About Martha Chapter 7

L et's start our story with a history of the town of Bingham, Utah for that is where Martha Chapter was born. According to the Utah History Encyclopedia:

"Bingham Canyon is located in the Oquirrh Mountains approximately twenty-five miles southwest of Salt Lake City. The canyon was first settled in August 1848 by two Mormon pioneers, Thomas and Sanford Bingham. The two brothers had been sent to the area by Brigham Young, who requested that they take a herd of horses and cattle belonging to himself, the Bingham family, and others up to the high land around the main canyon. They erected a small cabin about one-and-a-half miles below the entrance to the canyon on the north side of its creek.

The canyon proved to be an ideal place not only for herding cattle, but also for cutting timber. For the next few years, the Bingham brothers spent their time engaged in these pursuits, and also in prospecting for valuable minerals. Some ores were found but the Bingham[s] were advised by Brigham Young not to engage in mining at that time. The policy of the Mormon Church discouraged mining because all available labor was desperately needed to produce the necessities of life. There was also the fear that mining would attract non-Mormons from out of state and have a degrading effect upon those who engaged in it. The ore finds were soon forgotten after 1850 when the Binghams moved to settle Weber County.

Nevertheless, Bingham Canyon continued to be used as an abundant source of timber. Mormon leaders recognized this economically valuable resource when, in 1850, they granted permission for a sawmill to be erected in West Jordan by Archibald and Robert Gardner. A mill was constructed in the canyon itself in 1864 when Brigham Young persuaded a group of pioneers headed for Idaho with a sawmill from the East to build it by Carr Fork. During this time, many wagonloads of timber were taken from the canyon's hillsides, including most of the timber used to construct the roof of the Salt Lake Tabernacle.

In 1863, as logging operations continued, valuable ores were again discovered in the canyon by George B. Ogilvie, Archibald Gardner, and some soldiers from Fort Douglas. The ore finds were sent to General Patrick Connor, who was the commander of the Third California Infantry, stationed during the Civil War at Salt Lake City's Fort Douglas. He assayed the ore and found it to contain rich quantities of both gold and silver. General Connor then supervised the organization of the West Mountain Mining District, which included Bingham Canyon and most of the Oquirrh Mountains.

The rush for the riches of Bingham Canyon then commenced as Connor encouraged his soldiers, many of them veterans of the California gold rush, to prospect. He hoped that the mining fever would attract non-Mormons from outside of Utah to come to the state and thus dilute the influence of Mormons. A few rich strikes were made but the high cost of wagon transportation made the discoveries uneconomical. This almost caused the canyon to be abandoned. Mining continued, however, when men switched to placer mining in Bingham Creek. One claim yielded more than $2,000,000 in gold by 1868. However, for most miners, the placer deposits could only barely provide enough food to eat. Before 1869, fewer than 100 miners, mostly Welsh, Irish or Cornish in origin, lived in the canyon.

The arrival in 1873 of the Bingham and Camp Floyd branch of the Utah Central Railroad dramatically changed Bingham's fortunes. This event revived lode mining and soon rich strikes were paying off. Milling and smelting facilities which made mining even more profitable soon sprang up in the canyon as well as in the Salt Lake and Tooele valleys.

The end of the nineteenth century saw the consolidation of the small claims of many individual prospectors in Bingham Canyon into the hands of copper giants like the Boston Consolidated and Utah Copper Companies. The formation of these companies not only required a large supply of capital resources, but also created a demand for cheap labor. The flood of immigrants that resulted made Bingham one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the state of Utah. It was estimated that in 1912, 65 percent of the residents were foreign born.

Each ethnic group settled in a different area of the canyon, elevating the population to more than 15,000 by the 1920s. In the process, these groups created distinct communities. Finns, Swedes, and Norwegians came to Carr Fork; Eastern and Southern European Slavs and Italians to Highland Boy; Greeks, Japanese, British, and Scandinavians to Copperfield; Austrians, Welsh, Cornish, and other Britons to Lark; and the British, French, Irish, and numerous others to Bingham. As a result the canyon was later dubbed by many to be a literal "League of Nations." Smaller camps with names like Frog Town, Freeman, Heaston Heights, Markham, Copper Heights, Dinkeyville, and Terrace Heights could also be found.

