Miles Goodyear Cabin, Tabernacle Park, Ogden

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS UTAH,29-OGDEN,2-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The first permanent home built un Utah, PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History: 1. Original and subsequent owners: Miles Goodyear Captain James Brown Amos Pease Stone Minerva Stone Shaw Ogden City Minerva Stone Shaw Daughters of Utah Pioneers 2. Date of erection: I8U5 3. Architect: None k. Builder: Miles Goodyear 5. Alterations: Rotted foundation logs and roof replaced during one of various moves. B, Historical Events and Persons Associated with the Building: Fort Buenaventura, as Miles Goodyear called the settlement he founded on the site of Ogden, Utah, must be considered as the true beginning of the city.

The fort was located on the Weber River about two miles above its junction with the Ogden, a little south of what is now Street, east and slightly north of a large sand mound. The site was magnificent, the rugged scarp of the Wasatch rising immediately to the east, and the broad Weber Valley sloping gently west to the distant band of shining water that was the Great Salt Lake. Andrew MILES GOODYEAR CABIN HABS Ho. U-55 (Page 2) Goodyear, Miles1 brother, describes his impressions in a letter written from Pueblo de Los Angeles on April 1^, I878: "The fort consisted of about half an acre enclosed with pick- ets, as usual with forts of the west, a log house stood at each corner of the enclosure, with adjoining corrals for the horses, cattle, sheep and goats.

This at any rate describes the fort as it existed in the fall of though some of these improvements may have been the product of a full year's labor." Another account states that Goodyear^ holdings consisted of two or three log houses, some sheds for livestock and a plot of ground, enclosed by a stockade of logs set upright in the ground. Goodyear and his family lived in one of the cabins; his Indian helpers and a man named Wells lived in the other houses.

It also describes Goodyear's livestock holdings at the time as "a herd of sheep and goats, a band of horses, and about TO head of cattle," In establishing when Goodyear settled on this site, we find that John C, Fremont explored the Weber in this district in I8U3 and makes no mention of the fort, A record made by a young frontiersman, John McBride, whose party camped on the site in 18U6 on their way to Oregon states: "That night we encamped at the crossing of the Ogden River, in the delta between the Ogden and the Weber. At the camp was a cabin built of cottonwood logs.

It had been occupied the year before by a trader whose name was known and mentioned by our trapper friends, but who had gone north, they stated to the Yellowstone," (Goodyear made a trip to the Yellowstone in 18U6.) To further establish the date of construction as I8U5, he also states that mountain man Joe Walker told him the cabin had been first occupied the year previous to his visit. Goodyear1s claim to ownership was based on his assertion that the land was ceded to him through a land grant by the Mexican Government.

His "deed" to the property described the lands as follows: "Commencing at the mouth of Weber Canyon and following the base of the mountains north to the hot springs; thence west to the Salt Lake, thence south along the shore to a point opposite Weber Canyon, thence east to the beginning." (This describes an area of land extending about l*f miles from north to south, and fifteen miles from east to west.) When this land was ceded to the United States in 18U8 by the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, land grant claims were honered. It was of supreme Importance to the Mormon leadership that such a large claim to this territory should be acquired.

They could of course, simply take it by force; but this would not extinguish the claim, so they negotiated the purchase of the property for Captain James MILES GOODYEAR CABIN HABS Wo. U-55 (Page 3) # Brown of the Mormon Battalion actually purchased the title on November 25, l8Uf, including improvements and stock. (He: also deducted from the sale price as a commission.) It is curious that Goodyear never did produce proof of his land grant ownership; in fact, it is highly questionable that he ever did have it* Miles Goodyear moved to Califor- nia and died in a cabin in the Sierras on the headwaters of the Yuba Riber on Movember 12, He was 32. The name of Fort Buenaventura was changed to Brown's Fort by the Mormons.

It was also called "Brown's Settlement" and "Brownsville" until the name Ogden City was officially bestowed on the settlement on January 31, However, the post office was called Brownsville until It has been determined that the Goodyear cabin has been moved seven times from its original location, as follows: (l) Flooding in the spring of inundated the bottom land near the Weber River where the cabin stood. The fort was abandoned and moved to higher ground one- quarter mile southeast to what became known as Brown's Fort. - Amos Pease Stone purchased the cabin from Cap- tain Brown and moved it to Tabernacle Square facing north on Street at about 150 feet west of Wash- ington Avenue. It was used as a residence.

