CALL'S FORT ESTABLISHED—ACTS AS DEPUTY U. S. MARSHAL—MISSION TO COLONIZE CARSON VALLEY—OPPOSES ENTRANCE OF ARMY—ABANDONS AND PREPARES TO BURN HOME—THE "MOVE" SOUTH—BROTHER KILLED BY INDIANS—CALL'S LANDING ESTABLISHED—HIS LAST DAYS.
In the fall of 1854, Anson's ability as a colonizer was again called into requisition. He opened a large farm in Box Elder County at a place since known as Call's Fort, one of the purposes being to find employment for poor Saints brought from Europe by the Perpetual Emigration Fund Company. He sowed forty acres of grain, and wintered a number of poor families there.
On New Years Day, 1855, Anson made a feast for all of his father's family. It was the last gathering of the Call family during the life of Father Call.
At the general conference in April, 1855, Anson was given another mission to go to Fillmore and settle up the business connected with the building of the State House at that place, which he accomplished in twelve days, then returned home.
In May, 1855, the United States Marshal for the territory, Joseph L. Heywood, appointed Anson to act as his deputy, and left the business connected with his office for him to care for while he went on a trip to California. That same year the grasshoppers were very destructive, and Anson spent much time trying to prevent their ravages, and suffered a heavy loss of crops as well.
Brigham Young having counseled Anson to build a fort on his farm in Box Elder County for the protection of the settlers, he constructed a stone wall, enclosing a space of 120 feet square, the wall being three feet thick and six feet high.
The notorious Judge W. W. Drummond having arrived in Utah to hold court, Anson, as Marshal Heywood's deputy, escorted him to Fillmore, and made the necessary arrangements for the session of his court, which was in session two weeks, and adjourned in January, 1856.
On the 16th of March, 1856, Anson's mother died in Bountiful, aged sixty-five years.
At the general conference in April, 1856, Anson was again called upon a colonizing mission, this time to Carson Valley, then in Western Utah, but now a part of Nevada. After a strenuous experience he arrived home from there October 13th, 1856. His wife Mariah also accompanied him on this mission, and remained there after he returned; in fact, she did not return until the summer of 1857, arriving in Utah soon after word was received of the approach of Johnston's army.
On the 28th of October he started in charge of thirteen teams furnished by North Canyon Ward to go to the relief of the hand-cart companies, who, while en route across the plains, were then perishing in the snow. They traveled to the Rocky Ridge, three hundred miles from Salt Lake Valley, were absent thirty-three days, and were successful in rescuing a large number who would otherwise doubtless have perished. In February, 1857, Anson again exhibited his faith by taking two additional wives, both of whom crossed the plains in hand-cart companies. The first of these was Margaretta Clark, of Nottingham, born May 28, 1828, the other being Emma Summers, born in Worcester, England, August 1828.