Emery County Cabin facts for kids
The Emery County Cabin is a special old building. It's one of the very few historic frontier (or pioneer) post offices still around in the United States.
This cabin was built way back in 1879. In the 1880s, it became the official post office for a town called Muddy Creek. Today, that town is known as Emery in Emery County, Utah. You can visit this historic cabin now at This Is The Place Heritage Park in Utah.
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Building the Cabin: A Pioneer Story
The Emery County Cabin was one of the first log homes built in the Muddy Creek area. Two early settlers, Charles Johnson and Joseph Lund, built it on their homesteads. A homestead was land given to settlers who promised to live on it and farm it. Before this, many people lived in simple "dugouts" – homes dug into the side of a hill!
When Joseph Lund moved away, a rancher named Casper Christensen and his family moved into the cabin. In 1882, Casper became the postmaster for the area. This meant his log home became the official post office for both Muddy Creek and Quitchupah.
How Pioneer Cabins Were Built
Building a log cabin was hard work! The logs for this cabin came from Miller’s Canyon nearby. Workers cut and hauled the logs. They smoothed one side of each log and cut grooves into the ends. Then, they stacked the logs with the smooth sides facing inside.
To keep out the cold, they filled the gaps between the logs with mud or clay. They also used willow branches as a base, nailing them to the logs. Then, they plastered more mud over the willows. This mud was smoothed and painted with a white lime mixture. The roof was made from cedar shingles, which are like wooden tiles.
The Muddy Creek Post Office
In 1879, people settled in Muddy Creek Canyon. The town was often called "Muddy." No one is quite sure why the town later changed its name to Emery. It might have been to honor Governor George W. Emery. He was the territory's leader in 1875, and Emery County was named after him in 1880.
Casper Christensen officially became the postmaster of Muddy on December 1, 1883. His daughter, Hannah, helped him as his assistant.
Mail Delivery in the Old West
Getting mail was very different back then! At first, settlers only received mail once a month in the summer. In winter, they got no mail at all. Someone would bring it on horseback from San Pete County, through Salina Canyon.
By 1882, mail service improved to once a week. The mail carrier made a 60-mile trip from Price, Utah. Casper Christensen was an important person in Emery. Before becoming postmaster, he was also a leader in the local LDS Church.
More Than Just Mail
The post office building was more than just a place for letters. It also served as a doctor’s office! Wiley Payne Allred, who had been a bodyguard for Joseph Smith, used his in-laws' post office to help people. He would set broken bones, pull teeth, and use herbal remedies to treat illnesses.
Moving and Saving the Cabin
After a few years, settlers realized there wasn't enough good farmland along Muddy Creek. They found larger areas of land several miles south that were better for farming. In 1886, a canal was built to bring water from Muddy Creek to these new farms.
The current town of Emery was planned in 1887. Soon, people from Muddy Creek and Quitchupah started moving there. The old town on Muddy Creek became a ghost town, but some buildings, like the post office, were left behind.
A New Home for the Old Post Office
In the 1920s, a newly married man named Clyde Mortensen needed a home. He used a team of horses to move the old post office cabin to Emery. It became his temporary home while he built a more modern house. After that, the cabin was used for storage. This saved it from being torn down, which happened to many other pioneer cabins.
In the early 2000s, Shaun Delliskave, Clyde Mortensen’s grandson, gave the cabin to This Is The Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake City. The cabin is very important because it's one of the few frontier post offices still standing.
Restoration and Dedication
The park fully restored the cabin in 2009, calling it the "Emery County Cabin." The Utah Home Builder's Association (HBA) helped with the reconstruction. Because the cabin served many purposes in the past, it now houses the park's interpretive potter. This cabin is the first building at the park from Emery County.
The cabin was officially dedicated on June 20, 2009. To celebrate, the park held "Emery County Day," offering free admission to residents of Emery County. Ellis V. Allred, a great-grandson of Casper Christensen, dedicated the cabin.
