At one point in time, the Hermansen family were considered the flour kings of Utah.

Denmark and other Scandinavia countries are known for windmills, so it stands to reason when the Hermansen family came to Utah along with other Mormon Pioneers, they brought with them the skills of mills, and instead of using the wind to grist grains, they used the force of stream water, then electric power. As it was an LDS missionary from Nephi that brought the Hermansen folks to Utah, it was only fitting that Ammon Hermansen had his largest venture in buying all the stock of the Juab Mill and Elevator Company in 1949. That mill had a capacity of 400 sacks per day and employed as many as 20 men during the rush season, including Richard and Oris Sudweeks, Burt Powell, Sam Winn, the Jones boys, Harold Stephenson, Robert Warner, King Sidwell and Vaughn Bowles. At the time, the Levan Ridge produced the best dry land grain in America, and it could be harvested one day; milled that night and then find it in a 10 or twenty pound GEM bag at Nephi's Norton's grocery store; Allen's, Myers or the IGA the next day. As the photo may show, Ammon Hermansen was tough as nails, but treated his family and employees kindly. We thought we would show a photo of the Nephi Mill in the big years of the 1950's, then after the 1991 fire. We will also show some of the other flour mills the Hermansen family ran. Blog information was taken from family history book loaned to us by Keven Olson, a family member of Ammon and presented him with a brick from the mill. And yes, there is a rumor the silo's are still full of grain, just in case the Pillsbury dough boy goes broke and we need dough!

Happy Birthday to Gary B. Jones, from Nephi, Utah, now living in Alaska and known as G.B. Jones.

If you don't remember Gary, he was the scholar at Juab High, and won many of the speaking contests around. He was a gifted actor on stage in high school and BYU. He wrote three books including "Reflections"; "Among My People"; and "Winning the Iditarod-The G.B. Jones Story". During the Viet Nam Era, the US Army could call on Ranger Jones, who could parachute into a remote area and maintain silence and live off the land, as he did that as a kid. While serving an LDS Mission in Australia, Elder Jones was brought in to man handle any ten foot snake that needed to be re-located. After he and his dogs sped a thousand miles across Alaska to Nome, he needed time to relax, so took a week off and climbed the highest mountain around. To those of us in the Jones family, we are proud of him, but if you are a niece or nephew that want to visit with him, be prepared, as he still likes living off the land, and has more food caves that the Anasazi Indians. Happy Birthday little brother Jones!

Here are real but fun stories of the Mormon Pioneer trek of 1847.

Although you may not have heard these stories in Sunday School or at LDS Seminary, it appears truthful, as it is reported as journal entries of Andrew Jenson, the Assistant LDS Church Historian, assigned to make daily entries of the first 143 people; 72 wagons and 247 animals of Mormons coming to Utah across the plains. The stories were printed in The Salt Lake Tribune during April, 1934, and bound in book form. Even though the Mormons had the Word of Wisdom, they carried "Bacco" to trade for peace among the Indians; coffee, tea and strong drink. On Sunday, May 23, 1847, they took care of a rattlesnake bite. "The brethren administered a dose of lobelia after given him a strong drink of alcohol and water". It would have been quite a scene to have see thousands upon thousands of buffalo grazing to the point where the entire countryside was black with darkness. They saw wolfs staring at them for lunch, and as "big as a two year old steer". If you are an LDS Bishop, and think you have it rough, consider Brigham Young who thought "Indians, accidents, lost animals and poor food were the least of the trials as the leaders had to put up with malcontents among the 143 pioneers".

Today was the funeral of Nephi's version of eleven year old "Amazing Grace".

On July 14, 2017, I strolled over to the Nephi City Park to take advantage of the great breakfast the Lions Club puts on at rodeo time. I found an open seat and sat across the table from Don and Marcia Eyre. I was a little struck, as I heard they were on an LDS mission, so I inquired. They responded by saying they returned home just for the weekend for a "special family occasion". Little would anybody think that a few hours later, their granddaughter would die in an accident during the parade. Watching, listening and feeling things at the funeral, one got the impression that time on earth is just a small portion of our whole life, and although it was only a brief time, Grace Eyre had an enormous impact on all people of Nephi, Utah. She was a gifted athlete, and absolutely fit the dictionary description of what "Grace" is. Not only is it fitting that temporary good byes were at the base of majestic Mt. Nebo, but this gifted athlete and human being of love is just across the cemetery road from another Nephi gifted athlete of kindness-being Gordon Kelson. This Amazing Grace will live forever.

Happy Birthday to Ron Jones of Nephi, Utah who is a fully invested 96 year old Juab County Man.

Ron is having his birthday celebration today. I took him some cashews and Vienna sausages as they are his go to foods, along with a swig of Pepsi. I told him I would bring in a dancing girl later tonight, but he disapproved, saying he has only one woman, and Barbara is waiting for him on the other side. I reminded him she will have to wait four more years, so he can make it to a century. First photo is of Kent Jones and Ron; second photo is of Wes Jones and Ron. Third is of Barbara, originally a Winter of Levan.

Joshua Greenwood was the son of 1847 prominent Mormon Pioneers, and a sucessful son of a gun!

As we recently discovered this 1934 obituary of Joshua Greenwood, we thought we would get a jump on Pioneer Day and show how this guy may have lived the working spirit of the Mormon Pioneers. This Joshua was an educator; Fifth judicial judge; leader in the LDS church; good business man in running banks in Millard County; St. George, Parowan, Pioche and Payson. He was a "staunch Democrat" living in  Republican Counties, and believed he never lost an election because of his ability to be efficient and straight-forward. One of his daughters lived in Nephi, being Mrs. Hyrum Brough. For a little fun we included the reverse portion of the paper showing homes and cottages for sale in the ritzy areas of Salt Lake, such as the 5 room home up for sale at 1429 Roosevelt Avenue, going for $2,450.00.

