Podcasts about weber river

Hello and welcome to Summit in Six, from the communication and public engagement team for Summit County, Utah. Let's kick things off and get caught up! In this episode, we’ll take a deep dive into some recent land acquisitions by the county. We’re pleased to welcome our guest, Jess Kirby, director of the lands and Natural Resources Department. Jess, the county has recently closed on two major purchases involving historic ranches combined. The acquisitions have brought more than 9,000 acres under public ownership. Can you tell me a little bit about why the county would be interested in purchasing land like this? Thanks for that question. I’m glad to be here. We’re incredibly lucky in Summit County to have a county council and a county government that really supports conservation and land acquisitions. Our county council has as one of their objectives to put lands like this under conservation, and then, with the support from our community, we’ve been fortunate enough to have bond funds that allow us to do that work. When you put it like that, it makes perfect sense. We want to get into some specifics here. So we’ll start with the larger of the two acquisitions, the 910 Ranch, located along both sides of East Canyon Road between Jeremy Ranch and East Canyon reservoir. The 910 contains almost 8,600 acres of pristine forest land and vital wildlife habitat. What can you share about the 910’s history and prior management? The ranch has a very long history. Really exciting things have happened out there — starting way back with with the indigenous people. We have found some significant artifacts on the property. So we do know that we had significant use of the property from our Native American populations, which is exciting. And then fast forward into when settlement started happening in Utah, and in the 1890s the Jeremy family was the first owner of the land. They ran a sheep operation out there on almost 38,000 acres — a very big swath of land. As they sold off different pieces, part of that land is now Jeremy Ranch the neighborhood and then the elementary school there. That acquisition happened in about the 70s, and then the current landowner took over in the late 1980s–early 1990s and has been the sole owner of the property ever since. Why did the county want to acquire and protect the 910 Ranch specifically, and where did the funds come from? This is a really unique property for Summit County. It’s one of the last large contiguous pieces of land that we have in the western part of our county. By contiguous, we mean a large swath of land with one owner. It provide incredible wildlife habitat connections to other protected lands and forested lands owned by the forestry and state lands offices. There’s a state park right next to it, and there’s other forest legacy parcels that are really near it, so it creates this large swath of protected land. The funding, first and foremost, came from our community. The OSAC bond, which is the Open Space Bond that we passed in 2021, was a $50 million bond. It passed with over 70% support from our community. So we got a big thumbs up to go and do projects like this. So that $15 million as our first down payment came from the bond, and then I was tasked with finding the rest. The whole purchase was $55 million, so we had a $40 million deficit. Luckily, at that moment, we had an opportunity to go for a Forest Legacy Grant that allowed us to fill that gap, and we applied and were awarded those funds in 2023. Fantastic! I’m sure every acquisition is a little bit different, but I know we’ll be hearing more about that Open Space Bond again, when we discuss the Ure Ranch next. Before we move on, can you share what’s next for the 910? A lot of planning. For right now, it’s status quo. We’re keeping the land pretty much private. We’re not opening up, we’re not cutting the ribbon, and we’re trying to take our time and be very thoughtful about management and how we open up the property to the public. Like I said, it’s been in one landowner’s hands for a very long time. It’s kind of a wilderness area out there. It hasn’t had a lot of human interaction. There’s lots of wildlife. So we want to be very mindful about how we open that up, though we’ve been spending the last year or two doing some very overarching baseline assessments and conservation easement writing. We’ve done a forest health plan. We’ve worked on the watershed plans. We have a grazing plan. And so now we’re going to take all these plans, put them together, and put an overarching management plan together for the property, which is going to include some recreation. We’ve done several open houses and several surveys with the community, but we do hope to still engage with the community on the recreation plan coming forward. Some stakeholder meetings will be coming up here in the near future, then work session with council, and then we’ll adopt those final plans and make a plan for cutting that ribbon here soon. Going back in time just a few weeks, and traveling across the county towards the southeast: the Ure Ranch was formally acquired by Summit County in December 2025. This transferred 835 acres, split between five distinct parcels, into county ownership and kickstarted the process of placing each parcel under a conservation easement. As you enter the Kamas Valley on the east side, driving along State Route 248, you’d pass the Ure Ranch with most of the total area on the south side of 248. Who