26 April 2018
Wheel In Rv Park
Ferdonia, AZ
Pipe Springs National Monument, AZ
This is a small but interesting piece of history. The Mormons were building a large temple (below) in St George (60 miles away) in 1877, and they needed a couple of things:
1. They needed a ranch with cattle to provide subsistence to the workers in St George.
2. The political climate was not in favor of polygamy, and the”heat” was on in arresting Mormons for polygamy, they needed a place to hide their women.
Looking for land, the Mormons stumbled upon a spring with a high flow rate. Even though there were native Indians in the area, the Mormon’s built a small fort right on top of the spring, thus claiming ownership. The water of Pipe Spring made it possible for plants, animals, and people to live in this dry desert region.
Even though the Mormons now “owned” the water, they basically got along with the Kaibab Paiute Indians, and even converting many of them to the Mormon religion. Over the years the cattle over-ranched the area and pretty much destroyed the vegetation even to this day.
The nickname of Winsor Castle was given due to Mormon Anson Winsor who was brought in to run the fort and a large cattle ranching operation. They immediately brought in cattle and they mass produced milk, cheese, and butter, sending it all to St George twice per week to feed the workers.
The “fort” served as a hideout for some of the second, third, and forth wives of some of the Mormons. There were hidden doors, where the ladies could hide in the even of a raid. The “fort” never saw any raids or fights with the Indians.
Brigham Young asked a young lady to learn Morse code. Ella Stewart Udall moved to Pipe Springs in 1870, and became the first telegraph operator in the Arizona Territory, using “The Deseret Telegraph”. The Deseret line ran north and south through the Utah Territory, connecting the numerous settlements with Salt Lake City and the First Transcontinental Telegraph. The company was dissolved in 1900 when Western Union bought them out.
The “fort” was used in many western movies and TV shows such as Death Valley Days around 1969. Even through I didn’t watch much westerns growing up, the fort certainly looks familiar when you see a clips of Death Valley Days. Pretty cool.
Also the horses that reside here are “retirees” from the Park Service.
