Spirit Pouch (40 page)

[1]
As a young man Jeddy [Jedediah M. Grant] passed through the persecutions of Missouri and Illinois, and in the summer of 1847 he crossed the plains, arriving in Salt Lake Valley in October of that year.  This journey was beset with tragedies and physical hardships that not only tested his faith and measured his physical endurance, but also overwhelmed him with grief.  First, his little daughter, Margaret, died and was
buried in a
shallow grave
in a lonely place on the plains.  Soon after, his wife, Caroline, unable to endure the hardships and tragedies of the journey, sickened and died.

Bryant S. Hinckley,
Heber J. Grant: Highlights in the Life of a Great Leader
[Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1951], 18 - 19.)

[2]
 
The Book of Mormon
, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1830, Mosiah 3:12

[3]
  Inipi - The Rite of Purification

The Lakota term for sweat lodge is
Inipi
which means 'to live again'. 
Inipi
is a purification rite and is necessary in order to help the vision quest seeker enter into a state of humility and to undergo a kind of spiritual rebirth.

The sweat lodge is central to
Inipi
.  Prayers offered there draw on all the powers of the universe - Earth, Water, Fire and Air.  In the old days,
Inipi
was done before any major undertaking to purify the body and gain strength and power.

The actual lodge itself is a dome constructed of 16 young willow trees placed in a circle, traditionally covered with hides so no light could penetrate inside.

On the outside, the formation of the site comprises an earth mound just outside the door of the sweat lodge, facing east, and a fire pit containing stones.  The fire represents the sun.  Another mound partially encircling the fire pit represents the crescent moon.  This is the outer world or cosmos; the inner world is the sweat lodge.  It represents the womb of the universe from which souls are created anew.

Prayers are said at each stage of the construction of a sweat lodge.  When it is completed, a burning coal is brought in and sweetgrass is burned by the leader of the
Inipi
to purify the lodge.  The pipe is smoked and carried outside, where it is placed on the mound of earth.

The other participants enter the lodge, sitting in a circle on sacred sage, and the Pipe is brought in and smoked.  The heated rocks are placed on the center fireplace and the Pipe returned to the earth mound.  Then, the door is closed.

During the ritual, the door is thrown open four times to represent the four ages described by the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Woman.  The fourth time, participants leave the lodge, emerging from dark to light which represents the liberation from the physical universe.  All that is impure is left in the sweat lodge.

Inipi: Rite of Purification,
http://www.aktalakota.org/index.cfm?cat=54&artid=184

[4]
 
New Testament
, Matthew 17:20

[5]
 
The Book of Mormon
, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1830, Alma 32:28-33

[6]
 
The Book of Mormon
, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1830, Matthew 4:3-4

[7]
  “Likewise the
piercing of the body
for multiple rings in the ears, in the nose, even in the tongue.  Can they possibly think that is beautiful?  It is a passing fancy, but its effects can be permanent.  Some have gone to such extremes that the ring had to be removed by surgery.  The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve have declared that we discourage tattoos and also ‘the piercing of the body for other than medical purposes.’  We do not, however, take any position ‘on the minimal piercing of the ears by women for one pair of earrings’—one pair.”

President Gordon B. Hinckley, “Great Shall Be the Peace of Thy Children”
  October 2000 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Priesthood Session, Reported in the
Ensign
, November 2000.

[8]
The Book of Mormon
, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1830,
Mosiah 27:12-23

[9]
  … that one revolution was a day unto the Lord, after his manner of reckoning, it being one thousand years according to the time appointed unto that whereon thou standest.  This is the reckoning of the Lord's time, according to the reckoning of
Kolob
.

The Pearl of Great Price
, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1979, Abraham 3:2-4

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day
is
with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

New Testament
,
2 Peter
3:8

[10]
 
John did baptize
in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

New Testament
,
Mark
1:4

Neither did they receive any unto baptism save they came forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and witnessed unto the church that they truly repented of all their sins.

The Book of Mormon
, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1830,
Moroni
6:2

Doctrine and Covenants
, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1979, D&C
20:37

[11]
  And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a
dove
, and lighting upon him:

New Testament
,
Matthew
3:16

[12]
 
Pemmican
was made from Buffalo meat, fat, and wild berries pounded together.

