A Pioneer Home

You entered this cabin through a hole near the roof. Porter Squires built it in 1855 for Wilhelm and Laura Amelia Knudsen, one of Brigham City's first permanent homes — a single room fourteen by eighteen feet, with a loft that ran the length of the walls, reached through a small square door set high under the gable. Six of the Knudsens' thirteen children were born inside it. In 1929, for a moving cost of fifteen dollars, the cabin was hauled to Rees Pioneer Park and restored, saved as a specimen of how the first settlers actually lived.

What the plaque says

The Knudsen cabin, built by Porter Squires for Wilhelm and Laura Amelia Knudsen in 1855, was one of the first permanent structures in Brigham City. Located on the corner of First East and First South, the original cabin was 14' x 18'. It had a loft running the full length of the inside walls and was entered by means of a small, square, outside door just below the gable. Six of their thirteen children were born in the cabin during the years from 1856 to 1865. The cabin was moved to Rees Pioneer Park in 1929 where it could be preserved as a typical pioneer dwelling. The move cost $15.00. Charles Squires, son of the original builder, was hired to do some restoration work for $221.00. It was dedicated September 8, 1929. In 1993 Box Elder South Company Daughters of Utah Pioneers made arrangements to lease enough and to form a yard around the cabin permitting removal of the 1948 cover which had largely obscured it from view. Renovation and restoration followed, including installation of a clay floor, cedar roof, and half-loft; planting of old-fashioned flowers in the yard; and furnishing the cabin with pioneer originals and replicas - all combining to create more fully the atmosphere of an 1855 pioneer home. 1995 No. 482 South Box Elder Company The cabin was moved to its present location in Brigham Young Park on May 26, 2000. As their Centennial Project, the Box Elder South Company of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers chose to completely restore the cabin. Rotting logs were removed and replaced with new logs, the chinking was replaced inside and out, a wooden plank floor was installed, a chimney was built, and a working fireplace was finished. Rocks were brought to cover the foundation, and the landscaping efforts included planting trees and flowers. Hours of labor and prayers of many people have been expended in restoring this cabin to its present condition. The dedication was held on June 1, 2001.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Wellsville Mountains — 9.2 mi
  The steepest mountains in North America for their height
• Hyrum State Park — 12 mi
  A family-friendly reservoir at the mouth of Blacksmith Fork Canyon
• Powder Mountain — 15 mi
  The largest ski resort in the United States by acreage — a famously uncrowded "PowMow" now remaking itself under Netflix's Reed Hastings.
• Logan — 18 mi
  A vibrant college town tucked into a stunning mountain valley

More markers nearby

• Brigham City, a Co-op Town — steps away
• Brigham City Co-op Store — steps away
• Brigham City Fire Station — 0.2 mi
• Box Elder Fort — 0.4 mi