Doug Robinson: Memo to visitors and non-Utahns on the Internet

They rented the John Taylor farm, and this family of 13 spent their first winter crammed into a one-room house. Another move was coming. Church authorities asked families to settle other valleys. The Robinsons headed to what is known as Utah Valley and liked it so well that they settled into another one-room house. Three generations of Robinsons would live on the property before it was turned into American Fork City Park.

Edward built a large six-room house. He planted trees and grass and shrubs and lilacs from England and rows of roses outlining the gravel walk to the door of the house, along with large beds of other flowers. The back corner of the house contained roses of all colors. The town called it Robinsons's Rose Corner.

Ann died and Edward eventually remarried again, this time to Margaret Govsvene.

But Edward, the former footman and conductor, was now a land owner able to live and worship free of lawless mobs, as America had originally promised, and he prospered the rest of his life. He died in 1896.

He was buried in the American Fork Cemetery. His tombstone features a drawing of "The Rocket." It's engraved, "Edward Robinson, the First Railroad Conductor in the World."

email: drob@desnews.com