Back home again: Providence rebuilds monument for its 150th anniversary

PROVIDENCE, Cache County — I grew up in what is now known as "historic downtown Providence." It was just Providence back then, a largely farming and fruit-growing community perched at the edge of the foothills, under the shadows of Big and Little Baldy mountains.

We went to church in the Old Rock Church, which had a huge painting by native son Ev Thorpe hanging at the back of the stand that depicted the early days of Providence. A phrase from "Come, Come Ye Saints" ran across the bottom: "We'll find a place which God for us prepared." To me, that kind of summed up Providence.

One of my other favorite things was the monument to the first settlers that sat on the lawn in front of the church, containing a plaque with the names of the earliest settlers. None of my ancestors were listed; we were newcomers to the town, moving there just before I was born. But I liked seeing the names; they gave a sense of history.

I have a picture taken when I was 2 or 3, standing on the top level of the monument. I don't remember when that was taken, but I do remember sitting on the bottom ledge and tracing my fingers over the spokes of the wagon wheel that was embedded in the cement. I just knew that wagon wheel had come across the plains. I would think about that, and the people who came here, and that was pretty much where I first fell in love with pioneers.

Times changed. The LDS ward outgrew the old building and built a new one. The old building went through various incarnations as reception center, fabric store, assisted-living center and finally an inn and wedding center.

Somewhere along the way, the pioneer monument was lost. The foundation deteriorated; the time capsule inside was apparently so damaged that the only thing worth saving was some old coins; it was all taken apart and taken away.

But for the 150th anniversary of the founding of Providence, that monument is being rebuilt.

"For those of use who grew up in Providence," says former mayor and current member of the Providence Historical Committee Alma Leonhardt, "it's like a lost child coming home."

The monument, which will now sit at the corner of property, will be dedicated on Saturday, June 6, by President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"The first monument was dedicated by George Albert Smith, so we're thrilled that (President) Packer will do the honors this time," says Dale Astle, chairman of the monument committee.