Parker in Douglas County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Cherry Creek Camp
Douglas County 20 Mile Camp
Brigham Young had agreed to meet the Mississippi Saints on the Oregon Trail as he trekked with the Advance Pioneer Company. In July 1846, the Mississippi group discovered that they had been missed. As winter approached, they traveled on to Pueblo, Colorado. There, under a cottonwood tree, Sarah Emma Kartchner was born; the first Caucasian child born in the unorganized territory.
That year, at the dawn of the Mexican/American War, 500 Mormon men volunteered in Council Bluffs, Iowa, to serve in the United States Army of the West (Infantry) under General Stephen W. Kearney. Having suffered severe religious persecution, the Mormon men welcomed the opportunity to move west as they defended their country. On the Santa Fe Trail, three sick detachments were sent to Pueblo to winter and recuperate, aided by the Mississippi Saints.They spent nearly a year in Colorado, making them the first group
In early May 1847, seventeen members of the Robert Crow and George Therikill families left Pueblo before the rest of the Battalion. They traveled through present-day Parker on their way to Fort Laramie, Wyoming. These families were ultimately among the first pioneers to enter the Valley of the Great Salt Lake with Orson Pratt's Advance Company on 22 July 1847. There were six women with them: Elizabeth Brown Crow, Elizabeth Jane, twins Isa Vinda Exene and Ira Minda Almarene Crow, Mathilda J. Crow Therlkill and Harriet Blunt Crow.
On 24 May 1847, the sick detachment of the Mormon Battalion received their orders and "took up a line of march" to meet Brigham Young's company at Fort Laramie, accompanied by the remaining Mississippi Saints. Their substantial wagon train included 60 wagons, 350-375 people, 300 cattle and 100 horses. They encountered severe thunderstorms and hail. After seeking shelter, they camped once again on Cherry Creek. During that time, a child, John Taylor Brown, was born. He is believed to be the first Caucasian born in what is now Douglas County, Colorado.
Erected 2010 by Daughters of Utah Pioneers. (Marker Number 559.)
Marker series. This marker is included in the Daughters of Utah Pioneers, and the Mormon Battalion marker series.
Location. 39° 33.85′ N, 104° 47.109′ W. Marker is in Parker, Colorado, in Douglas County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of East Valley Hi Drive and South Parker Road (State Highway 83). Touch for map. Located within the Parker Preservation Park & Trailhead. Marker is at or near this postal address: 17710 Valley Hi Drive, Parker CO 80134, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Hood House (within shouting distance of this marker); Twenty Mile House (approx. 3.4 miles away); Dedication to Parker's Most Significant Early Doctor (approx. 3.4 miles away); Ave Maria Chapel (approx. 3˝ miles away); Newcomb House (approx. 3˝ miles away); Buckley (approx. 10.3 miles away); Russellville - History of Franktown / Franktown Country - Timber Industry (approx. 10.9 miles away); Colorado Freedom Memorial (approx. 11.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Parker.
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Credits. This page was last revised on September 3, 2016. This page originally submitted on September 3, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 370 times since then and 51 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 3, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.