Don Carlos Young, From Truant to LDS Church Architect

Don Carlos Young, son of Brigham Young, skipped school as a young boy to hang out with the teamsters under his father's employment. When Brigham found out, he took Don Carlos out of school and gave him a pair of blind mules to drive. Don Carlos learned to maneuver the team around Salt Lake City in an admirable fashion, delivering ice and dry goods. Later his was trusted to take a load of wheat to Logan, Utah.

After a while, Don Carlos decided he would like to go back to school. This time he applied himself to his studied, graduated from the University of Deseret (now the University of Utah) and studied architecture in the east.

He came back to Utah to work on several successful projects. Because of his expertise, he was appointed LDS Church Architect by Wilford Wodruff, assigned to finish the Salt Lake Temple.

Brigham Young didn't have the advantage of child guidance books
available to us today, but he was wise in his discipline of Don Carlos, and aided his son in becoming the best he could be. Would that we could all be this wise.

Have You Ever Used a Draw Knife?

Have you ever used a draw knife?

We used them a lot several years ago to skin the logs to build our cabin in Idaho.

Brigham Young and other members of the first pioneer company used them to take the bark off the logs so they could lash them together tightly to ferry the wagons across the raging Platte River. Some of the streams were small enough they could float the wagons through the water, but the Platte was so high, the water dashed the wagons to pieces. They found some white pine to make a heavy raft, skinned the logs, lashed them together and got everyone safely across the water.

Hard work and perseverance got the pioneers west. What have you done today to persevere?

Brigham Young on Joseph Smith

What I have received from the Lord, I have received by Joseph Smith.

Teachings of the Presidents of the Church, Brigham Young, 345.

I feel like shouting Hallelujah, all the time, when I think that I ever knew Joseph Smith, the Prophet whom the Lord raised up and ordained, and to whom he gave keys and power to build up the Kingdom of God on earth.

Teachings of the Presidents of the Church, Brigham Young, 343. 

Brigham Young Meeting Joseph Smith

Brigham Young, Tired, Cold, and Hungry

Brigham Young's father owned a maple tree orchard.Early one spring, Brigham and Lorenzo were left to tap the trees for the sap while their father was out of town. The boys worked hard all day. When the sun began to set the boys  tramped toward home, tired, cold and hungry. They knew their was nothing in the house to eat--not even a bit of flour.

Brigham saw a small robin flitting from tree to tree. "Stay here, Lorenzo," whispered Brigham. That's our dinner. Brigham hurried home to get the gun. He shot the robin and they had watery bird broth soup for their dinner.

When the Saints came West, Brigham already knew what it was to be tired, cold and hungry.

Here's a picture from the book, Texting Through Time, A Trek with Brigham Young. Fun read about the prophet's life, including little known stories like this one.

Brigham Young the Homemaker

As a young boy, Brigham Young did a lot of the house work. Some of his older sisters had married and moved away. His mother was sick with tuberculosis so she was unable to do any of the work. Brigham learned to get the water from the water pump, milk the cow, bake bread and many other jobs.

Later in his life he told the women of the Church that he could bake bread as well as any of them, and he was probably right.

Kids love Burned Cricket Paste--the Story, not the Food.

I love to do Primary Sharing Time and Activity Days. This is one of the stories the kids love to hear. 

The first winter the Saints were in the Salt Lake Valley, food was precious and scarce. The Indians brought John Taylor a sweet meal. The dark paste crunched when he ate it and tasted like honey.

John asked the Indians how to make it. He knew his children would enjoy the extra sweet delicacy. The braves led John to a field where the wheat had been harvested. Only the dried stocks were left.  Crickets were feeding on the wheat kernels that had fallen to the ground.

The Indians took dead pine branches, broke off several sticks, and started them on fire. They lit the wheat stubble into a blaze all around the edges field. As the plants burned toward the center, hundreds of crickets jumped up out of the fire and fell back into it, burning to a crisp.

When the fire died out, the Indians took their baskets and scooped up the dead insects.

“Why are you gathering dead crickets?” asked John.

“Good food,” said an Indian.

The Indian women ground the charred remains into a fine power and mixed it with honey.

By the time I've told this much of the story and girls are gagging and the boys are shuddering. They love the grossness of this tale. However, they are willing to think about how hungry they would have to be to eat this paste.

It’s a great lesson to help all of us remember the sacrifice the pioneers made to settle in the valleys of the mountains and make it a beautiful place for us to live.

John Taylor's Courage to Rip his shirt open

After John Taylor’s conversion to the gospel, he traveled from Canada to Kirtland to meet the prophet Joseph Smith. On his return to trip, he encountered a group of people outside Columbus, Ohio, who asked him to speak to them.

People gathered around on the hillside to listen. As John stood on a wagon tongue to speak about the religious principles of his new found Mormonism, he could see men with tar and feathers lurking in the back of the congregation.

John began to speak, “Gentlemen, I know your forefathers fought for the freedom of all men in this country during the American Revolution. Many of them died for our freedom.”

 John paused momentarily, and then his voice rose in strength. “I understand you plan to tar and feather me for preaching. Is this the reason your father’s died in that great war—so you would have the right to tar and feather someone?”

John stood straight and tall. “Come on with your tar and feathers, gentlemen. I am ready.”

A hush came over the people, and every eye was on John.

He grabbed hold of his vest and shirt and ripped them open, ready for the tar and feathers. The buttons popped off and fell to the ground. Everyone stood very still—not moving or saying a word.