The J.M. Wilbur Company Blacksmith Shop
The J.M. Wilbur Company Blacksmith Shop was built in 1895, and is a brick, onepart block commercial building with a stepped gable parapet and Late Victorian Commercial details. The period of significance dates from 1895, when it was built by Jesse Wilbur, to1951, when Jesse passed away. Jesse partnered with his son Glenn in 1924, and they used this building as a commercial outlet providing primarily blacksmithing and other related services to local farmers and the surrounding communities. Following Jesse’s death, Glenn carried on the business for two more decades. It was significant in the areas of industry and commerce because it provided essential services in a developing community and played a vital role in the development and success of the community of Eden and surrounding Ogden Valley. The building was originally designed and constructed to facilitate the needs of the blacksmithing industry—a once very common and necessary business in frontier life—and is the only known continuously functioning blacksmith shop remaining in the region. Following a recent careful rehabilitation, the building continues to operate as a blacksmith shop today.
Industry
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Utah, when horses were the primary mode of travel, blacksmithing was a busy and prosperous enterprise. Travelers did not commonly bring tools with them and, therefore, blacksmiths were strongly relied upon. Emigrants would gather scrap iron as they crossed the plains and would often trade the iron or grain or food. Blacksmiths in Ogden, specifically, not only shod horses and set wagon tires, but also made necessary items for household and farm use. In 1850, the Weber County census listed 22 blacksmiths. The town of Liberty (four miles from Eden) had two blacksmiths, which did not last very long. The J.M. Wilbur Company Blacksmith Shop proved to be the more successful and provided blacksmithing business for these communities.
The Wilbur Blacksmith Shop began operation in Eden, Utah, in 1895. Located about 12 miles east of Ogden, Eden lies between the north and middle forks of the Ogden River in Ogden Valley, originally called “Little Valley”2 by Shoshone Indian Chief Little Soldier. In 1825 British trapper Peter Skeen Ogden and others employed by the Hudson Bay Fur Co. were the first white men to explore and trap wildlife in the valley, which then became known as “Ogden’s Hole” or “New Hole.”3 Later, President Brigham Young of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent two exploration parties in 1848 and 1852 to the valley. This led to the establishment of three Mormon communities of year-round residents: Eden, Huntsville, and Liberty. The first cattlemen came in 1856, and by 1860 small farms were beginning to form.
James Burt (b. 1822), an experienced blacksmith, immigrated to the United States from Scotland in 1862. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he crossed the plains with other Mormon pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley, Utah where he was invited to do blacksmithing work for Church president Brigham Young. He had acquired sufficient funds by 1870-71 to purchase a piece of land in Eden and became one of the first permanent settlers in the area. He built Eden’s first blacksmith shop, which served the other nearby settlements of Huntsville and Liberty as well. In 1895, James Burt sold the blacksmith shop to his assistant, Jesse Wilbur (b. 1874), who replaced the building with a new one (the subject building) in 1895 and changed the name to his own.4 The J.M. Wilbur Company Blacksmith Shop provided essential services and support for this growing agricultural community. Blacksmithing was a vital industry in any settlement of this era and this building retains significance as the industry’s only vestige in the Ogden Valley. Common blacksmithing services needed by these farmers included replacing parts for farm equipment, shoeing horses, constructing tools, providing tilling equipment, and building steel wagon wheels.5 The Wilbur blacksmithing trade was a practical service and a boon to the farming industry, which contributed significantly to the growth and success of the community.
Commerce
After many years working in James Burt’s Blacksmith Shop in Eden, Jesse Wilbur purchased the shop in 1895, built a new shop on the property, and established the J.M. Wilbur Company. Because the community was agricultural, his skills were indispensable to the farmers there. Interchangeable parts were not mass-produced in those days, and so much of Jesse’s time was spent in building new parts to replace homemade ones for equipment needing repair. He fitted horses with shoes using steel purchased from Ogden, then heated it and shaped them with his homemade hammer. His custom design of the “Wilbur Bale Hook” became known as the best tool in the Mountain West for hooking bales of hay and was sold in several states outside of Utah as well (“Eden Blacksmith”).6 He built snow plows, bob sleds, tilling equipment, and steel wagon wheel tires, which was an especially laborious and painstaking process. Tire setting was one of the most significant and difficult repairs offered at the Wilbur shop.
