by Linnie May Fisher Palmer Carlson

William Frederick Fisher was born November 16, 1839 at Woolwich, England, now a suburb of London. His father, Thomas Frederick Fisher, being born in Wales, his mother Jane Christon was born in Deptford, Kent County England. Hence, we rate his Anglo Saxon lineage. His early boyhood was spent in and about London until he was fourteen years of age. At this time, his parents having heard and embraced the L.D.S. gospel, gave up their comfortable home, and with their children, three boys and two girls, embarked onboard the American ship, Marshfield of Bath, U.S., lying in the Victorian dock, Liverpool, Friday, March 31^st, 1854. They left Liverpool, England, April 8, 1854. After six weeks of slow sailing, the vessel landed at New Orleans, Louisiana.

After a six-week rest there, the family went by steamboat up the Mississippi Rover to St. Louis, Missouri. They stayed at St. Louis two months, then came by steamboat up the Missouri River to what is now Kansas City. Four miles from Kansas, at a town called Weston, they were fitted out with their wagons and ox teams.

They now began the long, toilsome journey over the plains in the company of Robert L. Campbell, reaching Salt Lake City, October 28, 1854.. The hardships and sufferings, the toil and patient endurance, the long days and nights of the journey are hard for us to imagine. It took the pioneers four months to make that trip which can now be made in that many days. Indians, wild animals, making roads, crossing streams without bridges, and so many more trials to endure, all tried their faith. But the good God of Heaven protected them, and they reached Zion, a haven of rest on October 28, 1854.

The journey across the plains had in it a tragedy for that family. While the father was away to buy new oxen, the Indians having stolen their best team, Georgina, a little golden haired girl of eight years, fell out of the wagon and was killed. They were traveling after dark. The mother had put the children to sleep in the back of the wagon. After they had traveled awhile, she felt worried, and had them stop the teams so she could look to see if all was well. When she looked, one little girl was missing. They went back and found the little crushed body in a deep rut where the wheels of the other wagon had passed over her. The parents had to place their darling in a grave and leave her on the plains in Nebraska, called the plains of LaBonti, near Fort Laramie.

William Frederick Fisher, only fourteen years of age, drove the team of oxen over those plains into the Salt Lake Valley. They stayed in Salt Lake City a short time, then located in Bountiful, Utah. The parents lived in Bountiful many years. The father, Thomas Frederick Fisher died at the age of seventy six.

January 1, 1861, William Frederick Fisher was married to Millenium Andrus, daughter of Milo Andrus. They were married in the Endowment House. They were married three months before this time in Salt Lake City, by Bishop Lorenzo H. Rawley. They lived in Salt Lake City two years. A son was born to them November 21, 1861. They named him William Edgar. Next they moved to Bountiful, Utah where the second child was born, Linnie May, the writer of this article.

In October 1864, William Frederick Fisher moved to Richmond, Utah, where he made his home for fourteen years. He moved his family again in 1878 to Oxford, Idaho. He and his wife Millenium were the parents of eleven children.

Mr. Fisher had a general merchandise store in Oxford, where the settlers from Snake River Valley and Bear Lake would come to trade with him. He spoke the Indian language very fluently in the Bannock and Shoshone Indian tongue. He was known to their tribes as Tosowich. The Indians considered him on of their trusted friends. Chief Gibson of the Bannock Indians was a personal friend of his.

Mr. Fisher had two wives. The second wife, Harriet Hogan, had four children, making fifteen in all for Mr. Fisher.

In April 1860, he rode the Pony Express from Ruby Valley, Nevada, to Egan Canyon, Nevada, and later from Salt Lake City to Rush Valley, Nevada. The history of the Pony Express records dangerous and thrilling rides. Two most famous rides were made by Mr. Fisher. One was seventy-five miles in six hours on one horse, as the other horses for the rider were killed by the Indians. The horses were only to go twenty-five miles, but in this instance, each time the rider got to a station for a new horse, the station would be burned and the horses gone. The rider knew the mail must go on, so rode the wonderful horse the seventy five miles. The other memorable ride was made in November 1860, carrying the news of Lincoln's election. He carried the election returns from Salt Lake City to Fausts Station in Rush Valley, a distance of seventy-five miles in four hours and twenty minutes. In July 1860, Mr. Fisher brought in the Pony Express from Ruby Valley, Nevada to Salt Lake City, Utah, in about thirty-five hours, with only six changes of horses. The Indians had stolen the other animals, killed the station keepers and burned the stations where there should have been other changes. One night in January 1861, Mr. Fisher was eighteen hours making the ride form Camp Floyd to Salt Lake City, in one of the worst storms he had ever experienced.