(3) i860 - Stone moved it to a point just east of Wash- ington Avenue and just north of Mill Creek where he used it as a blacksmith shop. (k) - Cabin moved a short distance north to Washington Avenue to make way for a flour mill. (5) - Minerva Stone Shaw, daughter of Amos Stone bought cabin from her father's estate and moved it to the rear of her home at Washington Avenue. (6) November 8, - Shaw presented the cabin to Ogden City as a relic. They removed it to a lot in the rear of the branch fire station of the southeast corner of 9th Street and Washington Avenue (7) - Ogden City Commission returned cabin to the ownership of Shaw who donated it to Daughters of Utah Pioneers.

They moved it to its present loca- tion on Tabernacle Square, not over 100 yards from where it stood in MILES GOODYEAR CABIN HABS Mo. U-55 (Page k) C. Sources of Information: 1. Primary and unpublished sources: Site marker, by Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Weber County Chapter, states: "This cabin, built about iQkl by Miles Goodyear, as far as is known the first permanent house built in Utah, stood near the Junction of the Ogden and Weber Rivers. In it was sold to Captain James Brown of the Mormon Battalion with a Spanish land grant covering all of Weber County.

It was preserved by Minerva Stone Shaw and by her presented to the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, Weber County Chapter, who placed it on its present site," It is in error as to date of construction and date of sale to Captain Brown 2,

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS UTAH,29-OGDEN,2-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Alter, J. Cecil. Utah. The Storied Domain. Chicago, American Historical Society, Arrington, Leonard J. Great Basin Kingdom. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press, Creer, Leland H, The Founding of an Empire, Salt Lake City, Bookcraft, 19Vi\ Hunter, Milton R. Beneath Ben Lomond's Peak, Salt Lake City, Deseret News Press, Kelly, Charles and Howe, Maurice L, Miles Goodyear. First Citizen of Utah, Western Printing Company, Salt Lake City, Morgan, Dale L, Milesi Goodyear and the Founding of Ogden, Utah Historical Quarterly, Volume 21, Utah Historical Society, Tullidge, Edward W. Tullidges Histories of Utah. Volume II, Salt Lake City, Juvenile Instructor, Prepared by John L, Giusti, AIA July 27, PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A. General Statement: 1.

Architectural interest: This is said to be the oldest house in Utah, MILES GOODYEAE CABIN HABS No. U-55 (Page 5) ^fe 2. Condition of fabric: Good, Original walls. Later ^^ cased opening. Recent roof. B. Description of Exterior; 1. Over-all dimensions; This one-room cabin is lk* k" x IT1 9". 2. Foundations: None. Wow on concrete platform. 3. Wall construction, finish, and color: Cottonwood logs. h. Structural system, framing; Log construction. Five poles run length of gable roof supported by a single log cross beam with center post at the ridge pole and shim- ming under the intermediate poles. 5 Openings: a. Doorways and doors: Doorway and board door old but sawn lumber indicates not original. b. Windows: Rectangular openings. Sawed lumber frames indicate date after 18UT* 6.

Roof - shape, covering; Gable covered with branches, a conjectural restoration. A photo of 30 years ago shows wood shingles. C. Description of Interior: 1. Floor plans: A single rectangular room with entrance centered at one side. 2. Flooring: Dirt, originally. 3. Wall and ceiling finish: Exposed U. Heating: No evidence of original heating method. Smoke hole must have been in the roof. D. Site and Surroundings: 1. Orientation: Faces east. Now in Tabernacle Park, the seventh move since it was originally built on a knoll by the Weber River. 2. Landscaping and walks, enclosures: The building is enclosed in a locked wire cage with a gable roof and a concrete platform. Prepared by Paul Goeldner, AIA Supervisory Architect Utah Project July 10, MILES GOODYEAR CABIN HABS No.

U-55 (Page 6) PART III. PROJECT INFORMATION This record is part of a Utah Survey conducted in the summers of and under .Joint sponsorship of the Historic American Buildings Survey of the Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation of the National Park Service and the Utah Heritage Foundation* Field work, historic research and record drawings were done under the direction of Project Supervisor Paul Goeldner, AIA (Texas Tech University) assisted by Project Historian John L. Giusti, AIA (Univer- sity of Utah). Photographs were made by P. Kent Fairbanks of Salt Lake City. Student Assistant Architects on the team were Robert M. Swanson and Charles W, Barrow, (University of Texas) and Kenneth L. Lambert and Keith Sorenson, (University of Utah).

Student Assistant Architects were Keith Sorenson, Charles D. Harker and Robert Schriever, (University of Utah) and Donald G. Prycer, (Texas A. & M. University).