Fifth Oldest Inhabitant Interviewed
Published in Cache Valley Paper
Mr. Paul Cardon tells of early road-making, the Minute Men, the Silk Culture and the Italians in early Cache Valley.
The Italians are not numerous in Cache Valley, but they have done their part in the development of the county. Their work may not be so extensive as that of the Germans, English, or Scandinavians, but it is characterized by that good taste, intelligence, high degree of skill and love of beauty which are inborn in all those so fortunate as to have a drop of Italian blood in their veins.
Among the early converts of the Mormon Church were several of the Waldenese of Piedmont in Northern Italy. This religious sect, starting in Lyons, in the twelfth century, was one of the earliest forms of Protestantism and spread quickly into the valleys of Switzerland and northern Italy, where it still exists and where its church holds a synod each year. The state of Utah has been fortunate to have among its inhabitants some of these enemies of the Roman Catholic Church, these sturdy defenders of their faith, for the martyr blood and the desire to fight for their opinions are strong in them yet, even after many generations.
One of the first converts from this church to come to Logan was Paul Cardon, now living in Bensen Ward. Born of Pinenle, near Turin, he came to America in 1854 at the age of fifteen and lived at Ogden until 1859. The commotion caused in the territory by the coming of Johnston’s army started a general shifting of the population.
Late in the fall of 1859 Mr. Cardon came up to Logan and selected a suitable location. He then sent back to Ogden and returned with his father and brother, Phillip, in February. When all was ready to receive his family, he went to Ogden in April and brought the family back with him.
Like all other settlers, he lived first in a log house, but about 1868 or 1870 he built the large adobe house which still is standing on first north, a little west of the post office. It was the first adobe of any size to be built in Logan, and the bricks were made just west of where the station now is. The cost was $5000.00. Here for ten years Mr. Cardon ran a hotel called the “Cache Valley House.”
Mr. Cardon was early connected with the public enterprises of the new community. James H. Martineay, the town surveyor, had made plans, first for the Logan Hyde Park canal, and then for the Logan and Richmond canals. Mr. Cardon was active in the construction of these canals.
About 1865 Peter Maughan selected him, with Thomas E. Ricks, Jos. Rich and Josiah Ricks, to construct a canyon road through to Bear Lake. Three or four months of each of the next five years were spent by these men camping in the canyon and working on the road. They followed an Indian trail along the river up the left fork through Beaver and St. Charles Canyons, then down to the settlement of St. Charles. Thanks to these men, Cache and Bear Lake Countries were put into direct communication and have been ever since.
This is probably the earliest engineering feat in the history of Cache Valley and the early road builders had many difficulties to overcome. However, game was abundant, such as elk, bear and deer, and they were sustained by the feeling that they were working not only for themselves but for the Church and the State.
For ten years Mr. Cardon belong to the Minute Men of Logan, a regular militia organization of 300 men which followed up and punished the Indians when they stole horses or killed any of the settlers. Every year Brigham Young visited the valley and in his trip to the new settlements, he was usually accompanied by some of the Minute Men. In this capacity Mr. Cardon had the honor of traveling with him many times.
To the Italian origin of Mr. Cardon, Cache Valley owes its mulberry trees, and its attempts at silk culture. Both Mr. and Mrs. Cardon had become familiar with all branches of the silk culture in their youth and seeing the similarity of conditions between Cache Valley and Italy determined to start the culture here.
Mr. Cardon sent to France for mulberry seeds and silk worms. The trees grew well and many of them are still living. The worms spun silk of excellent quality, which Mrs. Cardon reeled and wove into cloth in Salt Lake City. Mrs. Cardon reeled the first silk produced in Utah and is probably now the only woman in the state who knows the art. She has received medals for the excellence of her work from New Jersey, California, and the World’s Fair at Chicago. For a while she also taught a class at Logan in silk reeling.
The mulberry trees are still flourishing, but the silk worms are dead and so is the industry. It would be an excellent subject for some student of economics in Utah to prepare a monograph on the history of the silk culture in Utah. How it started, and why it has not become a leading industry. The work of the Cardons is only one of the many European influences that have come into the country. It was one of vast possibilities and we wish it might have prospered.
Mr. Cardon, however, stands for more than this one industry and the state should be grateful to Italy for sending us such a hard working, public-spirited, pleasant-natured citizen with so many artistic tastes.