Wagon Wheel: Retracing My Pioneer Family's Roots

Allof75

Pathfinder
We often forget about our roots in our hectic day-to-day live. Maybe a call to mom every now and then, or a beer with a brother from time to time. But family and lineage is more than that, and I sought out to retrace a branch of my familial past. My family has a long standing tradition of living in the United States, the earliest of us moved here in the 1660s. The rest came in at other points in time, mainly the early 1800s amidst the rush of English and Irish immigrants. The last names were Moulton and Giles, and they soon became part of the ************************ of Latter Day Saints church. Amidst much public ridicule and ousting, they were driven out of their homes in the East, and gradually forced in to a great migration toward what they hoped would be their Zion, or promised land. What they faced next was one of the most brutal migrations in America's history, intensified by being unable to afford horses and wagons- they walked and pushed handcarts. Eventually they made it to their Zion, now in Utah, just above Salt Lake City. This past summer I took a journey to retrace their footprints, homesteads and handcarts, jumping into the very heart of Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. (I also visited some of the sights along the way)

(As a side note, I am irreligious (and an athiest), so if I have any part of the story wrong, or have said something offensive, please let me know. :) )

I live in Southern California, so it's a rather long drive just to get into the state of Utah, but I made it ok despite sweltering 115* heat in Las Vegas. The trip happened to coincide with a massive West Coast heatwave, to the point where my air conditioning couldn't keep up a time or two.

The first destination was Kolob Canyons, with breathtaking vistas, and a cool retreat in elevation.
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As we pushed through the state, we ran across a southernly fort in which Brigham Young, the leader of the Mormon faith,specified construction, and stayed multiple times. It functioned as a stagecoach stop for many years, and was self-sufficient.
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At the time, and now, it was in a desolate area.
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After an overnight in Lehi, we ventured northwest, and ran into a waterfall for lunch.
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Scale
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Eventually we made it into the destination for the next few days- a large family cabin, tucked away in the beautiful Heber Valley.
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Went swimming and fishing the next morning.
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Now having a home base, adventure was had, venturing into the nearby towns to find traces.
And ran across this- my family name on a street sign...
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With their same view, and a similar overlanding vehicle...
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These were shepherd trailers from the 30s, my great grandfather, who lived in the area, descibed and painted them many times, they're an artifact of the area, and unique so far as I know, to the West.
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The tiny town of Kamas is their home.
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Wanting to get out of the tiny towns, I passed into the nearest National Forest.
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And left to the quaintness of Samak.
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Continued...
 

Allof75

Pathfinder
The next day the exploration of Heber began. My family traces its lineage here to the 1850s, building homes, schools, and churches.

This was their house, one of the first in the area, and now a restaurant.
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Every person has their end, and here's his- He was the family patriarch, and made it to his own private Zion, in the beautiful alps-style valley.
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My great grandfather's parents
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Their relative's home
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The fort dating to the 1840s I believe, now rotting in someone's backyard.
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Complete with hand-formed chain.
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We spent the 4th of July in Small-town America, it was beautiful.
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The next day, after more time hanging around, we left to head North, and headed to the actual valley my ancestors passed through and camped in in 1848.
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Our way of travelling today is much quicker, and the AC is a blessing.
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As a pioneer family, this is a badge of honor. In some parts, you can still see the handcart ruts.
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At the end of the day, we made it to This is the Place Heritage Park. Where, as the name says, Brigham Young was inspired, and deemed what would become Salt Lake City to be "The Place" for the LDS Church and it's followers. This was their Zion. I watched the lightning strikes from here. (A monsoon made it interesting- 100* and raining)

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We revisited in the morning, first stopping in Brigham Young's house. It was the heart of the region for many years, and considered posh for its day, designed for travellers and visited by dignitaries of all sorts. (Side note- the pink was considered hyper masculine for the time :sombrero:)
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The park reconstructed a copy of the one-room schoolhouse my great grandfather attended.
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Moving back into Salt Lake, we visited Temple Square.
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My x number of great grandfather laid the groundwork for this temple- the flagship.
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I bummed around SLC for the rest of the day, and marvelled at the modernity- it is very similar to Sacramento, CA in my eyes.
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Allof75

Pathfinder
We continue our adventure northward, and made it to the site of the original Golden Spike- where East finally met West. It's at least an hour away from the nearest highway, but completely worth the trip.
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I'm standing where two great tycoons stood.
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Working along a railroad grade, we witnessed the work of the Chinese and Irish laborers against the hillside- still blatantly prevalent.
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A beautiful flat valley beneath
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At some point, I became frankly so depressed at the distance from my loved one so as to stop taking pictures, but anyway, I made it to Idaho Falls, to visit the railroad homes of my great grandfather. (He moved from Pocatello, ID, which was visited, but frankly rather rough)
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Pushing further, the Pathfinder crossed into Wyoming, staying in Jackson Hole to see the ultimate- Yellowstone and the Tetons.
The entrance to Yellowstone, and the end of the Tetons
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There was an unimaginable amount of wildlife:
A grizzly bear (pardon the blur, only had a second to take it)
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An elk in the burned forest- life and death at it's finest.
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Bison,
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Bison,
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And more bison,
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Volcanic activity was high
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Since Old Faithful is a must-see, I saw it. Not as precise as everyone says though....
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Heading back to Jackson for the night, we crested the Continental Divide
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The next morning brought a push into the Tetons
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And my ancestral homeland- this is the Moulton Barn. The very same Moulton as my family, they witnessed the majesty of the Tetons every single day for years upon years, and I'm certain never imagined their lowly barn would be the most photographed barn in the world.
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The Bison make their way here too, with a provocative backdrop
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Well, I swung the pig around, and listening to Elvis, booked it to my home, my real home in SoCal.

Along the way, I stopped into a fort or two, but the main attraction was Zion. I've hiked the canyons before, but it's always worth the time.
(My headlights became so muddy after the Moulton Barn excursion, I had to wash them off at a gas station for my own safety, sorry if it's not as rugged :elkgrin: )
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Caught just after a rain, it's moving really.
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Weeping Rock doing what it does...
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As is the Virgin River
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As the sun sank in the West, so it did on this grand adventure. Total Days: 19. Total miles: 3900. Average MPG: 16.5 and not a lick of trouble.
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I hope you enjoy!
 
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mortonm

Expedition Leader
Sounds and looks like a great trip, As a bit of a closet history buff I always enjoy hearing about new peoples places and things from the past...especially half a continent away.
 

stioc

Expedition Leader
Nice pics and commentary. Makes me want to go see those places. How many days (and miles) was this trip? Did you stay at hotels and Inns or camped along the way?
 

Allof75

Pathfinder
Nice pics and commentary. Makes me want to go see those places. How many days (and miles) was this trip? Did you stay at hotels and Inns or camped along the way?

Thanks! 19 days, 3900 miles, and unfortunately only stayed with family or hotels. The closest I got to camping was that "cabin" but at least 3000 square feet says otherwise haha
 

Willman

Active member
Way to go!

Retracing your family foot steps look similar to mine! I too have deep family connection down there!
 

teddyearp

Adventurer
Nice report. Thanks for sharing. My mom is the family tree person. On many of my road trips I've gone on, my mom tells me about places along the way where she or some ancestor has lived, so I go there too. She tells me we had ancestors on the Mayflower, but there is a straight line to one in the Revolutionary war.

Anyways, when I was at the Golden Spike in early 2006, there weren't the two trains there. Do you know if they added it or since you called it the "original" Golden Spike is it a different place than the Golden Spike National Park?
 

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