 |
| Add caption |
The below story is interesting, however it gives a reason Pleasant View received it's name which is probably not accurate. The Cragun family before joining the Mormon Church and immigrating to Utah lived in Pleasant View, Indiana. It would seem more logical that is how the Craguns came up with this name, Pleasant View.
Peter Skeen Ogden, a fur trapper and trader, and explorer of the early west, spent time in the area of what is now Pleasant View. John C. Fremont, an early explorer, was at the Utah Hot Springs, northwest of the City, on September 5, 1843 and passed through Pleasant View on his way to the Weber River. He returned through Harrisville, North Ogden and Pleasant View on September 12, 1843.
From all available written accounts, it appears that the Simeon Cragun family was the first to settle in Pleasant View. Among the early settlers were Daniel Campbell, John Mower, James Maycock, Dr. Ezra G. Williams, Charles H. Rhees, Samuel Ferrin, John Johns, and Edward Davis Wade. Their first homes were built of logs. A splendid patch of trees, tall and straight, suitable for building purposes, stood at the foot of Mount Ben Lomond on the upper edge of Pleasant View town site. The pioneers called that spot "Pole Patch. Later, some of the settlers built their houses of adobe, and still later, William Godfrey erected the first brick house in Pleasant View.
Pleasant View was one of the first rural communities in the state to have a local railroad or streetcar service.
Indian trails crossed Pleasant View from the Willard area and for 50 years after the first settlers arrived, the Indians continued to make a north to southeast trek through town at least yearly. Indian inhabitants settled along the small creeks in this area. Food for their ponies was plentiful and hunting in the Pole Patch area and nearby hills was alluring. Indians pitched their tents and found food in Pleasant View long before the first trappers, explorers, and pioneers arrived. Many relics found indicate some may have lived here for extended periods of time. The Utah Hot Springs attracted Indians for medicinal purposes. The most frequent tribe that visited the area was the Ute tribe, led by Tobe, their chieftain. While camped here, they visited every house in the community and begged for food. Then they moved up North Ogden Canyon for the summer to fish and hunt. In the fall, they again returned to the Pleasant View area, camping for a while to dry fruit and meat. They commonly camped in the fields belonging to the Humphreys and Rhees'. The area was dotted with their wigwams. Sometimes they traded ponies with the area residents.
The first settlers were not concerned with community boundaries. Being on the west of North Ogden, they were identified as the West End, the West District, Stringtown and finally became known as Pleasant View. The town was named by Wilford Cragun, the first white child born in the settlement. It is said that Wilford looked over the community and remarked that it had a "pleasant view'.
No comments:
Post a Comment