How Long Has It Been?

How Long Has It Been?. This valley was once filled with homes.... Full of hope in the spring of 1883 Sadie Richardson arrived at the townsite of Wilford with her husband and four other Mormon families., They built cabins and corrals for their cattle. They cleared the land and planted corn, potatoes, wheat, squash, melons, and popcorn., Sadie once described her new home..."as the prettiest place you ever dreamed of. It was built in the shade of the pine trees, in a little cove, and on each side of the house grew large grapevines, and those grapes made the most delicious jelly. Mmmm! Little winding paths led to the spring in the side of the creek that was hidden by a large Button Willow that grew at the side of it and shaded it by the tall grass that bent over the spring! The sun never shone on the spring and the water was as cold as anybody could want to drink.", Sadie and her family remained for two more years. Her husband was frequently away on mission leaving Sadie at age 17 to care for 2 small children, the farm, the cattle and the family finances., Half of the residents left Wilford 2 years later with the enforcement of the Edmund's Bill. Arrests were made for plural marriages during this time and the Mormon chuch in Salt Lake City urged people to move to Chihuahua, Mexico and build a city of refuge., Gradually, Hashknife cowboys and others took over the abandoned cabins. Their large numbers of cattle stripped the once lush valley. The cowboys managed to frighten away all of the remaining Mormon settlers, but the town of Wilford wasn't completely abandoned until 1926., Journey Through Time