Sailing

Brigham built a boat to sail on the Great Salt Lake. He named it “Timely Gull.” The paddle wheel was powered by horses walking on a treadmill. The Young family sailed the boat only a few times, and then it was dashed to pieces by a storm.

Swimming

There was even a swimming pool behind the schoolhouse that was twenty feet square and five feet deep for them to play in. The pool was also used as a baptismal font. For the girls, bathing suits were made out of linsey dresses (plain cotton and wool) with pantalettes (long pants worn under their dresses) for the girls. The boys wore shirts and overalls. Brigham made them a bath house out of an old band wagon where they could change their clothes. It had benches on each side and a roof on top.


Sometimes Brigham and the children liked to soak in a warm spring about a mile from the house. He also loved to take visitors, along with a few of his children, to the Great Salt Lake. It took a full day to go to the beach and back because it was twenty miles away. Everyone changed their clothes behind a huge black rock – boys on one side and girls on the other. Swimming in the lake was a fun experience because the salty water held them up. They could float or roll in the water without sinking.

Physical Activites for Children

Brigham Young wanted his children to have all the opportunities for physical growth, as well as educational advantages. He remembered his own childhood of hard work and sadness after his mother died, and he wanted things to be better for his children.


Brigham built a gym for his family on the porch at the back of the Lion House that ran the full length of the building. There were ladders and bars to climb, jumping ropes, hoops, roller skates, wooden swords, swings, barbells, and big balls to play with. Teachers came to train the children in the use of the equipment, as well as dancing. The gym was lots of fun and helped the children develop confidence in their physical abilities as well as strong bodies.