Jeanne Oyawin Eder,
The Dakota Sioux
, April 1,2000, pg. 20

[13]
Marshal W. F. Sears
served as marshal of Central City from 1864 to 1867.

Alan Granruth,
Central City, Colorado 1859-1999
(Mining Gold to Mining Wallets)
, appendix 2, page 156.

[14]
 
Dogtown
was a mining camp approximately one half mile south of Central City, Colorado.

Alan Granruth,
Central City, Colorado 1859-1999
(Mining Gold to Mining Wallets)
,page 9.

[15]
  Until the railroad reached Blackhawk in 1872, the stagecoach was the only means of public transportation to or from the area.  The stagecoach could make the trip from Denver to Central City in seven or eight hours once the road was improved.  Prior to that, the trip from Denver to Central city by wagon took three or four days.

Alan Granruth,
Central City, Colorado 1859-1999
(Mining Gold to Mining Wallets)
,pages 19-20

[16]
Most mammals only produce enough
milk
to feed their young.  Dairy cows are different, they produce far more milk than their young calves can use.  A calf only needs a small portion of her mother’s milk supply during the first few months of life (about 255 liters).  Since a good dairy cow produces more than 6100 liters of milk in a year, there is a lot of extra milk for us to use.  A cow produces milk for about ten months following the birth of her calf and for the process to continue she must have a calf every year.

Milk, Where It All Begins: 
www.milk.mb.ca/Dairy/all-begins.asp

[17]
The
dignified
,
hardy
ponderosa pine
has long been a symbol of the wild American West, and the tree has done particularly well for itself in Arizona. They are found throughout the West from Canada to Mexico, but the stand stretching from Flagstaff along the Mogollon rim to the White Mountains is reportedly the largest continuous stand on the continent. The region's mild wet winters, and pattern of precipitation and dry spells throughout the year make it prime ponderosa habitat.

Arizona’s Ponderosa Pine 
http://www.gatewaytosedona.com/article/id/1470/page/1

The largest stand of ponderosa pine in the world is located in the Prescott Basin in central Arizona at an elevation of approximately 5,300 feet. The Basin is surrounded by Prescott National Forest on the west, south and east with ponderosa pine, juniper and manzanita.

Prescott's Ponderosa Pines
  http://azgfd.info/licenses/facts.cfm?azfact=1095

[18]
  The actual name of the brickyard was
Hooper’s Brick Yard
.  It once stood at the intersection of Hooper Street and Roworth Street.  Not a trace of it is left today.  Most of the brick buildings built in Central City, Colorado after the fire of 1874 were built of Hooper brick, a sand product that would be wholly unsuited for modern construction.  The Roworth buildings and the Teller building are totally constructed of Hooper brick.

From records found at the Gilpin History Museum, 228 E. High St., Central City, CO  80427-0247

[19]
The saloon
mentioned is real, although the name is fictional.  At the corner of Main and Eureka on the North side of the street was a log building which was a saloon.  In 1868 it became a bank and then in 1874 it was occupied by Wells Fargo.

Alan Granruth,
Central City, Colorado 1859-1999
(Mining Gold to Mining Wallets)
,page 98.

[20]
The Daily Miner’s Register
was a real newspaper in Central City, Colorado which operated from August 21, 1863 until July 24, 1868, printing news that was sent daily by telegraph.  The Weekly Miner’s Register was also a thriving Republican newspaper during approximately the same time period.

Alan Granruth,
Central City, Colorado 1859-1999
(Mining Gold to Mining Wallets)
,page 97.

[21]
 
Jenkins Mining Supplies
and Mr. Jenkins are fictional, although typically in the 1860’s stores would have a large variety of goods, including boots.

[22]
 
Boots
were custom made on a White Oak foot-shaped mold called a ‘last.’  First, the inner sole was placed onto the bottom of the last, and then the leather that was to be the top of the boot, called the “upper,” was placed over the top of the last.  These were lightly tacked onto the last.  Next the “heel” leather was attached and sewn to the upper.  Finally the sole was glued to the bottom and held together by pounding in wooden pegs.  The last step was to remove the “last” from the inside and smooth down any tacks or wooden pegs that protruded to the inside.