of this hill they encountered a snow storm. The night was dark and cold, as there was no wood and very little water all went to bed without supper.

The next day the scattered company came together. Then after traveling on for two days, they were confronted with a big box canyon walled in with irregular ledges with an occasional rock broken off. Steering to the left, they traveled up the side of the gulch until they found a crossing going down the other side to within about a rod where they had camped the night before.

It was now March, with a foot of snow and the frost coming out of the ground. There was no chance to dodge a mud hole on account of cedar and pine trees. Winding their way off the Cedar ridge, they came to the Comb Wash. Here the wagon wheels would go deep in quick sand. People and animals were getting very weary. Many of the animals began to lag, and were unable to pull their load any farther.

Eventually, they reached the San Juan River. At the mouth of the wash, the animals rested while the men made a very difficult piece of road, a quarter of a mile of very steep dugway. After bringing the wagons to the top, they found a large area of flat rock similar to a table. They traveled on to Butler wash, and the remaining six or seven miles was made without much trouble. They arrived adjacent to the site of what was later the town of Bluff. This was the first company to settle Bluff. Two families of white people lived two miles up the river.

After traveling six months and fourteen days, in all kinds of weather and hardships, they had arrived. On April 6, 1880, a band of Navajo Indians were camped on one side of the San Juan River, and a band of Utes on the other. As soon as they saw the fires of the company camp, they came in numbers, whooping and yelling. Children ran for their mothers, women were frightened, and men feared trouble. Fails Hascal, Indian interpreter, talked to the Indians for a long time and finally agreed to collect money for the Indians if they would allow the company to stay in peace. Many men gave ten dollars each. Grandfather was one of them.

On investigating the following day, it was found necessary to blaze a trail up from the head of a small box canyon which led up from the northeast corner of their prospective town. The canal was surveyed and they all worked hard to get it built. When the canal was finished and ready for the water, to their surprise, the water in the river had gone down and left the head of the canal above the surface of the water. They tried to raise the water by means of a dam, but failed in the attempt. They then extended the canal up to where a perpendicular cliff formed the north bank of the river. Here they tried again to tap the river, with the same result.

Finding it impossible to raise even a late crop that year, they arranged for the building of a meeting house, and they finished it by Christmas. The lumber for the pulpit and floor was sawed with a whip saw. Until the building was finished, their meetings were held under a large tree.

On June 9, grandmother gave birth to a blond curly haired baby boy. They named him Thomas Peter. He was born in a covered wagon bed. Later, they added a rock room by the box of the covered wagon, making two rooms.

Grandfather did some freighting to Ponaca, Colorado, and would bring back provisions in sacks. Grandmother would take the sacks and dye them bright colors. She would gather rabbit brush blossoms to produce orange color. From slippery elm, she got red coloring. After dyeing the sacks, she would make shirts and vests out of them. She traded these to the Indians for blankets, pine nuts and woolen exchange. From the wool she corded and spun yarn and knitted stockings for the family.

Grandfather built a molasses mill and made molasses for the town people from the small amount of cane that was grown.

The first houses were built facing in and joining one’s neighbor, forming a fort to give protection from the Indians. Later, a town sight was laid out and each man drew his lot. Grandfather was fortunate in drawing a lot joining the land allotted to him. Here he built the rock room with a brush shed on the front.

On March 8, 1882, a baby girl was born and given the name of Mary Ann. (She is our
grandmother.) She went back and visited Bluff in 1928, and the rock room was still standing. Wheat and potatoes proved failures, while corn and sugar cane crops were successful. Cattle raising proved to be the main resource, but the Indians stole and drove off the cattle at their will, so it was all one could do to exist.

It was very common for a band of outlaws to come to town when a celebration was being held. They would shoot out the lights and cause much excitement. At one celebration, a gun fight took place, and Sister Walton was shot and killed.

During the years spent there, the water situation was a major problem. The water was either too low to raise anything, or so high it would wash out what crops they had. Gradually, the families left to settle in other localities. This made it very hard for the few families who stayed. It was a constant struggle and they became discouraged.

In the winter and early spring of 1884 an abundance of snow had fallen in Colorado, causing San Juan to be unusually high. The run off was so high it took out the head gate in the canal. The men worked fast and hard, but it was just like pitching straw against a strong wind. During the high flood waters, some of the crops, and some valuable land were destroyed.

In the summer of 1885, crops were small. It consisted of corn, beets, and a few melons. It was very discouraging for the families. So the Mackelprangs and Paces decided to leave.

In September, Grandmother had a new baby boy. They named him Joseph. When he was three weeks old, the two families left for Carbon County.

When they arrived in Price, the Pace family stayed there. Grandfather brought his family on into Emery County, and stopped in Huntington. Life had been so hard, they had but little with which to start over again. The day after they arrived in Huntington, Grandfather drew his number for lots that was to be his. He drew the plot of ground two blocks south of Center Street and on Main.

The first log house was built on the west end of the block. It was made of quaking asps and logs. While living in this home, grandfather filed on ground southwest of town for farming purposes. He built a small house, where the family lived six months a year in order to keep the ground.

He decided to build a larger home on the east lot. He made the adobes for the building and also the fancy ornamental cornice around the roof. They painted the adobes brick red.

In January, grandmother gave birth to a baby girl. They named her Ada. (1887)

Grandfather had a furniture store on the corner of Center and Main streets. Here he made all kinds of furniture and picture frames. He also had thirty stands of bees out on the farm. He made the first honey extractor in Emery County.

In November 1888 grandmother gave birth to a baby girl. She named her Pearl.

In Marcy, 1889, Grandfather passed away, leaving grandmother with a large family of young children to raise. Grandmother worked hard all her life, and always struggled to make ends meet. When the children were little, she would take them to the field, where the girls would strip the leaves off the sugar cane. The boys would cut the talks and bring them to town, where they would make and sell molasses. The children received as much education as they could at that time. The boys took jobs wherever they could. Mostly it was herding sheep. The girls did ironing and household work.

The adobe house stood for about twenty-five years, then started to crumble. Peter, Joseph and Will Cook hauled the one-room cabin in from the field and added three more rooms to it. The place is still standing. Grandmother always had a garden. She raised fruit and currants there.

After her children were raised, she raised some of her grandchildren. She was always helpful and sweet, never asking for help, and always willing to do for others.

Grandmother fell one day, over in front of the store, and broke her hip. She lived for some time, finally passing away on January 7, 1930. She had lived a very dramatic, lonesome, and yet happy life, and was 77 years old. She was laid to rest in Huntington Cemetery.

As grandchildren, we were very proud to be descendants of these fine stalwart pioneers. May we be able to leave such a history when we are called upon to leave this earth, we pray!