On February 1, 1924, Jesse’s son Glenn became a partner in the business and the business name was changed to J.M. Wilbur and Son, which remained until Jesse’s death on June 19, 1951.7 As technology caused an evolution in transportation and automobiles became the dominant mode, the Blacksmith Shop adapted to the times and offered automobile and gasoline service in addition to blacksmithing.8 Expansion of amenities to include automobile service appears to coincide with the additions that were added to the south side of the original blacksmith shop (and more recently removed). This is supported through photographic evidence of the service station component; however, no other documentation exists to confirm the dates or extent of the service station activities.
James Burt, Sr.
In the early nineteenth century, child labor was common in many countries. Nine-year-old James Burt (b. 8 January 1822) began his life of manual labor in his birthplace of Blontyre Lanark Scotland. During the next few years, he found himself working with machinery, water wheels, and blacksmith equipment. After refusing to fulfill the role of striking workers at the Blontyre Works, he found himself unemployed and homeless at the age of fifteen. It was at this time that he began learning the trade of blacksmith, often working eighteen-hour days. Economic downturns often forced him to change jobs working for the railway, sugar factory, and ironworks. In spite of these challenges, he consistently found enough work to marry and support his childhood sweetheart, Mary McBride, when he was only seventeen. Of all his jobs, he loved blacksmithing the most and took every opportunity to learn the trade well.
In 1850 James and Mary were introduced to and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which greatly impacted the future of this family. They left Scotland in 1862 and sailed across the Atlantic to begin the arduous journey across the plains to Utah in hopes of joining others of their faith. James resumed his blacksmith trade at the invitation to work for Brigham Young in Salt Lake City. Hearing about the beautiful valley east of Ogden, he purchased a small piece of land in Eden between 1870-1871, eventually building a shop and becoming the blacksmith for the three main settlements in the valley.
After Mary’s death (1897), James sold his shop to his assistant, Jesse Wilbur, in 1895. Jesse then built the new shop three years later on this same property. James died on 17 July 1904 and was buried in Eden.
Jesse M. Wilbur
Jesse M. Wilbur (b. February 1874) was the eldest of seven children born to Elisha Wilbur, one of the first settlers of Eden, Utah, and Rose Ellen Worden Wilbur. Upon the death of his mother in 1897, he became the legal guardian for his four youngest siblings.
Jesse began learning the skills of a blacksmith from his father at the age of eighteen, which became his life’s work. Not only did he receive on-the-job training, but he also attended classes in blacksmithing at Utah Agricultural College (now Utah State University) in Logan.
On July 5, 1899, Jesse (age 25) married Minnie Farrell (age 23). It is believed their courtship took place in their earlier years as they attended the same school together in Eden and only lived one block apart from each other. Their first home was the Wilbur home in the “Stringtown” section of Eden, where Jesse also operated the farm.9 They later moved to the Farrell home, one block away from the Blacksmith Shop. Jesse and Minnie had seven children. Minnie always did the bookkeeping for Jesse’s Blacksmith Shop.
On February 1, 1924, Jesse’s son Glenn became a partner in the business and the business name was changed to J.M. Wilbur and Son, which remained until Jesse’s death on June 19, 1951.
According to LaMar Petersen, “Everybody liked Jesse Wilbur. He was friendly and obliging. When he shod the horses, his shop became a haven for idlers and bug-eyed kids. His smelly leather apron, the red-hot embers in the forge, the sweat of the horses all made a pleasant atmosphere worth standing around for an hour at a time enjoying. I loved to watch him at work, smoking his stogie, intent on gentling the horse as he applied the shoe, his swarthy, perspiring face showing both concentration and kindness. He was also a fixer. He mended plows and harvesters, an occasional wheel from a wagon, or a flivver that refused to start.”10
Jesse is also remembered as a good friend of David O. McKay, a later president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who was a native of nearby Huntsville, and would often pay visits to Jesse’s shop. They enjoyed discussing local events and politics but avoided topics of a religious nature.
Glenn M. Wilbur
The son of Jesse M. and Minnie Farrell Wilbur was Glenn Wilbur (b. 1 December 1903). He married Clara Hunt on March 28, 1936. In 1924, he became his father’s partner in the Blacksmith Shop. After his father’s death in 1951, Glenn changed the name of the company to Glenn M. Wilbur and continued to operate the shop. Gradually, new ideas were formed and gas pumps and auto mechanics became a part of the blacksmith trade. Glenn operated the Blacksmith Shop until his retirement on May 29, 1971. For 42 years, he was one of the last blacksmiths in the Ogden area. Like his father, he continued producing necessary articles for home and agricultural use as well as horseshoes. He also provided service to the community as vice president and former director of the Eden Waterworks Co. Glenn died at the age of 69 on November 19, 1973. Today, the building still functions as a Blacksmith Shop.
