Local scouts help DUP museum improve

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Adam Brinkworth Jr., from Boy Scout Troop 903 in Huntington finished up his Eagle Scout Project at the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Museum in Huntington. His project took more than 200 hours to complete. His project consisted of many things, including placing decorative rock in front of the museum, constructing a flag pole and putting in cement stairs. Micah Bass and Matt Mecham also helped with the project. To finish the project Brinkworth and Bass raised the Utah state flag and the DUP flag.
Dixie Bass provided a written history of the museum. A white frame building nestled in a mountain canyon, surrounded by tall pines, towering cliffs, wild flowers and flowing river now stands in its own allotted space on a city lot in Huntington.
The original two frame-covered rooms had one cinder block room added to the back for the purpose of providing a show room.
The house was originally Ranger Station #178, erected in 1909 in Bear Canyon, a few miles up Huntington Canyon. John J. Brockbank served as ranger from 1909 to 1917. Later it was used as a summer headquarters by forest rangers from nearby districts.
In 1946 the Manti and LaSal forests were combined and the boundary lines of the forest were changed. The Stuart Ranger Station had been constructed in Nuck Woodward in upper Huntington Canyon. Little Bear now belonged to Emery County. The station no longer in use stood vacant.
In 1934 the Huntington Camp of Daughters of Utah Pioneers was organized with Mable (last name unknown) as captain, Roxie Westover as first vice captain and Louisa W. Johnson as second vice captain and Deane Johnson, as secretary. This took place July 9, 1934 in the old church house with county president Sarah Jensen presiding and conducting.
By 1952, Mildred Johnson became captain and Marie Ungerman and Flora Jensen as vice captains.
The forest rangers in the district advertised in the local paper their desire to sell the building in the canyon. The DUP officers met with the rangers in their Price office and explained why they would like the building and the rangers voted to give the building to the DUP as a relic.
The DUPs had some bonds in the local bank, earned by working together selling pies at all celebrations, food sales, on the street, sandwiches, cake and cocoa at the cemetery on Memorial Day and lunches at the polls on voting days. Also, many beautiful camp quilts they had made and auctioned off. With this money they paid the Wells Moving Company $300 to bring the building to town and put it on the foundation on the lot the DUPs had bought from Vernon and Leora Leamaster.
Some of the husbands and members who donated their time and talents preparing the ground and repairing the house, building a chimney, new roof, new windows, porch, etc were George and Irene Gardner, Milton Johnson, Vic Ungerman, Fred Anderson and Sharon Gardner along with the officers of the camp.
The building retains its original over-all appearance, although it has been reinforced, improved, and added onto. The front room is used as a meeting place in summer. A rag carpet, made from rags donated and sewn together at their meetings and woven by one of the members and her husband, Ruby and Fred Hales, covers one room. Lovely pioneer artifacts donated by people in the area are displayed. The building still retains an air of rustic solitude, quiet and dignified with its entrusted treasures symbolizing Huntington’s pioneer heritage.
Dixie Bass, stated donations are always welcome and the DUPs will be doing a fund-raising event at Heritage Days in July. If you would like to set up a tour of the museum you can contact Dixie Bass, 687-2708, Margo Jones, 687-9198 or Maryella Fowler, 687-9519.