Early Roads and Wagons

Early Roads and Wagons. . Bicknell is located in a sparsely populated, remote area of Utah. When settled, this area was difficult to access. Early residents had to build their own roads. People could travel on foot, horseback, or in horse-drawn wagons. The height of the wagon era lasted from 1850 to 1920, the period when Bicknell was settled. Most Bicknell settlers came by wagon or handcart from Nauvoo, Illinois between 1847 and 1868. In wagons, it took early Bicknell residents two-three days each way to go to the County Seat in Junction, Utah or to Sevier County, where residents had relatives or to conduct business., In 1893, a poll tax of three dollars or two day's work for each able-bodied male was imposed to support building roads. A preferred method of road construction was to tie several large logs behind three or four yoke of oxen and drag the logs over the proposed road. This would loosen many of the rocks and brush which were later thrown out of the roadway by hand., This wagon, found at Big Point on the Parker Mountain. was restored and donated by Warner and Maggie Stewart of Antimony. Utah. Warner was a Marine veteran of the Korean War. We are grateful to the Stewart Family for their generous contribution to our Memorial., Captions , (Photo #1) Early wagon train of pioneers , (Photo #2) Old roads like this were the best means of travel by wagon , (Photo #3) Wagon travel was arduous en rough roads , (Photo #4) Bicknell area in the late 1800's , (Photo #5) Early Wagon restored and donated by Warner and Maggie Stewart