Sons of Utah Pioneers monument dedicated

The Holladay Chapter of the Sons of the Utah Pioneers dedicated a monument Saturday morning commemorating the farm home of Wilford Woodruff, fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The ceremony took place at the home, 1604 S. 500 E., Salt Lake City, and included a program at the LDS chapel across the street."I would like the thank the Sons of Utah Pioneers Organization ... for initiating this memorable occasion of placing a monument in front of the Wilford Woodruff farmhouse, designating it as a significant site of Pioneer history," said Carolyn Owen, historian in the Wilford Woodruff Family Association and descendant of the former church president.Woodruff married Owen's great-grandmother, Emma Smith, in 1853. Smith's parents were converted to the church in 1833 in Tennessee by Woodruff, then a missionary for the church. The Smith family immigrated to Utah, losing the father on the way.Woodruff drew the plans for the home while serving a call to proselyte in New England and Canada, and moved into it in1850. His family lived next door to John Taylor, third president of the church, Owen said."On one occasion, Elder Woodruff spotted a chicken, which he thought belonged to John Taylor, and he threw it over the fence," Owen said. "And Elder Taylor, spotting it, thought it looked like a ‘Woodruff hen’ and threw it back over. This happened on several occasions. They had quite a time keeping their chickens separated."Woodruff's family lived in the home many years, Owen said, until businesses starting springing up around the area. When this happened, the Woodruffs remodeled the home and leased it. It then became known as the "Valley House," accommodating visitors to the valley.Owen's grandparents, Asahel Hart Woodruff, Sr., and Naomi Woodruff, managed the "Valley House" after Woodruff's death, up until the time is was sold and became a hotel.Woodruff’s farm, which consisted of 20 acres of land south of Salt Lake City, was an "experiment station," Owen explained, with saints planting different seeds to see what would grown in the new climate. The farm harvested bread, milk, molasses, mutton, beef, butter and fruit."With (Woodruff), all life and labor was a mission. He took great pride in the fact that he lived by the labor of his own hands, and was self-sustaining."