Who would ever believe a little town in Utah — Fairfield — would have been the object of a tug-of-war between North and South, slavers and anti-slavers, on the brink of the Civil War.
In an attempt to get Northern minds off slavery and onto something else, like polygamy, Southern sympathizers encouraged the Union to send a third of its army — 3,500 men — to Utah, to quiet a rumored Mormon rebellion.
Woven into the idea was the plan to draw millions of dollars from the U.S. Treasury to be paid to Southern companies to facilitate the move.
For three years — 1858-61 — men from Johnson's Army bivouacked at Camp Floyd near Fairfield, waiting for the Mormon rebellion. It never came. In 1861, with the outbreak of the Civil War, the army, having spent millions during its stay in Utah, was called back east to fight. It never returned.
Camp Floyd would be dismantled and $4 million in army surplus sold for a few cents on the dollar. The only thing remaining of the camp is the old graveyard, which contains the headstones of 84 people, most of whom died of disease, malnutrition and exposure during the three-year period.
During the same time period, John Carson, encouraged by the running of the stagecoach line through Fairfield, built an inn to service passing customers.
The family would operate the inn until 1947. Run down and with few customers, the inn was abandoned. In 1958, the state of Utah acquired the old inn and in 1964 opened four of the state's first parks, with Camp Floyd/Stagecoach Inn State Park being one of the four.
The inn has been restored and looks as it did back in the late 1800s.
As might be expected, history is, and will be for a long time, the main draw to this heritage park, said Mark Trotter, park manager for the Division of Parks and Recreation. "There is a lot of it here, and people are shocked when they do learn about the history of the park."
The inn was a day's ride from Salt Lake City and was a welcome stop for weary travelers. Among its many notable guests were Porter Rockwell and Mark Twain.
Today, the park holds, among other things, a museum showing relics of the time period and a commissary.
Camp Floyd was across the river and outside of town. The only thing left standing when the army vacated the camp was the commissary building, which was purchased by and became the home of a local farmer. The building would eventually be purchased by the state and moved nearer the inn.
As part of telling the history to visiting youngsters, said Trotter, they are introduced to such things as making adobe bricks, dipping candles, churning butter and writing with a quill pen. They are also introduced to a game of Pony Express. Riding on stick horses, children make three mail drops, then each returns to the start to give up his steed to the next rider, who then rides off to make the three mail drops.
From June 7-14, the park will help celebrate the anniversary of the Pony Express, which also passed by the inn. As part of the event, stagecoach rides will be given during the week to inn visitors.
What's coming up at Camp Floyd
Pony Express Days at Camp Floyd/Stagecoach Inn State Park and Museum
June 7: Meet at Pony Express Park at Eagle Mountain for a field trip to Pony Express sites, 7 a.m.-5 p.m.; 10K, 5K, 1K races start at Nolan Park in Eagle Mountain, 7 a.m.; family picnic, stagecoach rides, presentation on Pony Express Trails by Jere Krakow at Camp Floyd/Stagecoach Inn State Park and Museum, 6-9 p.m.
June 10: Baby contest at Pony Express Elementary school in Eagle Mountain, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; baby contest awards at Pony Express Elementary School, 7 p.m.
June 13: Food vendors, pioneer and pony express games, the Sue Jefferies Band, Western dance with instruction all at Fitzgerald Park in Eagle Mountain, 5-10 p.m.
June 14: Parade from the stake center to Smith Ranch entrance in Eagle Mountain, 9-10 a.m.; boutique, food vendors, petting zoo, Dutch-oven cook-off, singing and dance performances, Pony Express mail exchange and more at Pony Express Elementary in Eagle Mountain, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; fireworks, followed by dance, 10 p.m.
E-MAIL: grass@desnews.com