The Death of Alfred Whatcott (and what happened afterward)

The first European settlers arrived in the Panguitch Valley on March 16, 1864. They were hardy pioneers for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, most of them passing over difficult mountain terrain from Parowan or Beaver. Although higher in elevation, the valley seemed promising due to the relatively large water supply from the Sevier River. 

The new settlers hastily built “brush shanties and cellars” until more substantial accommodations could be built. A canal was dug to bring water to the fields. The townsite was surveyed and logs were hauled from the mountain. They named their new town “Fairview.” 

These early days were very grueling. Due to the difficulty of plowing and planting crops, coupled with the shorter growing season, the fall harvest was not as bountiful as they had hoped. And to make matters worse, the winter of 1864-65 was severe. Heavy snows blocked the passes before the local people could get their meager wheat harvest to the flour mills. They had to find other creative ways to grind their wheat. The men fished and caught whatever small game they could, but it wasn't enough to sustain the starving community. 

Old cabin in Panguitch Valley.  Mount Dutton in background.

It was during this time that a group of seven men made a journey over the mountain to Parowan to get provisions. The drifts were so deep that their light wagon and animals got bogged in the snow and couldn't move. Walking wouldn't do any good either because that, too, resulted in them sinking in the snow. 

A story that is now memorialized tells of the small group praying in a circle and then being inspired with the idea of laying quilts down and walking over the quilts. This they did, and to their amazement they did not sink in the snow. They continued all the way to Parowan where they successfully acquired supplies, which they brought back to the starving little town. 

Heavy snows resulted in heavy runoff the next spring. The heavy runoff in turn transformed the modest Sevier River into a swollen torrent that demanded caution and respect. The swollen river brought the first tragedy to the Panguitch community with the death of Alfred Whatcott. 

Cattle have always been a prominent scene in Panguitch Valley.

Alfred Whatcott was born in 1835 in Bethel Green on the east side of London. At an early age he became acquainted with grief and suffering. His father died when he was 7 or 8, then a few years later a sister died, and then a brother. By the age of 12 his mother died and Alfred was left an orphan. 

We don't know what Alfred did to survive during those difficult years after becoming an orphan, but we do know that at the age of 15 he became indentured as an apprentice on a merchant ship. He was bound for six years to Sed Nymph, a ship based in Stockton in northern England. 

Although the details of the story are lost in history, we know that in 1854 Alfred was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This would be a decision that would change the course of his life. Also, likely in that same year, he met Isabella Paxton. They fell in love and were married three years later. 

In 1863 the young family decided to join the saints in Utah. They boarded a ship from England to New York City, rode the train to Nebraska, then walked the wagon trail to Salt Lake City. They first lived 230 miles south in Parowan. They weren't there long before they decided to move over the mountain and settle in Fairview in the Panguitch Valley. 

Sevier River.

That brings us to May 11, 1865. One account claims that Alfred Whatcott was attempting to cross the Sevier River with a herd of cattle. Another, more probable account, claims that he had already crossed the river safely to obtain a load of posts for the new settlement. Whichever the case, the river was swollen from spring runoff and as he attempted to cross the river again, most likely with a large load of posts, his wagon capsized and Alfred was thrown into the river, unable to make it ashore. 

No one else was there, so it is impossible to know the exact details of the incident. To me it makes more sense that he was hauling posts because as some can testify, fast-moving water combined with debris or logs can be a dangerous combination. Maybe he hit his head or got sucked under. The Sevier River, even in its most swollen condition, is not a gigantic body of water. Therefore, I think there had to be another factor that contributed to Alfred's drowning. 

As soon as news of Alfred Whatcott's accident reached the townspeople, several men answered the call and spent several days searching for the body to no avail. The news must have been devastating to Isabella. They were in a new and wild land and she was a mother of young children. She was pregnant with their fourth child. And now her husband was drowned and the body was nowhere to be found.

John Black.

Three weeks later a miraculous incident took place in the cabin of John Black, a brother-in-law to Alfred and Isabella. As he was working he looked up and saw Alfred standing in the doorway. 

“I thought you drowned?” John exclaimed with surprise. 

Alfred assured him that he was indeed dead, but had come to help them find his body. He explained that those searching for his body had passed by it several times, but couldn't find it because it was covered with posts. He revealed that the posts were hidden behind a clump of bushes around a bend of the river. He gave enough detail that John Black knew exactly where to go. Alfred then asked that some men be sent out on a raft to retrieve his body. After giving his message, Alfred Whatcott simply smiled and faded away. 

You can imagine the surprise of Isabella when her brother-in-law came with the news that her husband had just visited him. John wasted no time in gathering a group of men to locate the body. And sure enough, it was located exactly where Alfred described: beneath the posts that were hidden behind the bush. 

Having been three weeks, the body was quite decomposed. They chose to bury him on the shore of the river. Some time later his remains were transferred to the Panguitch Cemetery. It remains there this day and is the only Whatcott buried in the cemetery. Isabella gave birth to a baby son four months later. Not long after that they moved to Kanosh. 

