1868 March 17 Letter to the Brethren going to Reinstate Sevier County

Title

1868 March 17 Letter to the Brethren going to Reinstate Sevier County

Description

Those settling in Severe County should follow counsel concerning numbers, grist mills, travel, Indian relations, and property ownership.

Type

Correspondence

Sender

Brigham Young
H. C. Kimball
Daniel H. Wells

Recipient

The Brethren going to reinstate Sevier County

Date

1868 March 17

Location

Great Salt Lake City

Number of Pages

4

Subject

Settlements
Indian Affairs
Safety
Property
Manufacturing

Instructions to those persons who shall go to reinstate the Settlements in Sevier County.

For the general safety and success of these new Settlements the following Rules and Regulations are given.

1st. No settlement shall be established with less than fifty men well armed and equipped, having plenty of ammunition say 100 Rounds each, suitable to their arms; and they must not take them any women or children until they have built and completed a good Fort Wall, composed of stone and laid in lime Morter at least 10 ft High <and three feet thick at the bottom> well and substantially built, with Port holes and Bastions on the corners, built at convenient distances, and every dwelling brought inside their limits.

2nd. There must be a Grist mill for grinding grain complete in each Settlement, within or near enough to receive the protection of the Fort of sufficient capacity, and grain raised in sufficient Quantity for its proposed Inhabitants, previous to any families being taken thereto. Neither shall any stock be taken there except teams and milch cows, and they must be kept up in Fields or pastures, yards or stables, and not allowed to run out upon the range in herds or otherwise.

3rd. No person must be allowed to travel about singly and alone from settlement to settlement or into the Kanyons or even into or around the Fields or any other place beyond the protection afforded by the Fort, nor in less companies than ten to fifteen men all well armed and 3 or 4 of them to act as guards or scouts, not being encumbered with care of team or designed to do any other Labor; and such companies must keep together and not go straggling along so as to be unable to render each other assistance if needed.

4th. Every person must persue a peaceful and friendly policy with the Indians, and one person only in each settlement should do the trading with them for the people, and the person so selected should be judicious man who understands and can speak their language.

5th. Persons holding claims by former possession and improvement shall, under the direction of the constituted authorities, have the preference in the allotment thereof, nevertheless others going there to settle, in accordance will councel, must be permitted a share of land in the fields and lots in the forts upon a fair, equitable principle, as shall be designated by the proper authorities and all must submit to such restrictions in regard to land claims and lots as shall be deemed prudent and politic by the constituted authority.

We have appointed Bro's John Van Cott, Levi Stewart and George Crisman to select companies to go and reinstate and preside over the Settlements in that county, and all persons who go there must strictly comply with and carry out these instructions and such other requirements and regulations as those brethren shall see proper to make and adopt for the general good.

6th. No settlement with less than fifty men, as herein before mentioned, must be commenced at any place; and all forts and grounds should be laid out and lands restricted with a view of an increase of settlers, as it is desirable that each settlement should number, as soon as practicable, from one hundred and fifty to two hundred men, and not more than three or four settlements should be commenced, say: Richfield, Alma, Glenwood, and Salina, until the numbers in those places shall have attained to the last named amount, and the last two named places be relocated on more open ground further from the base of the mountain and surrounding hills and mouths of the respective Kanyons.

Presidents Office
Salt Lake City,
March 17. 1868

Brigham Young
H. C. Kimball
Daniel H Wells