gave this ranch its iconic name, and what can you tell us about the ranch’s history? The Ure Ranch is named for the Ure family: a historic family in the Kamas Valley. They’ve been there since 1892, so 130 years this family has been on the property. They’ve run a dairy farm, different cattle operations over the years, and there were sheep there for a small minute. But that entire time it’s been ranched by that family and handed down through the family over those years. We definitely want to express our sincere gratitude to the Ure family for entrusting their legacy to Summit County and working alongside us towards this conservation goal. With that in mind, what natural resources and features can we protect now that the property is in public hands, and what changes might the public see in the coming years? So first and foremost, I think the protection of this ranch was important for us to preserve the rural quality of eastern Summit County, to keep agriculture on the land, and to keep producers on the land. So really protecting that use of the property — the historic use of the property — but also the watershed. These ranches are flood irrigated. They have great connection to the amount of water that gets into the Weber River, which then passes all the way down to the Great Salt Lake. And the Kamas Meadow is just a great big sponge. If you take that water out of the sponge, it dries up. So we really want to keep the water on the land. We want to keep the land in working hands, and protect that habitat, that resource. I think people forget about the fact that agricultural lands really serve as spaces for migrating birds like the cranes that come through every year. They nest out in those fields. They use those open spaces. It’s also winter habitat for mule deer and elk, and we have sage grouse populations out there as well. So I think there’s a lot of habitat that we’re protecting. We’re protecting a lot of heritage. There is Native American culture that we found on the property as well relics of tipi rings and different flakes that we found out there. And so we want to preserve that history as well and keep that green space open in our valleys. Are there any partners we can shout out that help make this acquisition happen? Yeah, absolutely! We couldn’t have done this without the partners that we have. Summit Lands Conservancy, first and foremost, they’ve been at the table with us from day one. Bringing in different federal grants — they did some application and we did some applications. Summit Lands worked on that North Meadows piece. We also received funding from the State of Utah’s Outdoor Recreation Initiative and the state’s Land and Water Conservation funds. So we had a lot of different funding streams that went in this to create that layer cake of funding that was needed to purchase this property. Just because I think the public would like to know, how much did the total purchase price end up being? $25 million was the final purchase price on the Ure Ranch. Thank you so much for giving such great background on these two historic properties and sharing a glimpse of their respective futures. Before we end, what’s the status of the Open Space Bond? Is there any funding left to acquire more conservation easements or properties? So with really great excitement, we’d like to announce that we have preserved almost 16,000 acres with the bond funds so far, and we do have money left! We’ve been really successful at leveraging those dollars. So with the funds that we have left, we are putting a shout out to the community. If you have land that you would like in conservation, or if you have neighbors that have land, reach out to us. Fill out an NOI, which is a notice of intent, that can be found on our website. That just gives us an idea of your property, and we can evaluate that. Yes we do have funding left over, and we do hope to get that back into more conservation lands. Whether you’re a land owner or just a local resident, how can one get involved with these conservation projects or maybe weigh in on future land acquisitions? We do have a formal board that helps determine the qualifications for funding, and that’s our OSAC board. We just recently onboarded three new members, so those opportunities come about every couple of years. Keep your eyes out if you are interested in being part of our formal board. Otherwise, you know, always can reach out to us via email or phone call, but if you’re just curious about the properties, please sign up for our newsletter. There’s a link on the lands page that you can get information. We’ll have different stakeholder meetings and public engagement opportunities to weigh in on the final management plans for both the 910 and the Ure Ranch, and we always have just different events that are going to be held. Right now, we are only holding those events on the 910 Ranch. The Ure Ranch is currently being leased back to the Ure family for another year, so it technically is still in their hands for one more year. But into the future, we’ll have events on that property. We do different kind of walks — birding hikes and education and vegetation walks — so can always engage with the Natural Resources Department with those things. Perfect! We’ll have links to all those pages as well as a way to sign up for the newsletter in our show notes. I just want to say thank you again, Jess, for joining the podcast. Best of luck in 2026 we hope to have you back with more good news in the future.

