Panguitch Quilt Walk & Fort
On March 16, 1864 a band of sturdy pioneers from Parowan and Beaver Utah reached the valley where Panguitch, Utah is now located. Their leader Jens Neilsen with men made a road over the divide between what is known as the Little Creek Canyon, and the Bear Valleys, one of the most rugged mountainous valleys in the state. They made the road that crosses this divide, and it is still in the same place today.
As soon as they reached the valley, which they found to be a V-shaped valley about 25 miles long lying between the Sevier River on the east, and the Panguitch Creek on the west. They found the soil fertile with plenty of water and began to till the soil and plant their seeds. But their crops did not mature or do much the first year, which was severe hardship on the people for the long severe winter.
The winter of 1864 was extremely cold, the snow was deep and the people were shut in with no flour mills closer than Gunnison, 115 miles north, and Parowan 40 miles over the Bear Valley road which was impassible for six months each year.
Seven men left Panguitch to try to get flour and food from Parawan for their starving families. They had two yoke of oxen and a light wagon but they had to abandon both at the head of Bear Valley, and proceeded on foot. The only progress that could be made was to lay a quilt down and walk to the end of it then lay another down and in this way the finally reached Parowan. This is the story behind the Quilt Walk Festival that is held annually in Panguitch.
This small colony proceeded to build homes and lay off town lots but the Indians became so hostile that they had to build a Fort to protect themselves against attacks. After many attacks and battles Panguitch was abandoned in May 1866.
In 1870, three years after the settlement was abandoned on account the hostile Indians, President Brigham Young with a company made a trip to Dixie through this country and in 1871 he called George W. Sevy to gather a company and resettle the Panguitch Valley. When they reached the valley, the dwellings and clearings were just as the former settlers had left them and they found their crops still standing. The Indians had left the settlement untouched.
In order to claim your find Email me the answers to these three questions:
1. On The Panguitch Quilt Walk plaque what year is found in lower left corner?
2. On the Panguitch Fort plaque what year was the monument erected?
3. What are the Numbers on the plaques? No. _ _ _ & No. _ _?
Don't post the answers here, even if encrypted.