Grave of Alfred Whatcott in Panguitch Cemetery.

This story has a couple different versions, but this account is given by Alfred's oldest son, Henry, who paid a visit to John Black before he died. Uncle John told the story the same as he always had, swearing it was true. Henry pressed him further asking if he was sure it wasn't a dream. “No,” he responded. “I wasn't dreaming. It was in the afternoon and I was as wide awake as I am now.” 

For me, personally, I love stories such as these. A deeper study of Mormon history reveals many stories of angels, clairvoyant dreams, faith, miraculous healings and visions. These stories build my testimony and give me hope that there is life after death, and attest to me that there is a greater purpose to life. ♠

 

Sevier River at dusk.  Sandy Peak in background.

 

The Killing of Elijah Averett

Imagine it is 1866 and you are riding a rugged and remote trail in Utah Territory. 

There are no permanent settlements nearby. Cannonville, Tropic and Henriville don't exist, nor does Bryce Canyon National Park for that matter. Kanab once had people, but now it has been abandoned due to hostilities with the Indians. There are some ranches in the area, but they are very few and far between. 

The region is erupting in conflict with the Indians and recently a family was killed by an elusive band.

You are traveling in a train of five other men and fourteen animals. The landscape is long and undulating. Dusty hills and deep canyons regularly bisect the trail, if you can call it a trail at all. Stands of juniper grow everywhere, offering much opportunity for concealment. And to top it off, you're feeling ill. 

Thus were the circumstances of Elijah Averett Jr. just before he was killed. 

Averett Canyon.

 

I recently traveled to the site where Elijah was slain. The area is still remote, although there is a dirt road that runs just a couple hundred yards away. As part of the Grand Staircase National Monument, the road gets a fair amount of traffic, but most passerby's, I don't think, have any idea that the grave is there. 

Visiting the site piqued my curiosity. I wanted to learn more about Elijah Averett and the incident that took his life.  I wanted to put myself in his boots and capture a glimpse of what it may have been like for him 154 years ago. 

Elijah Averett Jr. was born on July 23, 1845 in Nauvoo, Illinois, about a year after the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith. His parents, Elijah Averett Sr. and Cherrizade Bernice Grimes joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1835 after hearing the teaching of missionaries Elisha Groves and Isaac Higbee in Hamilton County, Illinois. 

Elijah Averett Sr. and Cherrizade Grimes Averett.

Over the next decade, the Averett family suffered much persecution from mobs who sought to destroy the church. They were driven to Missouri, then back to Illinois before they finally settled in the newly founded city of Nauvoo. Although Elijah Jr. had not yet been born, surely he would have been familiar with the stories from this era. 

While in Nauvoo, Elijah Sr. helped quarry rock that would be used for the foundation of the temple. He would later become a guard for the temple. After the death of the Prophet and Hyrum, the mob once again drove the Saints from their homes. This time they turned toward the West 

Elijah Jr. was just five years old when his family arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. The family was then called by Brigham Young to help colonize the Manti area in Sanpete Valley. We don't know much about the life of Elijah Jr., but it is here where he would have grown into manhood. 

Nauvoo Temple.

The relationship between Mormons and Indians in the Utah Territory was a precarious one. 

Generally speaking, colonizers from the church sought friendly relations with the native tribes. Brigham Young taught them to feed, not fight the Indians. But as church members continued to pour in, it was obvious to the Indians that their lands were being overtaken. Although the Mormons only sought a place where they could live and worship in peace, their settlements were now being built on the hunting grounds of the native tribes. Water once used for fishing was now diverted for irrigation. Cattle now grazed on grass that was once prime habitat for wild game. Needless to say, a feud was inevitable.

Between 1865 and 1872 there were over 100 separate attacks, raids, murders and massacres between settlers and Indians. This conflict was known as the Black Hawk War. It began in Manti when Chief Black Hawk led sixteen Utes to drive off Mormon cattle. Several young men rode off to see what had happened and one of them, Peter Ludvingson, was shot and killed. 

In southern Utah the war began in that same year when Navajoes stole some horses near Kanab. Early in 1866, a couple of men were killed by Indians near Pipe Springs, then a few months later the Berry family was killed in Long Valley. As a result, many of the outlying settlements were abandoned and units of the Utah Territorial Militia were sent against the perpetrators. 

Ute Indians.

One of the more significant of these campaigns was led by Captain James Andrus and consisted of 62 men in five platoons. They were to travel from the Kaibab Plateau to the mouth of the Green River. They were given orders to chastise hostile Indians and conciliate the friendly ones. In addition, this was an exploratory mission to learn all they could of the “facilities and resources” of the country. Until now, there were very few white men who had ever set foot on the land they would travel. 

Twenty-one year old Elijah Averett was a private in the third platoon. He had recently married Rebecca Nelson. 

Monument at the site of Elijah Averett's death.

The company gathered at Gould's Ranch, located on the plateau east of present-day Hurricane on August 16, 1866. 