A seventeen-year-old boy was died Saturday after a near drowning in the Weber River. A group of boys were playing near the river when two went in and only one resurfaced. We speak to Ty Hunter, Boating Program Manager at Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation about river dangers and how to stay safe near any water this spring and summer season. 

Watch this Episode MauiCallToAction, Maui Fire People Locator ParodyFalls E4: "Tacos by Force" Mapel discovers Who? AroundTheWorldin80Days Chapter 26 The train, on leaving Great Salt Lake at Ogden, passed northward for an hour as far as Weber River, having completed nearly nine hundred miles from San Francisco. From this point it took an easterly direction towards the jagged Wahsatch Mountains. Music by Lesfm "Forrest Lullaby and Please Calm My Mind" available on Pixabay.com. Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/aaron-paul-low/beholdenLicense code: WW2B8TAWYCWKWPZC#AroundTheWorldin80Days Made with BingImageCreator --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mojadrama/message Get full access to #MoJaDrama at mojadrama.substack.com/subscribe

When fish and other wildlife are found on private property who should be responsible for those animals? If the public is denied access should they be the one to pay the bill? More and more laws are being enacted to reduce access to these animals but the public is being asked to pay more for that reduced access. Regulations for recreational access along the upper Weber River (no date) Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Available at: https://wildlife.utah.gov/index.php/special-weber-river-rules.html (Accessed: 29 June 2023).   Jacob_Scholl (2023) Utah Supreme Court upholds law making it more difficult to access waterways, much to the dismay of outdoor enthusiasts, The Salt Lake Tribune. Available at: https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2023/05/24/utah-supreme-court-upholds-law/ (Accessed: 29 June 2023).     Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/paul-yudin/your-adrenaline License code: QWS1TG5BYTFK2PCL  

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A whirlwind of flood coverage today starting with Emigration Creek which is at 117% of flood stage. Search efforts continue after multiple calls to police said someone had fallen into the Weber River. Closures to come for Ogden Canyon and a resident in Sandy has built a flood wall to keep flood waters out. D2 begins coverage with KSL Newsradio's Adam Small on the latest with Emigration Creek. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 New information as Ogden Canyon is continually facing closures Mitch Shaw, UDOT Region 1 Communication Manger joins the show with the latest details.  We should be in the 60's we're in the 80's... We were in an all-time dry spell... but the winter dumped the most snow in Utah history.That combination of heat and snow has led to overflowing rivers, streams and creeks. KSL Meteorologist Matt Johnson joins the show with the latest. Water is rushing in the Weber River, where a search for a missing 20-year-old has turned into a recovery operation. KSL 5 TV's Karah Brackin is on the scene and calls the show to bring the latest on the search efforts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As search efforts continue at the Weber River after multiple reports stated that someone had fallen into the weber river yesterday The search for a missing 20-year-old has now turned into a recovery operation. Jason Curry, Director of Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation calls the show to discuss swift water safety and how it is important to keep your distance from rivers right now.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

- Flood watch begins again - Weber River search efforts and swift water safety - Sugarhouse Park used as a retention pond - The debt ceiling debacleSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

