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U T A H HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
Very early, some of the Mormon leaders recommended that the missionaries marry Indian women as a means of cementing the friendship between the races. One of the most entertaining incidents, and perhaps as human a story as has been told about this phase of the Mormon-Indian relations, is recorded in the diary of Hosea Stout, who was a member of the Green River Mission of 1854, sent out to reinforce the missionaries who had gone the previous autumn. On May 8, after recording that Green River County had that day been organized, and that Isaac Bullock, James Brown, Elijah W a r d , and James Davis had been appointed to go as missionaries among the Shoshoni Indians, he writes in high good humor: Elder Hyde held a meeting in the evening. In the discourse he recommended the marrying of squaws in the most positive and strong terms and particularly the immediately taking Mary an old haggard mummy looking one [sic] who had been here all winter. He was very eloquent on the occasion all of which was generally understood to be squinting at M. M. Sanders who already seemed to have some inklings that way and was well pleased with fair opportunity thus to safely commit himself so he readily bit at the bait and the courtship commenced immediately after meeting by interpreters for he could not talk with her. She wanted some time to consider he being a stranger & she dont like him much any how. The affair created an unusual amount of fun & jokes among the disinterested. [May 10, 1854]. About noon today the proxied courtship between Sanders and Mary the Shoshone (the flower of the desert as Elder Hyde called her) was brought to close and they both were launched into a State of matrimony by Elder Hyde who acted the Parson. The cerimony [sic] being performed over by the interpreter James Bullock our joy was now full & the fun loving corps enjoyed the time to the best possible advantage. . . . [May 12. Some six wagons started to Green Ferry] . . . Sanders came with us to Bridger to purchase some goods for "Flower of the Desert," which however we afterwards learned she would not accept and even refused to have any thing to do with him. The matrimonial alliance thus entered into has proved a signal failure.58 The Elders who were sent to the Salmon River Mission were ""Hosea Stout, "Journal," typewritten transcription in the Writers' Project collection in custody of the Utah State Historical Society, Salt Lake Citv Utah y UtM Vol. V, pp. 171-173. * '