Historical Context for Eden/Ogden Valley
The small agricultural community of Eden, Weber County, Utah has always been known for its picturesque beauty, fertile grasslands, and numerous waterways all surrounded by the Wasatch and Cache Valley mountain ranges. Located about 12 miles east of Ogden, Eden lies between the north and middle forks of the Ogden River in Ogden Valley, originally called “Little Valley”11 by Shoshone Indian Chief Little Soldier. The valley once served as temporary summer hunting grounds for the tribe where beaver, muskrats, game, and even bear were plentiful. In 1825 British trapper Peter Skeen Ogden and others employed by the Hudson Bay Fur Co. were the first white men to explore and trap wildlife in the valley, which then became known as “Ogden’s Hole” or “New Hole.”12 Geographers later named it Ogden Valley. The severe winters and difficult passage through the Ogden canyons discouraged permanent settlements. It wasn’t until President Brigham Young of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent two exploration parties in 1848 and 1852 that led to the establishment of three Mormon communities of year-round residents: Eden, Huntsville, and Liberty.13 The first cattlemen came in 1856 and by 1860 small farms were beginning to form. Stephen K. Wilbur is thought to be the first settler in Eden, which was surveyed in 1866 by Washington Jenkins. It was Jenkins who suggested the Biblical name of Eden because of its beauty. Because the elevation is 4,941 feet (1,506 m), the new settlers were faced with long harsh winters causing many challenges. In March of 1876, James Burt, Jr. left his wife Annie and three children at home to retrieve fresh water when a sudden snow slide rushed down the mountainside tearing the home from its foundation and carrying it and his family downhill. Everyone was saved but his toddler-aged daughter Catherine, who was buried the next day in Eden Cemetery. The displaced family lived in the home of James Burt, Sr., in Eden for a while. One month after this tragic incident, Annie gave birth to a son giving him the name of George Survival Burt.
Other challenges also beset the community. Although relations between the settlers and Indians were mostly peaceful, tensions were still high. Shortages of food were not uncommon as the townspeople often offered provisions to the Indians to maintain peaceful conditions. Some even paid an annual “tax” for several years to avoid problems. Men often carried rifles when working in the fields. Relations further deteriorated at the break of the Black Hawk War in 1865, causing many of the settlers to move closer together in the Eden area for protection. During the winter of 1877 an epidemic of scarlet fever and diphtheria broke out in the community lasting until the next year. Very little medical help was available in the valley and the epidemic was especially hard on the children claiming 64 lives. Hordes of grasshoppers led to successive years of crop failure. In spite of these trials, progress moved forward.
Mail came to Eden from Ogden twice a week and was delivered to Richard Ballantynes. In 1893 the first post office was established which served as the post office for the town of Liberty as well. In 1861 Thomas Bingham built the first hand-driven shingle mill on the North Fork between Eden and Liberty; the first power-driven mills came a few years later. The Blacksmithing business run by James Burt and then Jesse Wilbur served the towns of Eden and Liberty for many years, as did the grocery store in Eden. Religion greatly united the people of these communities. James Burt, Sr. served as the first Sunday School Superintendent for Eden and Liberty, and his son, James Burt, Jr. helped the church acquire property for the first tithing house, ward house, and cemetery in Liberty. The Eden Ward’s population in 1900 was 294 members. Several prominent church leaders such as Matthias Cowley, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Brigham Young, George Q. Cannon, Franklin D. Richards, and Daniel H. Wells visited the Latter-Day Saints in the valley. A one-room school house built in 1866 in Eden also welcomed students from Liberty. In 1884 a larger school house was built with a bell placed on the roof to call the children to school or warn residents of an emergency. The bell now sits upon the Daughters of Utah Pioneers historical monument dedicated in 2005 to honor the historical significance of Eden.14
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2. “Early History of Liberty, Weber, Utah”.
3. Ibid.
4. “Biography of Elisha Wilbur,” p. 6.
5. “No Town Could Make it without a Blacksmith”
6. Ibid.
7. “Biography of Elisha Wilbur,” p. 6.
8. “No Town Could Make it without a Blacksmith”
9. Gardiner, Don (Grandson). “Biography of Minnie Lavina Farrell Wilbur,” February, 1982.
10. Petersen, LaMar. “My Garden of Eden,” Utah Historical Quarterly 56 (Summer 1988): 236-49.
11. “Early History of Liberty, Weber, Utah”.
