(Picture: Margaret Eliza Utley and Maggie Belle Tolman).
(Contributed by the Thomas Tolman Family Organization. Excerpt from Judson Tolman: Pioneer, Lumberman, Patriarch by E. Dennis Tolman, Second Edition, 2004, page 39).
Maggie Bell Tolman Porter, the youngest daughter of Cyrus Tolman (1820-1890) and Margaret Eliza Utley (1835-1902), shares some experiences that occurred at the Rush Valley homestead while they lived there:
Rush Valley was a wonderful country—good climate, good rich soil, but…not water sufficient for the farms under cultivation. Year after year it seemed to grow worse. Our land had one of the prior water rights, but a selfish man who hated the Mormons and had wanted to get them out of the country took our water. My brothers wanted to go to the law and have it settled in a legal way, but my mother felt that going into court was a crime one could never be forgiven of. She…always said, “It’s better to suffer wrong than do wrong.” So our condition became very critical. We could scarcely get water to our ranch to fill the cistern which held our drinking water and a pond that held water for the stock. Finally, the boys ceased farming and went into the freighting business. They hauled ore from the mines in Dry Canyon to smelters in Stockton.
The last year we lived there–eight weeks passed during the heat of the summer and the water was so bad in the cistern that it smelled terrible. It had a green scum on it and had to be boiled to save severe illness. The pond dried up and our cattle had to go three miles to water.
My mother and I fasted and prayed for the Lord to cleanse our water and make it fit for our use. Mother arose early the next morning and drew two buckets of water. It was as sweet and fresh as it was the day it was run into the cistern. It lasted that way until we left in September of 1887 for our new home in Star Valley, Wyoming. Any of our family…could testify that this is true.
Visit FamilySearch to learn more about Margaret Eliza Utley, Also visit the Thomas Tolman Family Organization to find out how you can get more involved in family history.