Bridging the Past, Present, Future
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Building Bridges

Bridging the Past, Present, Future, also, Building Bridges. . , Bridging the Past, Present, Future , It was late November 1849, when a vanguard of pioneers arrived with their songs of praise, their Bibles and Books of Mormon. Within their hearts was a burning desire to help build Zion near the designated "Gray Hill" where the Manti Temple now stands. , This first company of pioneers, like the Pilgrims of old who arrived at Plymouth, came to the Sanpete Valley for religious freedom. They yearned for the opportunity to worship God according to the light they had received. These people were willing to leave comfortable homes to seek refuge in a wilderness where they could establish a citadel for future generations. Additional pioneers would follow, many from foreign lands, all dedicated to joining in the effort to build the Kingdom. Names on the Family Name Wall are representative of those who contributed to the building of a great inland empire and the ultimate fulfillment of God's purposes. , Family principles of truth and personal testimony were their greatest treasures. They left a legacy of faith and sacrifice and it remains today for people to discover and cherish. This inheritance is far more precious than rubies, gold or anything else that could be extracted from the earth., Building Bridges , Building bridges was a routine task for pioneer settlers, even in the arid valleys of the Great Basin West. For centuries high stream flows have been common in late spring when the mountains shed water from layers of melting snow. Bridges were also crucial to keeping roadways open in times of heavy rains and flash floods., Sanpete's Heritage Bridge , In early April of 1859 Sanpete county resident George Peacock noted, "Two substantial arched stone bridges are in progress of erection, and will soon be finished, the first I have seen in the Territory.” These structures would not only be unique in Utah but anywhere in the West at that time. A historic photo confirms that one of the bridges was located on the San Pitch River directly east of the River Knoll and it was known as the "River Bridge." Remnants of this historic cobblestone structure were still evident there in the 1960's. The second bridge crossed Manti's "City Creek” on Union Street between Main Street and First East, a notable structure that remained into the 1890's., Artemus Millet, a legendary master mason, resided in Sanpete from 1850 into the early 1860's. A native of New Hampshire, the man had honed his skills as a stonemason in New York and Canada. In fact, Millet was awarded contracts by the Canadian government to build "arched stone bridges.” Later, he oversaw construction on the Kirtland Temple in Ohio. Joining forces with Millet on bridges in Sanpete were other highly skilled workers in stone. Among such was Danishman Hans Denison and Englishman Richard Hall. Another was Welcome Chapman, who had likely apprenticed under Millet when the two had lived and worked in the same vicinity along New York's St. Lawrence River. Mormon Battalion veteran Augustus "Gus” Dodge, recorded some of the projects with which he was engaged at Manti including a specific bridge. "I was appointed one of the masons to take charge of the work of building the stone Forts and turned the large arches across City Creek on the east side.", Early Sanpete - A Stonemason's Mecca , Cemetery headstones serve as tangible proof of dedicated, highly skilled hands of area Stonemasons. These memorials began as rock extracted from local quarries, hauled, hand cut, chiseled, and carved., The Manti Temple required the largest number of masons; a concentration of united talent labored together under the supervision of master mason, Edward Lloyd Parry. The Parry family would endure the longest of any enterprise involved in extracting, shaping and marketing native oolite stone., Caption , This arched Stone Bridge was built at Manti in 1859 , Photo by George Edward Anderson