Bingham, due to its steep topography, had room for only one main street that snaked its way through nearly seven miles of canyon. It was joked that, due to the narrowness of the canyon, dogs could only wag their tails up and down. These close confines added to the tragedies that resulted from the numerous fires, avalanches, and floods that continually plagued the residents of the town. These hazards and the canyon's limited space led to the construction of Copperton at the canyon's mouth in 1926. This town, designed as a model mining community, was originally built by the Utah Copper Company not for the average miner, but for the company's management. The homes, which made extensive use of copper in their construction, were rented to employees until 1956, at which time they were sold to the residents.

The variety of people in Bingham Canyon helped transform "the hill," as the mining operations of the Utah Copper Company (later Kennecott Copper Corporation) were originally called, into the world's largest open-pit copper mine. This expansion continually required the purchase of living areas for miners as the old towns of the canyon were gradually swallowed. Highland Boy and Copperfield were dismantled by 1960 and the last buildings in Bingham were torn down in 1972. Lark had disappeared from the map by the end of 1980. Copperton remains the sole survivor of the communities that helped to make Bingham Canyon one of the most culturally diverse and rich areas of Utah."

And, now back to the history of Martha Chapter. On May 27, 1910, a regular meeting of Martha Chapter Under Dispensation was held in Canyon Hall in Bingham. The communications from the Grand East were as follows:

At the annual session of Grand Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, a Charter was granted to Martha Chapter U.D., henceforth to be known as Martha Chapter #7.

When there was first talk of starting an Eastern Star Chapter in Bingham, the officers of Canyon Lodge were not in favor. However, in February 1910, the Worshipful Master of the lodge asked the Worthy Matron of Martha Chapter to provide a banquet and that a fair price would be paid. The Sisters complied with the request and provided such an excellent banquet they reached the hearts of the Masons through their good food and the dispute was settled. The days of banquets were spent cooking in the homes of Chapter members and carrying the food and dishes to Canyon Hall. The next day was spent washing dishes and carrying them all back. Sisters Adderlly and Bemis lived close by and their homes were made headquarters for the cooking and banquet preparation. This story reminds me a of quote from Madeleine L'Engle (American author, 1918--):

"That's something I've noticed about food: whenever there's a crisis if you can get people to eating normally things get better."

And, so the tradition continues in Martha Chapter today.

Getting back to 1910-at this time trains arrived and departed Bingham Canyon twice daily. As there were no hotel accommodations, it was necessary to have the Grand Officers stay at the homes of members of the Chapter. In the case of instituting Martha Chapter, it is said that some of the members and Grand Officers spent the night sitting by the fire in old rocking chairs.

In 1910, Canyon Hall was the only available place for Lodge meetings. The downstairs housed a bar and dance floor, and the second floor held the Lodge rooms which were large and bare. The carpet was thread-bare and the members had to watch their step to keep from tripping over the ragged places. Martha Chapter met on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month, and in those days Friday night was the popular night for dances. The music of a "Rag Time" band of ten drowned out the strains of "Martha's" music. It was often difficult for the members to keep their minds on the solemnity of the Chapter work with so much merry making going on down below. Canyon Hall was used every evening and afternoon for other organizations, and Martha had to hold their practices after regular meetings. Later, the Reverend Thomas (Secretary) allowed the Chapter to hold practices in the Methodist Church in Carr Fork. In 1920, the Masons purchased and remodeled the Roberts Hotel. The main hall was heated by a potbelly stove. Adjacent to the hall was a dining area, preparation room, and storage closets. People accessed the main entrance hall by climbing a very steep flight of stairs. Martha Chapter met in this building for 41 years.

The ever widening of the Utah Copper Mine eventually led to the demise of the town of Bingham and made it necessary for the Lodge to move, in 1961, to their present location. Six other organizations now share the building with Canyon Lodge and Martha Chapter.

Over the years Martha Chapter continued to grow until the mid 1960s when membership reached 130. Since that time there has been a slow decrease in membership. However, the enthusiasm and work of the Order continues and it is hoped that in the due course of time we will see an increase in our membership. Many of the items in the Lodge Hall have been donated by members of Martha Chapter. As with all other OES Chapters, Martha's main goal is to provide for the social welfare of its members and raise money for charities. This is accomplished by hosting various social events each year.