PREPARATIONS FOR ABANDONMENT OF NAUVOO—JOURNEY WESTWARD—WINTER NEAR INDIAN CAMP—TEST OF FEALTY—WESTWARD JOURNEY TEMPORARILY ABANDONED—EMPLOYMENT IN MISSOURI—JOURNEY TO UTAH—CHOICE OF HOME—MISSION TO COLONIZE PAROWAN—MISSION TO COLONIZE FILLMORE—MASSACRE OF GUNNISON PARTY.

The winter of 1845 and 1846 was chiefly spent by Anson in the work of making wagons and otherwise preparing for the journey westward. He received his blessings in the Temple on the 10th of December 1845, his wife at the time being unable to accompany him, as she had given birth to a son five days before. She, however, was likewise favored in the following spring. Anson succeeded in selling his home in Nauvoo for about one-fourth its value, and he and his family crossed the Mississippi and started westward on the 15th of June. They crossed the Des Moines river at Eddyville, and there sorrowfully buried their youngest child, a boy, six months and twelve days old. They overtook Father Call at Pisgah and the body of the Church at Council Bluffs, and crossed the Missouri river on the 7th of July. On the 9th Anson's young son, Moroni, died and was buried the following day in a hickory bark coffin, peeled from a tree by the father and grandfather. Although the season was then so late, the question of journeying on as far as possible towards the Rocky Mountains was still being discussed. Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball each organized a company of seventy-five wagons for this purpose. Anson was made captain of the first ten wagons of Brigham Young's company, which included Father Call and his sons Harvey and Josiah. George Miller and James Emmett had previously assumed to organize a company, including fifty-two wagons, and started westward to find a favorable place to winter. Anson and such of his command as were ready were advised by the council of the Apostles to follow on after them, and did so. They left the Elk Horn river on the 22nd of July, 1846, and travelled up the Platte river to the Pawnee missionary station, where they overtook the Miller and Emmett Company. While camped on the west side of the Loupe Fork a message from the apostles at Winter Quarters was received, advising that they proceed no farther westward that season, but to find a good place and establish a camp for the winter. They also advised that a council of twelve men be selected to direct the affairs of the camp, and suggested the names of twelve men to so act. The council was so organized, George Miller being president, and considerable exploring done to find a suitable place to winter, but without success. They were invited by two Ponca chiefs to winter with them on the Missouri river, and guaranteed protection, plenty of feed for their animals, and timber with which to build houses. The invitation was accepted, and nine days spent in journeying to the place. They located on the west side of the mouth of the Running Water river, and one hundred and twenty-five houses were erected in fort form.

Nucanumpa, the aged chief of the Poncas, was taken sick and sent for the brethren composing the council to come and have a talk with him. He had killed and cooked his best dog and had a feast prepared, which the council, on being invited, partook of, and then proceeded to tell them that he had a friendly interest in the "Mormons" and instructed the Indians to treat them well, and in return wished the "Mormons" to see the he was properly buried, and to erect at the head of his grave stone such as he had seen in St. Louis when he once visited that place, with a proper inscription on it, giving his name, age and title. The proposition was agreed to and carried out, and the Poncas proved to be good and peaceable neighbors. The Sioux, however, didn't feel bound by the agreement made with the Poncas, and stole some of the horses and cattle from the Saints. The principal feed for the animals consisted of rushes, and the winter weather was severe, and some of the remaining animals died as a consequence.

George Miller developed an arrogant and rebellious spirit, and was not disposed to submit to the direction of the Apostles, and as many of the people as could be influenced by him and James Emmett also became disgruntled.

On the 27th of February, 1847, Apostles Ezra T. Benson and Erastus Snow arrived at the camp with instructions from the Apostles' quorum for the Saints to return to Winter Quarters before journeying westward, to replenish their teams and stock of provisions. After delivering their message the Apostles departed without waiting to see what action would be taken as to their requirement.

The members of the council assembled to consider and discuss the message, and James Emmett, although not a member, met with them, by invitation of George Miller. George Miller addressed the council, saying that he did not consider that the Apostles had any right to dictate the camp; that he was their appointed leader, and it was the duty of the camp to follow him into the wilderness, in fulfillment of a special mission conferred upon him by the prophet Joseph. James Emmett followed with a speech in the same strain. The members of the council being then invited to express their views, Anson Call, who had been an active member from the time the council was organized, then spoke. He said the Twelve Apostles were the legitimate leaders of the Saints, and he intended to remain loyal to them and follow their counsel. The other ten members of the council who followed him were unanimous in expressing the same sentiments. Bishop Miller grew furious when he discovered that he was not supported by the council, and gave vent to his feelings in a fiery but impotent speech. A motion was then put and carried by the majority that the people be called together and allowed to decide by a vote whether they return to Winter Quarters or remain with Miller and Emmett. This was done and preparations were immediately made for the journey, with the result that on the 3rd of April when the start was made only five or six wagons remained with Miller and Emmett.