12. Ibid.
13. “Settlement of Eden,” Utah Historical Markers on www.waymarking.com, posted March 23, 2011, http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMB1F9_Settlement_of_Eden
14. “Settlement of Eden,” Utah Historical Markers on www,waymarking.com, posted March 23, 2011, http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMB1F9_Settlement_of_Eden
Industry
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Utah, when horses were the primary mode of travel, blacksmithing was a busy and prosperous enterprise. Travelers did not commonly bring tools with them and, therefore, blacksmiths were strongly relied upon. Emigrants would gather scrap iron as they crossed the plains and would often trade the iron or grain or food. Blacksmiths in Ogden, specifically, not only shod horses and set wagon tires, but also made necessary items for household and farm use. In 1850, the Weber County census listed 22 blacksmiths. The town of Liberty (four miles from Eden) had two blacksmiths, which did not last very long. The J.M. Wilbur Company Blacksmith Shop proved to be the more successful and provided blacksmithing business for these communities.
The Wilbur Blacksmith Shop began operation in Eden, Utah, in 1895. Located about 12 miles east of Ogden, Eden lies between the north and middle forks of the Ogden River in Ogden Valley, originally called “Little Valley”2 by Shoshone Indian Chief Little Soldier. In 1825 British trapper Peter Skeen Ogden and others employed by the Hudson Bay Fur Co. were the first white men to explore and trap wildlife in the valley, which then became known as “Ogden’s Hole” or “New Hole.”3 Later, President Brigham Young of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent two exploration parties in 1848 and 1852 to the valley. This led to the establishment of three Mormon communities of year-round residents: Eden, Huntsville, and Liberty. The first cattlemen came in 1856, and by 1860 small farms were beginning to form.
James Burt (b. 1822), an experienced blacksmith, immigrated to the United States from Scotland in 1862. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he crossed the plains with other Mormon pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley, Utah where he was invited to do blacksmithing work for Church president Brigham Young. He had acquired sufficient funds by 1870-71 to purchase a piece of land in Eden and became one of the first permanent settlers in the area. He built Eden’s first blacksmith shop, which served the other nearby settlements of Huntsville and Liberty as well. In 1895, James Burt sold the blacksmith shop to his assistant, Jesse Wilbur (b. 1874), who replaced the building with a new one (the subject building) in 1895 and changed the name to his own.4 The J.M. Wilbur Company Blacksmith Shop provided essential services and support for this growing agricultural community. Blacksmithing was a vital industry in any settlement of this era and this building retains significance as the industry’s only vestige in the Ogden Valley. Common blacksmithing services needed by these farmers included replacing parts for farm equipment, shoeing horses, constructing tools, providing tilling equipment, and building steel wagon wheels.5 The Wilbur blacksmithing trade was a practical service and a boon to the farming industry, which contributed significantly to the growth and success of the community.
Commerce
After many years working in James Burt’s Blacksmith Shop in Eden, Jesse Wilbur purchased the shop in 1895, built a new shop on the property, and established the J.M. Wilbur Company. Because the community was agricultural, his skills were indispensable to the farmers there. Interchangeable parts were not mass-produced in those days, and so much of Jesse’s time was spent in building new parts to replace homemade ones for equipment needing repair. He fitted horses with shoes using steel purchased from Ogden, then heated it and shaped them with his homemade hammer. His custom design of the “Wilbur Bale Hook” became known as the best tool in the Mountain West for hooking bales of hay and was sold in several states outside of Utah as well (“Eden Blacksmith”).6 He built snow plows, bob sleds, tilling equipment, and steel wagon wheel tires, which was an especially laborious and painstaking process. Tire setting was one of the most significant and difficult repairs offered at the Wilbur shop.
On February 1, 1924, Jesse’s son Glenn became a partner in the business and the business name was changed to J.M. Wilbur and Son, which remained until Jesse’s death on June 19, 1951.7 As technology caused an evolution in transportation and automobiles became the dominant mode, the Blacksmith Shop adapted to the times and offered automobile and gasoline service in addition to blacksmithing.8 Expansion of amenities to include automobile service appears to coincide with the additions that were added to the south side of the original blacksmith shop (and more recently removed). This is supported through photographic evidence of the service station component; however, no other documentation exists to confirm the dates or extent of the service station activities.
James Burt, Sr.