D2 is at Fremont High School located in the western part of Weber County in Plain City, Utah. And looking at the map, Fremont is about a mile and a half away from the Weber River, which is at incredibly high levels already from the Uintah Mountains. Plain City Mayor Jon Beesley joins the show to talk about how they're prepared for these floods and give advice for other cities that haven't been hit yet. Lane Findlay, Safety Specialist for the Weber School District, discusses how the school is preparing for floods.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/428   Sponsors: https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors    In this episode, we had the pleasure of chatting with Jason Shemchuk, the host of the Wade Out There podcast. Jason's story is an inspiring one, as he has led a life full of adventure and exploration. From being an Air Force fighter pilot to starting his own podcast and painting, Jason has always been driven to pursue his passions and live life to the fullest. During our conversation, we delved into why Jason started his podcast and how his experiences in the Air Force have shaped his outlook on life. We also discovered some surprising similarities between our own journey and Jason's. If you're looking for an inspiring story that will leave you feeling motivated to chase your own dreams, be sure to tune in to our latest podcast episode with Jason Shemchuk! Wade Out There Show Notes with Jason Shemchuk 3:11 - Jason shares how and why he started his blog and the WadeOutThere Fly Fishing Podcast after he stopped flying for the Air Force. He joined the Air Force when he was 18. 4:45 - After leaving the Air Force, he also started painting again and selling his art online. 7:22 - He has been running his podcast for over two years now. Talking with guests in his podcast helped him progress in his fly fishing journey. 9:31 - I ask him about his journey working in the Air Force flying A-10s for 14 years. His interest in flying airplanes started when he was a kid. 14:36 - He breaks down the build and purpose of the A-10s. 16:45 - I mention our 400th episode with Beau Beasley and his book on Project Healing Waters to be released soon. 18:06 - Jason gives his take on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among veterans. He believes that being part of a community regardless if it's related to fly fishing or not is important and helpful. 24:28 - He now flies commercially while working on his podcast and art. 25:18 - He and his family moved to Utah from Kansas City, Missouri about a year and a half ago. 29:50 - I mention the book The War of Art by Steven Pressfield which we both love and ask him to choose one to go pro fully among art, podcast, and writing. 31:43 - He talks about his journey in the Air Force and painting and the value of hard work and struggles. 37:00 - We mention other novels by Steven Pressfield such as Gates of Fire and The Legend of Bagger Vance. 38:00 - He talks about fly fishing in the rivers in Utah. He lives near the Weber River. 40:00 - I ask him about his fly fishing style. 41:33 - His go-to local fly shop is Angler's Den in Roy, Utah and Fish Heads Fly Shop in Heber City, Utah. 42:43 - Jason describes his art. He's a watercolor artist and will be switching to oils soon. His latest series is the Trout Expression which is 18x24 in size. 47:48 - He shares what he learned from A.D. Maddox whom he considers his art mentor. A.D. is a fly fishing artist who uses oil as a medium. She guested in Jason's podcast in episode 30. 50:54 - He talks about his aspirations and plans for the Wade Out There podcast. 54:00 - He mentions our interview with Domenick Swentosky in episode 305. He influenced Jason with the blog he was writing. 55:12 - We do the two-minute drill. I first ask him about his go-to rod in terms of weight and length. 58:20 - He shares the next fly fishing big trip he will be going on. 59:50 - I mention our episode with Wade Fellin about the Big Hole Lodge. 1:00:08 - He talks a bit about the last time he went fly fishing in Montana. 1:00:02 - He tells his go-to fly which is the orange scud. 1:03:25 - He gives advice to those who are thinking about starting a podcast. 1:04:20 - He mentions Pat Flynn of the Smart Passive Income Podcast who was very helpful for him in starting his podcast. He was also my first mentor when I started. 1:05:22 - He tells about the warthog. Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/428 

Kyle has been involved in the river rafting industry since 1986.  He owns his a river company in Utah on the Weber River, Park City Rafting.  He also guides commercially for Tour West Inc. in the Grand Canyon and through Cataract Canyon on the Colorado River.  Kyle has run so many rivers and has so much experience.  He is the father of 6 children. He is one of the kindest people I know.  Enjoy Kyle!Show Notes:Kyles Favorite Book:The Log of the Panthon: An Account of an 1896 River Voyage from Green River, Wyoming to Yuma, Arizona Through the Grand Canyon (The Pruett Series)Author: George F. Flavell Video Short:   The Important Places by Forest Woodward & Brendan LeonardHerping photos on iNaturalist.orgPlease follow my Instagram Rivergirl RadioSupport the show

