Highlights from the life of George Harrison Tribe

Tied up with the early history of Utah.

When George was coming over on the sailing ship he climbed up the mast way up high, when no one was looking. One of the sailors spotted him up there and climbed up after him. when he caught George he grabbed him by the clothes at the back of his neck and held him way out in space.

George was in a buffalo stampede. One of the buffalo jumped over one of the oxen that were pulling one of the wagons and knocked a horn off one of the oxen.

Herded cattle on east bench of Ogden, when real small.

Served one summer and fall in militia in Blackhawk War in Southern Utah. The troops had a skirmish with Chief Blackhawk and his braves. In the battle the chief was wounded. He did not die, but he was never healthy after that. George was in the reinforcements that arrived about an hour after the battle. Lots of times he would ride all day and fall asleep in the saddle. They chased the Indians all over that country and sometimes they would end up in box canyons and then they would have to go clear back.

Telegrapher on railroad.

Ran a mercantile store in St. George.

Made at least two trips with teams and freight wagons to St. Louis to bring supplies to Utah. When he went back to St. Louis, one day the soldiers came up and told them to be on the lookout for Indians as they were stealing cattle. A few days later he heard that the Indians had stolen all the soldiers horses.

The Indians in Utah were very poor. When George was going back to St. Louis once the Indians wanted food. They sent the Indians out with their horses to graze them. They kept the chief in camp so that they could get them back. They mixed up a big pot of mush for the chief. The

Indians were so hungary that they would dip their hands into the pot of mush before it was even cool. When the Indians came back with the horses one of them was missing. It had become bogged down on the edge of a slough. They didn't have time to get it out. George thought that the Indians had deliberately bogged the horse down so that they could get it out after the men left and eat it.

Mercantile store where Skaggs drug store now stands on Washington. Ave. Then moved the store to Kiesel Ave. & 24th st. on South side. When the property was condemed and he moved back to the Washington Ave. location.

Developed the Blackhawk Coal Mine in Carbon Co. along with David Eccles, Jas (?) Anderson of Morgan and Arthur Wright. A sample of coal from this mine now rests in the State Capitol Bldg. Geo H. Tribe was one to name the mine because of his being in the B.H. War in that area.

George Tribe, Arthur Wright, David Eccles and James Anderson of Morgan filed on a section of coal land down in carbon county. Some other people tried to file on it. The case was taken to the Supreme Court and the case was decided in their favor as they were the first to file. They bought the land and formed a corporation, equipped it with machinery.

They called it the Blackhawk coal mine after Chief Blackhawk. George suggested the name. After operating it for several years they sold it to the United States Fuel Company. The large piece of coal displayed in the Capitol came from the Blackhawk Mine.

Vice President of 1st National Bank, David Eccles president, John Watson Vice President. Retained this position until he died. Chas. Barton cashier of the Savings bank. Then located N.E. corner of Washington and 24th. Jas. Burton was cashier at bank.

Attended Worlds Fair in Chicago (?) as a member of Old Time Telegraphers Association. Thomas Edison was there. He was a member.

Sent his daughter Clara to Paris to study piano. He went over when she came home. They visited Italy. Pompeii, Vesuvius was erupting with smoke and ashes in the air.