In 1871, Mr. Fisher went on a mission to the Middle States. In August 1876, he was called to leave his home in Richmond, Utah, to go to Oxford, Oneida County, Idaho, to settle up that part of the country. In August 1877, he was ordained a Bishop and appointed to preside over the Oxford Ward. He held that position until December 1882. He was prominent in the early days of Old Eagle Rock, Idaho, and Pocatello, Idaho. He was a pioneer of Utah, and later of Idaho. He lived and died a staunch Latter-Day Saint. He will be remembered longest by the poor and needy, whom he never neglected. Besides his children, he left numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.

He died September 30, 1919, at Rigby, Idaho, where he spent the last few years of his life with a son, Dr. Ray H. Fisher. And so end the life of a great and good man.

Copy of a letter written by

WILLIAM FREDERICK FISHER

date unknown

My name is William F. Fisher. I was born in the County of Kent, England, November 16, 1839. I came with my father's family to Utah in 1854. I took the first Pony Express going east at Ruby Valley, Nevada and on April 6, 1860 the rider next west to me brought it from Robert's Creek, Nevada, 60 miles west of Ruby Valley.

I carried it east 55 miles to Egan Canyon and delivered it to Bill Dennis, who took it on to the next rider. I was 5 hours making the 55 miles. Major Howard Egan was Superintendent of the Express Route from Salt Lake City to Sacramento.

I rode once a week each way, carrying the Express matter until about the first of July, when the Shoshone and Goshute Indians broke out on the war path, killing our brave riders, burning the stations, and stealing the stock.

They commenced their ravages by killing John Ouldcott at Simpson's Park, following it up by killing Ralph Locier and John Applegate at Dry Creek.

I was at Robert's Creek at the time of the massacre. Two of they boys, Lafayette Ball and Silas McCanless, they having made their escape at Dry Creek, chased by the Indians for 10 miles. They came to Robert's Creek about 2:00 o'clock in the morning.

Robert's Creek was baracaded [sic] and prepared for trouble. I had ridden to Robert's Creek on account of the rider that should of gone west, being sick. As soon as the Dry Creek boys got rested and fed we all started for Ruby Valley, I took the express from there to Salt Lake City, 300 miles in 30 hours, using 8 horses and mules, Several stations were burned up on the road and animals stolen. I took the news of the Indian outbreak. I arrived in Salt Lake City the night of July 4, 1860. After that, they put on Express riders twice a week each way, and I rode from Salt Lake City to Rush Valley, 75 miles, once a week each way, using 4 horses on the route.

Two companies of soldiers, dragoons under Lieutenants Weed and Perkins were sent out to Ruby Valley (from Camp Floyd) to quell the Indian troubles.

They made Ruby Valley their headquarters. They had several battles with the Indians, but finally made them sue for peace.

The Indians committed great atrocities - burning some of their victims on wood piles, scalping some and badly mutilating others. They had a good many bloody fights.

I rode form Salt Lake to Rush Valley until the telegraph line was built. In November, 1860, I took the Presidential election returns from Salt Lake City to Rush Valley, going west, 75 miles, using 5 horses, in 13 hours and 45 minutes.

The names of the Indian chief who headed the outbreak were Pocatello, Buck and Leather-head.

January 22, 1861, I was lost between Camp Floyd and Port Rockwell's point of the mountain "half-way house" in a blizzard for 20 hours. Leaving Camp Floyd at 4:00 o'clock p.m. and arriving at Salt Lake City at noon the next day pretty badly exhausted, as I was fighting the storm all the way. I could tell of a great many heroic acts of the "Pony" riders.

My health is very poor and I find it quite a task to write this. If you will submit a list of questions to me I will take pleasure in answering them as far as I know. My memory is getting very poor. My age while carrying the express was from April 6, 1860 to July 1, 1861. Write for any other information you may want. I think your poem is beautiful I would like a copy of it [book] when published.

Accept my best wishes for your success.

Yours truly,

W. F. Fisher

My age while carrying Pony Express was 20 to 21, on November 16, 1860 I was 21.