Tim checks in with Roger Eggatt from The Cabins at Bear River Lodge and Track Powersports. Navi talks about his concerns with the Weber River icing over and killing the fish in this week's Fishbytes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's Local News Hour : ( 5:33) Assistant County Manager Janna Young joins the Local News Hour with a preview to Wednesday’s county council meeting. ( 29:09) Park City Planning Director Bruce Erickson has a look at the agenda for the Wednesday Planning Commission meeting. ( 35:53) Summit Land Conservancy Executive Director Cheryl Fox has details on upcoming events and their current efforts to preserve a Weber River parcel in Peoa.

On today's Local News Hour : (00:28 ) Summit County Manager Tom Fisher discusses the agenda for Wednesday's county council meeting, including a joint transit meeting with the Wasatch County Council. ( 18:52) Dylan Taggert with an update on how things went on the Weber River this summer after improvements were made last year. ( 32:29) Park City Rotary Member Tom Kelly has details on the virtual Running of the Balls – one of the staples of Miners Day.

Jeff Dickson is in studio and shares a harrowing story from his big game hunt in Siberia complete with unseasonably cold weather, navigating a frozen river and how SkyCall satellite technology helped call in a helicopter to rescue his team of hunters!  Navi also updates us on the success of his fly fishing class and their trip to the Weber River.

Outside a van down by the Weber River, we chat with special guest Paul Burnett of Trout Unlimited. 

A mini-Van Session as recorded at the OFOAM Ogden Music Festival in a van down by the Weber River at Fort Buenaventura. M. Horton Smith and Daniel Young, two members of The Hollering Pines joined us for 2 acoustic songs in a van backstage at OFOAM.

A mini-Van Session as recorded at the OFOAM Ogden Music Festival in a van down by the Weber River at Fort Buenaventura. M. Horton Smith and Daniel Young, two members of The Hollering Pines joined us for 2 acoustic songs in a van backstage at OFOAM.

You're a police officer on your day off, but you hear the call over your scanner about a little girl being swept away by the freezing Weber River. What do you do? You race to the spot, jump into the rushing current and save her. Meet the amazing UHP trooper on the show today. We discuss a topic that every woman who has ever given birth will have decisive interest in. Allow me to explain...

A mini-session as recorded at the OFOAM Ogden Music Festival in a van down by the Weber River at Fort Buenaventura. 

Your Utah host Taylor Powers finally had a chance to visit the famous Living Room in the foothills above Salt Lake City's University neighborhood. The trail is short and well traveled, and it takes you to a series of locations where large stones have been arranged into pieces of furniture.  The view of the valley is awesome. Ethan Millard took a trip to Smith & Morehouse reservoir.  It's  a small lake near the top of the Weber River.  The water is cold and the view is spectacular.  It really is  a mountain lake. There is camping and fishing.  Wake rules are enforced so there are mostly canoes and paddleboards.

Host Taylor Powers reviews her experience floating the Weber River.   Her trip was guided by Barefoot Tubing, though there are several outfits that will provide you with tubes, life jackets, and shuttle your group  to and from the river. Ethan Millard provides some new information on the famous Mirror Lake.  High up in the Uinta Mountains, Mirror Lake is cold year round and amazingly beautiful. There are established campsites that can be used for a fee.  There is also a fee for day use.  The lake is open to non motorized watercraft and fishing.