George Miller had formerly been a Bishop and influential man in the Church, but was ambitious and impatient of restraint. He looked for and found faults in those who were over him in the priesthood, and was such a plausible talker that he soon obtained a following of kindred spirits. When, however, he came out squarely in opposition to the counsel of the Twelve Apostles most of his followers saw his true character and abandoned him in time to save themselves from utter ruin.

On the 6th day of May, 1847, Anson, in company with his brother-in-law Joseph Holbrook, moved to the Pottawatomie lands on the east side of the Missouri river and engaged in farming, in which pursuit he had in the past been successful. After plowing and seeding the ground the fields were left to the care of their wives and children and they sought work to provide their families with such necessaries as only money could buy, and they engaged in cutting and hauling hay into St. Joseph, and returned to their families in time to harvest the crop they had planted. After making his family as comfortable as possible for the winter, Anson returned to St. Joseph, this time accompanied by his brothers Josiah and Harvey and his brother-in-law Chester Loveland. They obtained profitable employment and remained there until the following March when Anson returned to his family and began making preparations for the journey to the mountains. He removed his family from their temporary home on Mosquito Creek into Winter Quarters and on the 14th of June left Winter Quarters for the westward journey. They crossed the Elk Horn on the 17th and then halted for ten days for the companies to assemble and organize. Seven hundred wagons were organized into two divisions. In one of these Anson was placed in charge of twenty wagons. The company was thoroughly equipped for self-defense and had a remarkably successful journey, arriving in Salt Lake City, September 19th, 1848. Three days later he removed his family ten miles northward, and located in what was first known as North Canyon Ward, afterwards Bountiful. When he arrived there he had one pig, six chickens, one pet sheep, four oxen, four cows and two calves—not a very great start towards stock-raising, which he expected to be one of his pursuits. If he had been superstitious, he would probably have decided that the signs were against his engaging in the stock-raising business, as the 6th day after he located his farm his pig died, the 7th an Indian killed his sheep and on the 8th his best ox drowned in a spring hole. He was not disposed to give up or get discouraged, but proved himself a man of resource, and when his oxen were found to be insufficient for the work required of them he used cows to help draw the plow. He only had five bushels of seed grain, but he succeeded in raising two hundred bushels from that the first year, besides quite a lot of corn; and this notwithstanding the ravages of the crickets. He showed good judgment in the selection of a farm; it proved to be as good land as could be found in Utah, if not in the world.

In September, 1849, he was appointed to preside as Bishop over the North Canyon ward, and that year raised one thousand bushels of grain.

In October, 1850, he responded to a call to assist in colonizing Little Salt Lake Valley, under the leadership of Apostle George A. Smith. Those who went occupied one hundred wagons. They were organized into two companies of fifty wagons each. Anson was made captain of the first fifty. They left Salt Lake City on the 7th of December and camped on the present site of Parowan, Iron County, on the 12th of January, 1851. On the 17th he was elected justice of the peace of the new colony. He was active and energetic not only in the founding of Parowan, but also in exploring the surrounding region. Being directed so to do by the First Presidency, he returned to Salt Lake City in the spring of 1851 to raise more colonists for the settlement of Iron County, which he succeeded in doing, and returned south with them the latter part of April. Before returning (on the 15th of April, 1851), he enlarged his family and added to his responsibility by taking to himself a second wife (Ann Mariah Bowen) a native of New York State, who was born January 3rd, 1834, at Bethany, Genesee Co., and took her with him to Parowan. The First Presidency and other Church officials visited Parowan soon afterwards, and called upon Anson to return to Salt Lake City and raise a company of fifty families to colonize Pauvant Valley. He accordingly returned north in June accompanied by his wife, spent the summer in looking after his affairs in Davis County, and started southward with the new colony in October, 1851, his wife Mariah, accompanying him. Before starting he was made president of the new colony by vote of the general conference, and at a special session of the Territorial Legislature he was made probate judge of Millard County, which he was directed to organize. He arrived on Chalk Creek, Pauvant Valley, November, 13th, 1851. He found Brigham Young, Orson Pratt, a surveyor and about fifty others in the valley ahead of him. They had laid out a city and called it Fillmore. By act of the Legislature it had been designated as the capital of the Territory. Anson devoted his energies to the development of Fillmore and the surrounding region, with telling effect. At the August election in 1852 Anson was elected to represent Millard County in the legislature. On going north to attend the legislature he took with him an Indian boy and girl whom he had purchased, and left them with his family in Davis County. After attending the legislative session of 1852-3 in Salt Lake City he had great difficulty in returning to Fillmore in February because of the deep snow.

He attended an adjourned session of the legislature in the following June and then spent some time with his family, but had to hasten back to Fillmore in July on account of Indian troubles in the south.

About the 2nd of November, 1853, he, in company with eleven men, gathered up and buried the remains of Captain Gunnison and party, who had been massacred by Indians on the Sevier river about ten days previously.

Having completed his mission to Fillmore, he left there on the 5th of March, 1854, to return to his home in Davis County.

On the 18th of May, 1854, accompanied by his wife Mary and son Chester, he started south on a visiting tour with President Brigham Young and company of Church officials. On arriving at Fillmore, he remained there attending to some necessary business while the rest of the party journeyed farther south, then returned with them to Salt Lake City.