In the early nineteenth century, child labor was common in many countries. Nine-year-old James Burt (b. 8 January 1822) began his life of manual labor in his birthplace of Blontyre Lanark Scotland. During the next few years, he found himself working with machinery, water wheels, and blacksmith equipment. After refusing to fulfill the role of striking workers at the Blontyre Works, he found himself unemployed and homeless at the age of fifteen. It was at this time that he began learning the trade of blacksmith, often working eighteen-hour days. Economic downturns often forced him to change jobs working for the railway, sugar factory, and ironworks. In spite of these challenges, he consistently found enough work to marry and support his childhood sweetheart, Mary McBride, when he was only seventeen. Of all his jobs, he loved blacksmithing the most and took every opportunity to learn the trade well.
In 1850 James and Mary were introduced to and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which greatly impacted the future of this family. They left Scotland in 1862 and sailed across the Atlantic to begin the arduous journey across the plains to Utah in hopes of joining others of their faith. James resumed his blacksmith trade at the invitation to work for Brigham Young in Salt Lake City. Hearing about the beautiful valley east of Ogden, he purchased a small piece of land in Eden between 1870-1871, eventually building a shop and becoming the blacksmith for the three main settlements in the valley.
After Mary’s death (1897), James sold his shop to his assistant, Jesse Wilbur, in 1895. Jesse then built the new shop three years later on this same property. James died on 17 July 1904 and was buried in Eden.
Jesse M. Wilbur
Jesse M. Wilbur (b. February 1874) was the eldest of seven children born to Elisha Wilbur, one of the first settlers of Eden, Utah, and Rose Ellen Worden Wilbur. Upon the death of his mother in 1897, he became the legal guardian for his four youngest siblings.
Jesse began learning the skills of a blacksmith from his father at the age of eighteen, which became his life’s work. Not only did he receive on-the-job training, but he also attended classes in blacksmithing at Utah Agricultural College (now Utah State University) in Logan.
On July 5, 1899, Jesse (age 25) married Minnie Farrell (age 23). It is believed their courtship took place in their earlier years as they attended the same school together in Eden and only lived one block apart from each other. Their first home was the Wilbur home in the “Stringtown” section of Eden, where Jesse also operated the farm.9 They later moved to the Farrell home, one block away from the Blacksmith Shop. Jesse and Minnie had seven children. Minnie always did the bookkeeping for Jesse’s Blacksmith Shop.
On February 1, 1924, Jesse’s son Glenn became a partner in the business and the business name was changed to J.M. Wilbur and Son, which remained until Jesse’s death on June 19, 1951.
According to LaMar Petersen, “Everybody liked Jesse Wilbur. He was friendly and obliging. When he shod the horses, his shop became a haven for idlers and bug-eyed kids. His smelly leather apron, the red-hot embers in the forge, the sweat of the horses all made a pleasant atmosphere worth standing around for an hour at a time enjoying. I loved to watch him at work, smoking his stogie, intent on gentling the horse as he applied the shoe, his swarthy, perspiring face showing both concentration and kindness. He was also a fixer. He mended plows and harvesters, an occasional wheel from a wagon, or a flivver that refused to start.”10
Jesse is also remembered as a good friend of David O. McKay, a later president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who was a native of nearby Huntsville, and would often pay visits to Jesse’s shop. They enjoyed discussing local events and politics but avoided topics of a religious nature.
Glenn M. Wilbur
The son of Jesse M. and Minnie Farrell Wilbur was Glenn Wilbur (b. 1 December 1903). He married Clara Hunt on March 28, 1936. In 1924, he became his father’s partner in the Blacksmith Shop. After his father’s death in 1951, Glenn changed the name of the company to Glenn M. Wilbur and continued to operate the shop. Gradually, new ideas were formed and gas pumps and auto mechanics became a part of the blacksmith trade. Glenn operated the Blacksmith Shop until his retirement on May 29, 1971. For 42 years, he was one of the last blacksmiths in the Ogden area. Like his father, he continued producing necessary articles for home and agricultural use as well as horseshoes. He also provided service to the community as vice president and former director of the Eden Waterworks Co. Glenn died at the age of 69 on November 19, 1973. Today, the building still functions as a Blacksmith Shop.
