Owen Olsen’s pioneer village in Cleveland

By Phil Fauver Staff writer

Owen Olsen with the help of Trish Van Wagoner and the city of Cleveland hosted a Dutch oven cook off and cowboy poetry event at Owen Olsen’s Pioneer Village in Cleveland on July 20. This Pioneer Village consists of eight restored pioneer buildings. Owen is currently in the process of restoring another pioneer building. Most of the buildings in the Pioneer Village were donated to Owen by residents of Emery County. Many of these buildings have a plaque with the name of the person or family that donated the building.
Owen Olsen has many pioneer artifacts on display in and around his Pioneer Village. Visitors are encouraged to stop by and visit the Pioneer Village.
Lee Jeffs and Tyler Jeffs brought a team of horses and a wagon of hay bales for the hayride. Even though there was a light sprinkle of rain many children and adults took advantage of the hayride provided by the Jeffs.
Owen Olsen and his wife recently returned from their LDS mission on the Navajo Indian reservation in New Mexico and Arizona and they brought back with them several interesting Indian artifacts.
Owen displayed in the garage of The Little Red Fire Truck a few items collected in New Mexico and Arizona, such as large and small Indian woven reed baskets, grain grinding tools and Indian war clubs and three beautiful Indian rugs made by the Navajo Indians of New Mexico. One of those rugs depicted the tree of life another rug made in the community of Crystal depicted crystals throughout the weave pattern. Owen explained that to be, a weaver of rugs in the Indian culture, a young woman would go find and wrap her hand with a spider web. She would then keep the spider web on her hand for 24 hours. This spider web was supposed to inspire her in her rug weaving patterns.
In the display was a 44 caliber Winchester repeating rifle made in 1866 and an old rusted saber. Some of the stone Indian artifacts on display are estimated to have been made around 1100 or 1200 AD.
After the group toured the pioneer village buildings, and pioneer machinery Will Payne the master ceremonies called everyone together for the reciting of cowboy poetry.
Wayne introduced two very good cowboy poet entertainers as Darce and Shem Guymon of Cleveland. Their cowboy poetry stories were very entertaining with many laughs and a lot of fun.
When the entertainment was over the group was invited to partake of the Dutch oven cook off food and choose their favorite Dutch oven food. There was Dutch oven chicken with carrots and potatoes, Dutch oven beef, Dutch oven pizza, Dutch oven shredded pork, Dutch oven scalloped potatoes and several cobblers as well as a cake. There were several Dutch oven pots to select food. All food was provided by citizens of Cleveland in the hopes of winning a prize.
Charlotte Olsen was the winner of the Dutch Oven cook off. Chelsea Olsen was the winner of the best dessert contest.