Pioneer Home and Granary

Two hard journeys met in this cabin. George Wheeler came west as a ten-year-old in 1854, helping his father haul what the family claimed was the first steam engine and sawmill west of the Missouri. Hannah Humphries came two years later from Gloucester, England, a nine-year-old walking beside the Willie Handcart Company — the emigrants caught by early snow in Wyoming, where many died. George and Hannah married in 1862 and, in 1876, moved into this home built from timber floated down the Cub River. They raised ten children here, and the cabin sheltered the family for eighty years.

What the plaque says

This cabin was used as a family home from 1876 to 1956. It was the home of George and Hannah Wheeler and their ten children. George Walton Wheeler headed west in 1854 with his father, Levi, bringing the first steam engine and sawmill west of the Missouri River. George was ten years old. Hannah was born December 18, 1846, in Gloucester, England, daughter of George and Harriet Harding Humphries. The family came west with the Willie Handcart Company in 1856. Walking alongside the handcart were six children, ages eighteen, fourteen, twelve, nine, six, and one. Hannah Humphries and George Walton Wheeler were married in 1862. Logs were cut at the Wheeler Sawmill where they were floated miles down the Cub River. There the logs were taken from the river and hauled to the homestead. When Hannah and George moved into their little home in 1876, there was only enough flooring to go under the bed. A fresh water spring was near the cabin. A granary and barn were also built. George Walton Wheeler made each building with full dovetail corners. Each square nail was made in his own blacksmith shop. From the cabin's location, all of Cache Valley can be seen.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• American West Heritage Center — 12 mi
  A living history farm spanning 160 acres of Cache Valley
• Logan — 15 mi
  A vibrant college town tucked into a stunning mountain valley
• Tony Grove Lake — 15 mi
  A glacial alpine lake at 8,100 feet surrounded by wildflower meadows
• Jardine Juniper — 17 mi
  One of the oldest living trees in the world at over 1,500 years old

More markers nearby

• Richmond Fort — 5.7 mi
• Martin Harris Gravesite — 6.1 mi
• Newton Reservoir — 6.4 mi
• Smithfield Veterans Memorial — 8.4 mi