On this episode, we take the historical timeline closer to the end of 1832. Everybody is focused on getting the printing press up and running in Independence Missouri, and they don't even realize that a viper lurks in the grass. We're introduced to a few new people that get their very own nicknames, and the bloody viper even gets his own long-awaited introduction. From April 14th, 1832 on, Mormon history will be forever changed.Website http://nakedmormonismpodcast.comTwitter @NakedMormonismFacebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Naked-Mormonism/370003839816311Patreon http://patreon.com/nakedmormonismOutro music Jason Comeau http://aloststateofmind.com/Links:BRODIE AWARD VOTING!!!!HURRY AND VOTE, POLLS CLOSE MIDNIGHT FEB 5!!!http://mainstreetplaza.com/2016/01/22/time-to-vote-for-the-2015-brodie-awards/comment-page-1/#comment-3167981Mary Rollins:http://www.boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/MLightner.htmlhttp://josephsmithspolygamy.org/history-2/plural-wives-overview/mary-elizabeth-rollins/Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought (page 110)http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm/ref/collection/dialogue/id/27086Adam-God doctrine apologetics:http://en.fairmormon.org/Mormonism_and_doctrine/Repudiated_concepts/Adam-God_theoryThinking Allowed Podcast, Con men in New York:http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06wg7rpEntire Aaron Dewitt time capsule letter:"Logan, Utah  Jan. 31, 1875To Mrs. Elizabeth Durrant:My Dear Sister:    How to commence this letter I have promised you so long. I hardly know, but will say in the first place I have been deceived, led into error, imposed upon, deluded, beguiled into a false religion in my youth and spent the best part of my life in a wilderness, a desert, a land of sage and salt, away from all enlightenment and civilization, among the most degraded tribes of Indians on the Western hemisphere.  And what is still more worse, I have had to mingle with A BEASTLY, BLACKHEARTED, BLOODY PRIESTHOOD; a set of treacherous villains, as full of meanness as old Satan, and as thirsty for blood as a stinted leech. While these are facts, they are not half told; For hundreds have been killed for gold; Both men and women have been slain And robbed to add to Brigham’s gain. I will here mention a few of the most inhuman and cruel acts ever committed by any man-eating savage in the darkest ages, and which none but a corrupt priesthood could ever perpetrated.  All of these have been done in Utah since I came here by men claiming to hold THE HOLY PRIESTHOOD OF THE SON OF GOD, and sent by their great Prophet and leader to do these deeds of blood and plunder in the name of God Almighty.On the 12th day of September, 1857, two days after I arrived in this accursed land, 119 men, women and children were murdered while traveling to California, by a band of Mormons painted as Indians, and led by a Mormon high priest, a pious president of a stake of Zion, and a wise ward bishop.  After the emigrants had defended themselves against those wretches for three days beneath a burning sun in a sandy desert, WITHOUT A DROP OF WATER, they dressed two beautiful little girls in white and sent them to a spring nearby. But as they tripped along towards the sparkling stream they met the bullets of those merciless Mormons and fell dead into the water they were trying to secure to save their own lives and quench the parched throats of their beloved parents.  Finally John D. Lee, a Mormon bishop, who had just been anointed A KING AND PRIEST TO GOD, and who had eighteen wives given to him for being so great and good, sent a flag of truce to the poor, parched up, bleeding emigrants and promised them protection if they would give up their arms and go back to the nearest town.  This they gladly agreed to; but mark the next act of this sanctified saint.  They had not gone a half mile from their camp, when this great deliverer gave the command to his men to fire, and every man was shot down and every woman screamed and ran.  The terrible, sorrowful scene that ensued no tongue can tell.  Every woman was caught and ravished, murdered, robbed of her jewelry, stripped naked and left unburied on the burning sand.  In a few days nothing was left of all those beautiful forms but the bleaching bones the prairie wolf could not devour.  Then every child those bloodhounds thought could tell the tale of their infernal villainy was beheaded or cut to pieces, and scattered quivering with its bleeding friends.  Then those pure-souled priests plunged their hands into the gory clotted blood of their victims, and with outstretched arms toward heaven, EXPRESSED THEIR GRATITUDE TO GOD for so great a favor; to Him who doeth all things well; but who will undoubtedly, when they meet Him, hear His laugh re-echo through the caverns of the damned, saying, “I told you I would laugh at your calamity and mock when your fear cometh.” All the property of those murdered men and women was gathered together the value of one hundred and fifteen thousand dollars, besides thirty-five thousand dollars in gold, and sent to their old master-murderer Brigham.  