Historical Context for Eden/Ogden Valley
The small agricultural community of Eden, Weber County, Utah has always been known for its picturesque beauty, fertile grasslands, and numerous waterways all surrounded by the Wasatch and Cache Valley mountain ranges. Located about 12 miles east of Ogden, Eden lies between the north and middle forks of the Ogden River in Ogden Valley, originally called “Little Valley”11 by Shoshone Indian Chief Little Soldier. The valley once served as temporary summer hunting grounds for the tribe where beaver, muskrats, game, and even bear were plentiful. In 1825 British trapper Peter Skeen Ogden and others employed by the Hudson Bay Fur Co. were the first white men to explore and trap wildlife in the valley, which then became known as “Ogden’s Hole” or “New Hole.”12 Geographers later named it Ogden Valley. The severe winters and difficult passage through the Ogden canyons discouraged permanent settlements. It wasn’t until President Brigham Young of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent two exploration parties in 1848 and 1852 that led to the establishment of three Mormon communities of year-round residents: Eden, Huntsville, and Liberty.13 The first cattlemen came in 1856 and by 1860 small farms were beginning to form. Stephen K. Wilbur is thought to be the first settler in Eden, which was surveyed in 1866 by Washington Jenkins. It was Jenkins who suggested the Biblical name of Eden because of its beauty. Because the elevation is 4,941 feet (1,506 m), the new settlers were faced with long harsh winters causing many challenges. In March of 1876, James Burt, Jr. left his wife Annie and three children at home to retrieve fresh water when a sudden snow slide rushed down the mountainside tearing the home from its foundation and carrying it and his family downhill. Everyone was saved but his toddler-aged daughter Catherine, who was buried the next day in Eden Cemetery. The displaced family lived in the home of James Burt, Sr., in Eden for a while. One month after this tragic incident, Annie gave birth to a son giving him the name of George Survival Burt.
Other challenges also beset the community. Although relations between the settlers and Indians were mostly peaceful, tensions were still high. Shortages of food were not uncommon as the townspeople often offered provisions to the Indians to maintain peaceful conditions. Some even paid an annual “tax” for several years to avoid problems. Men often carried rifles when working in the fields. Relations further deteriorated at the break of the Black Hawk War in 1865, causing many of the settlers to move closer together in the Eden area for protection. During the winter of 1877 an epidemic of scarlet fever and diphtheria broke out in the community lasting until the next year. Very little medical help was available in the valley and the epidemic was especially hard on the children claiming 64 lives. Hordes of grasshoppers led to successive years of crop failure. In spite of these trials, progress moved forward.
Mail came to Eden from Ogden twice a week and was delivered to Richard Ballantynes. In 1893 the first post office was established which served as the post office for the town of Liberty as well. In 1861 Thomas Bingham built the first hand-driven shingle mill on the North Fork between Eden and Liberty; the first power-driven mills came a few years later. The Blacksmithing business run by James Burt and then Jesse Wilbur served the towns of Eden and Liberty for many years, as did the grocery store in Eden. Religion greatly united the people of these communities. James Burt, Sr. served as the first Sunday School Superintendent for Eden and Liberty, and his son, James Burt, Jr. helped the church acquire property for the first tithing house, ward house, and cemetery in Liberty. The Eden Ward’s population in 1900 was 294 members. Several prominent church leaders such as Matthias Cowley, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Brigham Young, George Q. Cannon, Franklin D. Richards, and Daniel H. Wells visited the Latter-Day Saints in the valley. A one-room school house built in 1866 in Eden also welcomed students from Liberty. In 1884 a larger school house was built with a bell placed on the roof to call the children to school or warn residents of an emergency. The bell now sits upon the Daughters of Utah Pioneers historical monument dedicated in 2005 to honor the historical significance of Eden.14
_____________________________________________________________________________
2. “Early History of Liberty, Weber, Utah”.
3. Ibid.
4. “Biography of Elisha Wilbur,” p. 6.
5. “No Town Could Make it without a Blacksmith”
6. Ibid.
7. “Biography of Elisha Wilbur,” p. 6.
8. “No Town Could Make it without a Blacksmith”
9. Gardiner, Don (Grandson). “Biography of Minnie Lavina Farrell Wilbur,” February, 1982.
10. Petersen, LaMar. “My Garden of Eden,” Utah Historical Quarterly 56 (Summer 1988): 236-49.
11. “Early History of Liberty, Weber, Utah”.
12. Ibid.
13. “Settlement of Eden,” Utah Historical Markers on www.waymarking.com, posted March 23, 2011, http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMB1F9_Settlement_of_Eden
14. “Settlement of Eden,” Utah Historical Markers on www,waymarking.com, posted March 23, 2011, http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMB1F9_Settlement_of_Eden
