Orville Southerland Cox, Pioneer of 1847

by Adelia B. Cox Sidwell

Now the battalion men heard from their families left in Iowa, for the first time in more than a year. And tears of joy and sorrow were freely mingled. A daughter of Amos had died. Sylvester's wife had gone to New York where the Whitmer's and her father and brothers lived; so he decided to return to the Rocky Mountains with the pioneers, and Kearney gave him his discharge. Amos Cox continued with the prisoner to Fort Leavenworth, where he received his honorable discharge, and then went to his weary waiting family in Iowa.

The pioneering company continued on westward. At Green River, near Bridger's Station, they met pioneers who had reached Great Salt Lake Valley and made a start toward a new home; and were now returning to the camps in Iowa, with more definite knowledge and instructions to impart to those who were to come to the mountains next year. They told Rich's company many things regarding the way that lay before them, and it was a great relief to know that they were nearing their destination.

From now on the mountains were on every side; frowning cliffs looked ready to fall on and crush the poor foot-sore travelers; for people raised on the plains are apt to have a shuddering of such sights. C.C. Riche's artillery company rolled into the valley of the great Salt Lake. They were only two or three days behind Jedediah M. Grant's company of one hundred wagons.

Being expert in handling lumber, Cox was immediately sent into the canyon for logs. Houses must now be built. Among other timbers, he brought down a magnificent specimen of a pine for a "Liberty Pole", which he assisted in raising on Pioneer Square. It was the first pole to carry the stars and stripes in the city. One had been raised on Ensign Peak before. They wintered in Salt Lake Valley. There another son, Orville M., was born November 29, 1847.

Very early in the spring of 1848 father moved from the Adobe Fort with his wife and three children, and began farming in Sessionsville, Now Bountiful; He was the first bishop of the ward. There they had the famous experience with the crickets. He devised the broad paddles, as well as the oft mentioned methods, to try to exterminate them; and then came the Gulls. He raised a crop in '48 and '49 there; also he dug the first well in Bountiful, and struck water so suddenly as to be drowned by it before he could be hauled up. In the fall of '49 he was called to go with "Father" Morley's company to colonize the valley of Sanpitch.

He arrived at the future site of Manti November 19, 1849. The journey from Salt Lake City to the Sanpete Valley occupied one month, breaking new roads, fixing fords, and building dug-ways. The forty families worked industriously, sometimes only movin' forward two or three miles. One six mile stretch in Salt Creek Canyon occupied them a whole week. The only settlement between Salt Lake and Manti was Provo, consisting of a little fort of green cottonwood logs.

After getting through Salt Creek Canyon in two weeks, they worked to their upmost strength for it began snowing on them there; and it was far from being a desirable winter's home. That winter was one of the hardest with the heaviest snow fall for many succeeding years. Arriving at their destination, camp was made by the Morley's company on the south side of Temple Hill which was a sheltered spot. Now they must do their upmost in canyons, raising log cabins, sowing lumber on the saw pit, which was the most primitive of saw mills.

Orville was an expert at hewing and squaring the logs with his ax, and making everything as comfortable as possible in their home. All winter long they had to help the cattle find feed by shovelling snow in the meadows, as the snow lay four feet deep. It was May before the snow was gone so that the men could begin to clear the ground and begin their farming. Then there came irrigating ditches to dig and the usual labor of clearing, plowing, and planting.

Between their individual duties, they found time to build log school, and a bowery, and then a meeting house. They felt that it was quite commodious. Here in the long evenings of the winter of 1850-51 Cox taught a singing and dancing school. Sarah Potty was the first school of Ma'am. In the winter of 1850-51, school was taught by Jesse W. Fox. In 1850 he was elected Alderman.

O.S. Cox married Mary Allen about 1854; he served many years as the first counselor to Bishop Lowry; and he was captain of the Militia. He was very energetic in the performance of his duties, especially through the protracted period of the Walker war. He married Eliza Losee about 1857-59. He served under Major Higgins, and old Battalion veteran.