And this is how he sits in his office, wags his big toe, and makes his means, and then boasts that he is THE GREATEST FINANCIER ON EARTH, and owns nothing but what the Lord has given him.Another and similar case is that of the murdered Morrisites, a religious body of simple-minded souls, who had met together for devotional exercise in a small valley on the banks of the Weber River in the summer of 1862, when a corps of the Nauvoo Legion, led by cowardly Captain Burton, who is now on a mission preaching the Gospel of Mercy to you dark benighted Britons, and inviting you to the home of the free and the land of the brave, but he is not gallant enough to come home himself.  He is the dastardly dog who crawled on his belly, like his ancient progenitor which tempted Mother Eve, until he was near enough to fire a cannon and blow down the house where those poor souls had met.  Then, after they had surrendered, and given up their few fire arms, the poltroon shot and killed Joseph Morris, Mr. Banks, and two women, one with a beautiful baby nursing at her breast, took the rest of the camp prisoners, put them in the penitentiary, and finally fined them one hundred dollars each, just because they did not believe in the rascality of Brigham Young, and do as they were told. What bloody deeds, what sin and striveWhat sacrifice of human life,What deeds of plunder have been done,To raise a gory throne for Young.I will next mention the most perfidious act coupled with the foulest murder ever committed since the world began.  IT WAS IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT, when three of the Salt Lake City police were sent by the great Seer and Revelator of all the world, to see Dr. Robinson and ask him to set a broken limb for a poor man who, they said was writhing in agony.  The Doctor had just retired to bed, but at his murderers’ entreaties, he dressed himself, and in a few moments was on his errand of mercy.  He had not gone far when one of the villains, who walked behind, struck him on the head with a meat chopper he had stolen for the purpose, and cleft open his skull. The others fired their pistols immediately, and blowing out their victim’s brains, fled. But my soul sickens at these dreadful deeds, or I would tell you of the brutal murder of Yates, the killing McNiel, the assassination of Borman, the shooting of Brassfield, the slaughter of the Akins party, the emasculation of Jones, and finally the butchering of him and his poor old mother.  I would also mention the dead man in the meat market, the three men in the barn, the murder near the Warm Springs, the shooting of Pike in the streets of Salt Lake City in broad daylight, the murder of the Potters and Parishes, of Rhodes and Roberts, and HUNDREDS OF OTHERS WHO HAVE BEEN MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD, and robbed to satisfy the avaricious cravings of as foul a man and as false a Prophet as ever disgraced this sin-stained earth. These horrible deeds have all been committed in our holy Zion, and not one of the perpetrators ever brought to justice.  In fact, there has been no justice in the land.  A few years ago a man’s life was not worth a cent who durst utter such words as there is evil in the land, or sin among the Priesthood.  “You do as you are told!” has been the Gospel preached in this priest-ridden place for the last quarter of a century. In the fall of 1857, I heard our Prophet in a congregation of three thousands souls, tell his bishops they were to “counsel” the brethren to do as they were told; and, said he “if they don’t do it, lay righteousness to the line and judgment to the plummet.  If  you don’t know what that is, come to me and I will tell you!” He then threw back his head and with a revolting grin, DREW HIS FINGER ACROSS HIS THROAT, a sign the anointed ones well understood.  And yet, the old bilk, with his smooth slang will make his innocent dupes believe he is free from guilt, and that he is THE LIGHT, THE TRUTH, AND THE WAY, and that he has a place prepared for them, where the waters are flowing placidly – a land of milk and honey.  But the waters are stained with blood, and the milk is turned towhey,And the honey has lost its sweetness, the people seem to say;And dupes are getting scarcer, and obedience is dead,And all the old man’s judgments and plummets, too, have fled.THE HAND-CART EXPEDITION Then there was the hand-cart company that crossed the plains in 1856.  The details of their distress caps the climax of all horrors.  Could I portray that terrible journey and the sufferings of those poor souls, your very heart would bleed.  Three ounces of flour per day was all they had to eat.  