June 28 – June 30, 2012
Tour Itinerary:
Thursday, June 28th – Our motor coach picked up in both Orem and Salt Lake City before continuing on to Logan. Sites to see in Logan included the grave sites of Philippe and Marthe Cardon and many other family members. We heard stories of our ancestors as we saw sites associated with them including the Tabernacle (featuring a tour and an impromptu organ concert by Robin Cardon, part of the tour was spent admiring the family statue gazing toward the Logan temple whose construction was orchestrated by none other than our very own Bart Cardon) and Logan Temple, early Cardon home sites, etc. We had lunch at the Bluebird Café, established in 1914 by O. Guy Cardon. Later that afternoon we continued on to Evanston, Wyoming where we stayed at the Hampton Inn. That evening we had a group meeting at the hotel and learned more about the lives of Catherine and Marie Madeleine Cardon, daughters of Philippe & Marthe Cardon. Many of you have heard about the dream Marie Madeleine had as a child in Italy, but few know about her life as an adult in America. Did you know that Sioux Indians stole Catherine’s 2-year-old son, Edwin, but he was returned 2 years later by Shoshone Chief Washakie? We also learned how Piedmont Wyoming got its’ name and how history was altered when the driving of the Golden Spike Ceremony was delayed by events that occurred on family land.
Friday, June 29th – Our first stop was Piedmont to see the charcoal kilns, Catherine Cardon Byrne home and cemetery, and other sites associated with Marie Madeleine Cardon Guild. Our next stop was Fort Bridger, where we had lunch, took self-guided tours of the fort, and heard a story associated with Cardon family members at this location. We then continued on towards Lander, Wyoming with stops along the way including the opportunity to stand on the Mormon Trail at Pilot Butte. Our lodging that night was at Holiday Inn Express.
Saturday, June 30th – This was a full day! Our first stop was at Sixth Crossing where we learned about the Willie handcart company rescue at the new visitors’ center. Our next stop was at Independence Rock where those with climbing skills scaled to the top. We enjoyed several hours at Martin’s Cove seeing exhibits and learning more about the heroic rescue of the Martin handcart company. Unfortunately, our time was limited, and we were not able to experience a handcart trek. However, several pulled empty carts or carts laden with each other around a short course. Our afternoon/evening was spent traveling back home. Drop off points were the same as the pick-up points in Orem and Salt Lake City.
We greatly appreciated the many Cardon family members who willingly shared their knowledge, time, and talents to ensure that this tour was wonderful, informative, and entertaining.
Becky Cardon Smith
Photo Gallery – Random order