On the 18th they left Gould's Ranch and continued up an old wagon trail, arriving at Pipe Springs on the 19th. There they butchered and dried four cows. It is recorded that each man had a good saddle horse, and for every two men there was one pack animal. They carried forty day's worth of rations. Each soldier was equipped with a long-range rifle and two revolvers. 

From Pipe Springs they made their way to Kanab, which had been deserted due to hostilities with the Indians. A report of the expedition, written by Franklin B. Woolley, stated: “The fort and houses remain in the same condition as when abandoned by the settlers last March.” 

After Kanab, the company rode east for a few miles and then turned north up Johnson Canyon. (Of course, that was not the name in 1866, as the Johnson family had yet to settle there.) Then they turned northeast on what is called “Skutumpah,” a word derived from the Paiute language and roughly translated as “water where the rabbit brush grows.” 

On August 24, the company camped near the Paria River, probably not too far south of present-day Cannonville. There they sent men in a couple different directions to scout the area. They were also joined with a detachment that came from Parowan. 

Looking over Averett Canyon.

It was now August 26, 1866. 

On the day that Elijah Averett was killed, six men were “sent back” with fourteen pack animals. According to one account the six men became sick with chills and fever because of the persistent rain that plagued the trip. Another account states that they sent them back because a number of the animals were unfit and they sought to disencumber themselves as much as possible. It is likely that both accounts are true. Elijah Averett was one of the six men. 

What happened next is best related in the account of Franklin B. Woolley: 

“At about 4:30 pm and 5 miles S.W. from Camp No. 7 the returning party were waylaid by Indians while crossing a deep gorge and passing up a Steep ledge of rocks. The foremost man Elijah Averett being dismounted, and leading two animals, was killed at the first fire and before he could make any resistance. The party were all dismounted and leading their animals up the steep acclivity at the time the attack was made. George Isom received an arrow wound in the left shoulder. Supposing there was a large party of the Indians, they retreated to the opposite side of the gorge and took shelter in the cedars, three of them continuing their retreat to our camp where they arrived about 8 pm. One from exhaustion was left secreted in the timber. The other one Hiram Pollack, after discharging his pistol at the Indians became separated from his comrades and remained concealed near the place until he saw the Indians depart with the horses and the direction they had taken. On learning of this disaster we at once detailed 25 men to give pursuit and if possible punish the Indians. About 1 1/2 miles from Camp we met H. Pollack returning from, whom we learned the course the Indians had gone and as we deemed it useless to search for the missing man in the night, we changed our course and instead of following out on the trail taken by the party we went down the Paria with the design of intercepting the Indians in or near the Paria Canyon. At 12 o'clock we came upon their trail at the crossing of the stream and 15 minutes later overtook them as they were ascending a point of the Mountain. We surrounded the place as quickly as possible but in the darkness the Indians escaped to the mountain. We remained on the ground until daylight supposing we had some of them driven into a small cave near where we overtook them but in the morning found we had been mistaken and that there were but two Indians engaged in the matter and that they had escaped and were beyond successful pursuit as the country was rough and impracticable for cavalry into which they had retreated. We recovered 12 of the animals and equipage, 2 of them having escaped from the Indians at the time of their attack in the afternoon. About 10 o'clock am. of the 27 we recovered and buried the body of Averett and also recovered the other man, much exhausted from fatigue and exposure.” 

The company returned to Coal Point, several miles north of where the attack took place. They continued on their expedition. While passing through the site of present-day Escalante, they found wild potatoes growing, hence the name “Potato Valley” was given to the area. They were some of the first white men to ever pass through that area. They continued to the top of Boulder Mountain where they mistakenly thought they could see the head of the Green River. From there they turned west toward Grass Valley, Circleville, Parowan and back down to St. George, where they reported on their trip. The only Indians they encountered were those involved in the attack. 

Grave of Elijah Averett.

For years, cowboys from the Kanab area kept a pile of rocks to mark the spot of Elijah Averett's grave. In 1936, church leaders from the Panguitch Stake erected a monument on the site. The canyon in which he was killed was given the name of Averett Canyon. 

Less than a year after Elijah's death, his wife Rebecca passed away at the age of seventeen. They had no posterity. 

Night sky near the site where the six men were ambushed by Indians.

When I visited the area we camped not too far from the grave of Elijah Averett. A short walk took us to a look-off point where we could see the grave below. The canyon is not necessarily deep at that point, but the walls are tall enough to make passage difficult, especially on the south side. I would imagine that they felt trapped as the Indians attacked them. Our camp was probably located very close to the place where they “took shelter in the cedars” after being attacked. 

I still have other questions: Were the Indians Utes, Paiutes, Navajo? Were they on horses? Where did they attack from? Did Elijah move after he was shot, or did he die on the spot? 

It is kind of spooky to put yourself in his situation. It is such a remote location, with so many rocks, trees, and hills for the Indians to lurk. And to know that even though there are friendly Indians out there, there are also some who would be happy to kill you. ♠

 

Grave marker of Elijah Averett.