Upon this scanty fare they dragged their carts with 100 pounds of luggage over the worst kind of road, and more than five hundred miles through snow, fording rivers whose currents are of the swiftest kind, and their waters always cold.  Then at night, when those poor, wet, shivering souls came into camp they had no wood to make a fire.  At times a few small willows could be obtained, just enough to bake their scanty cake.  It did not take them long to eat their supper, for a mouthful each was all they had.  So hungry were they, that some gnawed the flesh off their own arms, ate roasted hide, or fed upon their shoes.  One-fourth of all who started, DIED OF STARVATION ON THE WAY. From five to fifteen died every night for over 300 miles of the road.  So weak and weary were these living skeletons that they could scarcely bury their dead.  Every night a pit would be dug just large enough to place the dead in, and a shallow covering of dirt thrown over them.  Those that dug the grave one night expected to be placed in theirs the next.  Many a one prayed that his spirit might leave his frame of bones for a berth among the blessed. Why did they start in this way? do you inquire.  Because this false prophet had told them that it was the Lord’s plan of emigration, and the only way to secure salvation. They believing him to be a true prophet, had faith in all he said, and started on their journey, 1,400 miles, as late in the season as August.  As they traveled on Westward toward the Zion of their hopes, songs could be heard from every cart and prayers from every camp.  But before they got five hundred miles on their weary pilgrimage, THE SNOWS BEGAN TO FALL, the wintry winds to blow, and the keen frost and piercing cold set in.  Then their suffering commenced in earnest.  Still they trudged along day after day, full of faith in God and holy priesthood, and day after day endured greater pain.  Finally their limbs began to freeze, and pieces fell from their worn-out bodies. They became dispirited and pined away and died, as I have already told you.So sad and sickening is this Gospel plan, As taught by Brigham, to poor fallen man, That every time I mention his ill name, It sends a shudder quivering through my frame. I also tremble for the deeds he’s done;For life destroyed, for blood he caused to run; For victims frozen on the plains, through him, While starving, suffering, falling limb from limb.Dear Sister, in this sad letter I have told you the truth, AS IT IS IN JESUS CHRIST, and as I expect to meet at the final bar of retribution.  All these deeds and a thousand others equal to them in baseness and brutality, have all been committed under the cloak of religion.  But I must tell you more of them at another time. I will now tell you the reason why we could not leave this blood-stained land, I mean ten or twelve years ago.  In the first place, we were a thousand miles from the nearest town East, eight hundred miles to the nearest settlement West, and God only knows how far to any place north and south.  On all this vast tract of land, NO WHITE MAN DWELT, no civilization was known, none but the red men roamed the dreary solitudes.  To travel such a space required considerable food, a good wagon and team, in fact, everything necessary for a three month’s pilgrimage.  Nor was it safe for a few men to go together, unless they were well-armed.  Again, every Bishop knew your business AND WAS ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT.  If you started, they would send men to drive off your stock, and thus you would be compelled to return.  Then, if you did not behave and act the hypocrite, the bishop would send the Danites to use you up, send you across lots to that bright brimstone home we read about.  Thus you see it was almost impossible to get away.  But now we have a railroad across the plains and settlements every little way and civilization is coming to Zion.  If the Lord won’t come the law will, and if Jesus is not approaching, justice is.  Then all who want can leave.  But now the priests want us to go, and we wish to stay.Burst off every fetter, remove this Priestly yoke. And never rest contented, till every link is broke. For every man in Utah and woman shall be free. And shouts shall echo through the land for God and Liberty! Hoping to meet you soon on earth life and finally beyond the confines of time measured out to mortal man.I am affectionately,Your Brother,AARON DEWITT

Bob & Betsy Risner, H2O Overdrive organizers and racers The H2O Overdrive Summer Series is July 27-29th. This three day event includes a three and five mile flat-water race, a Weber River whitewater SUP race, and an 8-ball kayak river race. Race organizers Bob and Betsy Risner phoned into the OOA Show to give us the low-down on participating athletes, tips and tricks on how to race well, and how the public can demo boards. Check out the interview: