As to why he ended up in Salt Lake, I have no idea. But it sounds as though he had a sharp mind and spotted a good opportunity when it presented itself.

If I can die with that on my marker, I will have lived the type of life I want to live.

Again, thanks, Ardis.

P.S. It was good to see you at MHA.

My southern ancestors’ experiences suggest to me that even 25 years after the end of the Civil War, Reconstruction was still a terrible burden on most ordinary southerners, making a fresh start in the west an attractive option. Who was your ancestor, Researcher? He sounds like the kind of man I should keep an eye on, and may even have already run into.

After that, he took a job which took him through SLC. He also decided to stay. He started a business college and eventually joined the church.

Unfortunately in none of his writings do I recall an explanation of why he chose SLC.

On the surface, the answer as to why he came and stayed looks like Harris’ story. They were both respectable, principled, talented speakers, politically ambitious, interested in public relations, interested in the business community.

Salt Lake City was a new community. It gave both of them an opportunity to use their formidable talents.

However, I also like to think that there were other factors. The nice climate. The respectable people. Compared to the South (I’m having to draw on my high school education here), there would have been a lack of corruption, a lack of ossified social structure, a lack of violence and a lack of day to day exposure to bigotry and racism.

My ancestor also died early. In his case it was 1894. He was a Republican (the party of Lincoln for this Union soldier) but he was also a very close associate of BH Roberts and I wonder sometimes how his political career would have developed if he had not died.

* * *

Perhaps a final destination like Los Angeles or Seattle would have worked as well for Fisher Sanford Harris, but besides the benefits which SLC gained from his presence, he would have missed being memorialized by Ardis 100 years later.

Had he lived, I believe the social climate in Utah would have been quite different — he had that much influence on both sides. For one thing, I think his Wizard of the Wasatch festival (something I will post about soon) would probably have caught on permanently, giving Utah a totally charming, totally nonpartisan business union for Mormon and non-Mormon alike. Pioneer Day would have preserved a more religious flavor and not become what it is today, disliked by most non-Mormons, and diluted from its earlier purpose in the interest of being all-inclusive. The political scene would be different, too, because we wouldn’t all define ourselves so much by what we are not — not Mormon, or not not-Mormon.

Ardis, do we know what brought him to Utah territory? I think it is significant that he arrived even before the manifesto.