Camp Floyd

A few weeks ago we participated in a Utah State Parks event, designed to teach kids history and science at state parks. This one was at Camp Floyd, the place where Brigham Young agreed to let Johnston's Army, then the largest military force in the United States, stay in 1858. The event involved some wonderful volunteers who dressed us up as US soldiers, in traditional uniforms, and taught us the fine art of "drilling," because that was what Johnston's Army did most of all.


The army ostensibly was there to put down a suspected Mormon rebellion. However, as we learned on this weekend, Johnston was a southerner, dedicated to the secessionist movement, who was eventually killed fighting for the Confederate cause. It is suspected that he, who had played a large role in convincing president Buchanan to send the army west, actually did it in order to have the troops out of the way when the Southern states seceded from the Union. In addition, we learned, as Keegan points out above, that it was a stop on the Pony Express, during the brief life of that famous institution.

Cutest Soldier Ever.

It took Alden a bit of warming up, but when they finally brought out the guns, he was even willing to don an ill fitting cap and play along.

Sad to say, Keegan already knows which is the business end of the gun, and has some definite ideas about where it should be pointed.

This picture just cracks me up. Enlarge it and look at Keegan's face. The one eye you can see says so much about him. How can you not be totally in love with that? Meanwhile Kate took it all very seriously, and I think learned a lot. Alden just hated the thick wool coat, and let you know it whenever you even tried to put it on him.

Coat off, and all is well.

In the end, it was a fun experience for all. Kudos to Utah Parks!