Seth and Arlene McPherson-the grandest marshals of them all!

At the recent rodeo in Nephi, Utah, Seth and Arlene McPherson were named as the Grand Marshals of the Western Heritage Parade. The Ute Stampede committee couldn't have picked anybody better. These two people and their herd of cattle and kids are what make Juab County as good as it gets. I am getting a little deaf, but never heard of a bad herd of McPherson's, and that goes back to the 1890's, when my grandfather served on an LDS mission with a McPherson; and then my father's journal in 1942 of the farm work shared with the McPherson's. In the 1950's, there wasn't a animal doctor in Nephi, but we did have Gene Mac, and he was as good as any doctored up Vet. Then I hear tell of another McPherson who recently noticed a neighbor in dire straits, and drove his tractor over to help out. Although the parade announcer did a great job naming many of the McPherson's named Seth, we threw in another one that locals probably forgot about. That Seth married Margaret Shaw, who was born in 1870, then died in 1934. We have listed her obituary. The second photo is of the newer home of Myrl McPherson, and his old one, which was built by and for Wm. Fisher Tolley, and yes, it looks like a home of a polygamist, as he was as were his four wives!

Get ready, as tomorrow is about here-the first day of the Ute Stampede.

According to the information printed in The Times News, the most exciting rodeo is about to begin. As shown below, the third annual event has rodeo stock coming all the way from Madison Square Garden Rodeo, along with horse races and boxing matches. Although it doesn't list it in the 1937 program, a local Nephi man named Dell Steele was the stand-by boxer in case somebody didn't show up, and nobody wanted to get hit by him. If you have family coming to the rodeo and can't find sleeping quarters, we thought we would list a few of the local accommodation's. If they are filled, then the cowboys that sleep west of the Grandstand under the trees would make room for you, and if it rains they go in to the fairground sheep sheds. Put on your spurs and start kicking, this is the time we all look forward to each year.

We know who she is, but not where she belongs!

This is an original photo of Myrtle May Jones, who was 20 months at the time it was taken, which we believe was about 1880. On the reverse side, the handwriting shows the photo is "To Uncle Will from Myrtle May Jones 20 months old". Since I am the grandson of Will Jones who has his personal papers and photos, it is assumed the photo was for him, but we are just not sure who the family of Myrtle May is and we would like to know so we can get this photo to her family. The father of Will Jones was Edward Jones, who with Brigham Young's permission(LDS Archives Film #25165 Part 15)-had two wives(Hannah Pendlebury and Martha Jackson) and both had a slew of kids in Nephi, Utah, so it is hard to pinpoint who to give this photo to. I am not in to genealogical stuff, but hopefully somebody is so we can get this 137 year old photo to the proper people.

Mormon Pioneer photo of twins-Kate and Bryon Cazier

During the pioneer history of Nephi, Utah, some of the familiar names were the Foote's, Sperry, Hoyt, Heywood, Tolley, Sperry, Jackson, Jones, McCune, Ord, as were the Cazier's, of whom we speak of today. This is an original photo of  Kate and Bryon Cazier. Although we don't know there age at the time of the photo, we know they were twins. We also know their mother is Elizabeth Ann Jones(born on Feb. 7, 1863), who married John "H" Cazier on Mar 1, 1882. Information had been past down through the generations, that Brigham Young directed good farmers and their families to Wells, Nevada, to help Mormons get a good start there, and that is where these children were raised. The father of Elizabeth Ann Jones is Edward Jones(the first), whose headstone is next to first wife-Hannah Pendlebury, and his second wife-Martha Jackson, who survived the Martin Handcart pushing contest of 1856 and helped each other raise two sets of Jones family.

Turn of the century photos of Ruth Jones of Nephi, Utah.

Today we introduce Ruth Jones of Nephi, Utah. Our word of mouth information is that she married Cy Emerson a hundred years ago, and Cy became a Supervisor of the construction of Hi-Way 91, when it was first paved with cement. Ruth is thought to have had three children-named George, Raymond(nicknamed "Sunny") and Dorothy. The second photo shows Ruth and we can't quite read the penciled name of the other, but it appears to be a friend of Ruth with the last name of "Pitt", whose family lived and farmed in Juab County 125 years ago. We have also heard the Emerson family was related to the Dean Winn family of Nephi. Although it is just an uneducated thought, we believe the two friends are standing on the wooden bridge that crossed the "Ole Hollow" at 400 South and Main in Nephi. A century ago, the bridge was separated from the road and on the west side. Standing on the bridge watching the water flow down was a fun weekend activity for locals. Today, both photos were shown to Ruth's nephew-Ron Jones, then given to a niece of Ruth Jones, being Nadine Blackett. They will then be kept in the Jones or Emerson family or given to the Daughters of Pioneers museum. The first photo was at the studio of "Alma Chase - Nephi City".

Happy Birthday to Vic Jones on this his 124th celebration of life!

Vic Jones may be remembered by Nephi people as the Postman that delivered mail in the 1950's on. People of France may remember him as the one severally wounded while serving America during World War One. People of Nortonville may remember him as the tall stalwart man who took up farming even though he had a gimp in his gallop. For sure, his family, who are now spread throughout the world-will remember this day, as Vic Jones was a devoted brother, father, husband and good neighbor, who cared for all. First photo shows Mildred, Richard, Melba, Sherm, Gordon, Lenora, Darlene, Vic, Alberta and Barbara. Third photo is of  the Nephi Jones boys showing Bert, Dell, Will, Alma, Vic and Grant.