Brainstorming
For the last several meetings our committee has been busy brainstorming ideas for our float and a couple of float drawings were submitted. Some of the ideas we considered were: a family of dinosaurs, a transforming wagon, temple building, a bridge that changed to show the changes in time, Butterfield canyon quarry and the building of the old stone church, pioneer sorghum mill, old Herriman changing into new Herriman, and several others.
Our Idea's Origin
One of several local histories we studied was the story of Mary Jane Butterfield. Mary married Thomas Butterfeild in Maine. They converted to the gospel in its early years and settled with the saints in Nauvoo. There, Mary was part of the first Relief Society. They moved with the saints west and they were one of the original families that founded Fort Herriman. Thomas kept many kinds of animals, including sheep up in Butterfield canyon (which was named for him); he also ran a family farm. Thomas was called away on many church assignments, and Mary was often left with the children and farm to make do the best that she could. This paragraph from her history especially attracted our attention:
"Mary Jane was talented and artistic. When settled in Utah, the family raised sheep and
cattle. Mary Jane carded and spun the wool. She would have cans on the stove steeping
sage and berries, adding a little of this and that until she achieved the dye color she
wanted. She was an excellent weaver. She gathered weeds, flowers, and bark to create
pleasing arrangements for her home. Mary Jane was a quilt maker of record in Herriman.
There is an example of her Log Cabin quilt still preserved. She was a member of the first
Relief Society in Herriman, serving as teacher and treasurer."
You can read a complete history of Mary Butterfield at the Herriman Historical Society's Site
Here. (pdf file)
The Submitted Idea
The idea for the float came from Becky of Mill Canyon ward. The drawing was done by her 15 year old daughter Kaitlin. It is a float that honors the resilience of Mary Butterfield.
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This float features Mary at her loom, a huge spinning wheel, containers of bubbling dyes, whimsical sheep and cats and colorful balls of yarn.
Where do We go from Here?
Our next step is to fine tune the idea. We need to decide exactly what is going to appear on our float and decide on the scale of various elements. We also need to finalize a float theme. Our next meeting is Wednesday, 6pm at the Foothills building. Everyone is welcome to attend.
