HURRICANE — Not far from Hurricane, 116 years ago, a young couple was married in Grafton, just one year after the Hurricane canal was finished, according to town historian Phyllis Lawton.
In 1907, Joseph Scow married his sweetheart Emily Wood in Grafton. To celebrate the occasion, Mrs. Maria Ballard made a cake with four layers of fruit and decorated it with pink candy flowers.
After sharing a piece, the couple placed the cake on a shelf to display to guests. Although the Scow’s children gradually made the candies disappear, the cake is still on display for the curious.
The Hurricane Valley Museum houses many artifacts with walls telling the stories of the men who began the settlement in 1893 and the 13-year adventure to irrigate their crops by constructing a canal.
During that time, residents produced most of what they consumed, either by farming, gardening or hunting. Family members worked long hours without the assistance of air conditioning, but the women still loved to bake for special occasions, Lawton said.
“There was no electricity or running water in Hurricane until 1917,” she said. “The homes did not have air conditioning to make things moldy — it is a petrified fruit cake.”
Traditions vary over the decades, but many people saved cakes to display due to the dry, desert climate. Today, the tradition can still be seen as some couples opt to freeze a slice of their wedding cake.
“In the ’60s, when I was married, we saved the top layer of the wedding cake,” Lawton said.
Not as old as the cake, a slab of bacon hung in a basement to cure in 1945 was later discovered by descendants in 1996 and donated to the museum.
The museum is also filled with historical artifacts from the time period — wooden high chairs, dolls, pioneer tools, clothes, tack and housewares — that tell stories without the assistance of Lawton and her crew.
Hurricane City Councilman David Hirschi told St. George News about the tours he gives high school seminary students who are fascinated by the cake. The students ultimately learn about the sacrifice it took for a family to enjoy what many would take for granted at a wedding today.
“They just had that dedication, that pioneer spirit — they were tough people,” Hirschi said of the families that settled Hurricane, LaVerkin, Virgin, Toquerville and those that eventually left Grafton. “They had a vision of what Hurricane could be and not necessarily what it looked like at the time. You look at it now and it is a beautiful valley filled with trees and orchards.”
Hirschi said that Lawton and her small staff have been key to the success of the local museum for nearly three decades.
“As a city, we are very appreciative of Phyllis and her volunteer staff who keep the museum running smoothly,” he said.
Mayor Nanette Billings said the Hurricane Valley Museum is also nearby the Bradshaw Hotel, the first permanent home built in Hurricane in 1906. The home was more than a residence; the front room served as the first school and Sunday school meeting place in the valley.
“Sweet little ladies that are running that,” she said. “They just do a great job. Good quality people in our community that are just there to help out.”
Lawton admitted she knew of one older cake, something that made her “only a little bit jealous.”
“We are blessed to have a unique item that people come from all around the world to see,” she said of the century-old cake.
Photo Gallery
A photo of the Scow’s at the Hurricane Valley Museum, Hurricane, Utah, April 21, 2023 | Photo by Haven Scott, St. George News Bacon hung to dry in 1945, then forgotten, is now on display at the Hurricane Valley Museum, Hurricane, Utah, April 21, 2023 | Photo by Haven Scott, St. George News Several colorful murals adorn the walls at the Hurricane Valley Museum, Hurricane, Utah, April 21, 2023 | Photo by Haven Scott, St. George News Tools, housewares and multiple artifacts saved and preserved by families in Southern Utah are on display at the Hurricane Valley Museum, Hurricane, Utah, April 21, 2023 | Photo by Haven Scott, St. George News The stories of the original group of family’s sent to the valley by Brigham Young at the Hurricane Valley Museum, Hurricane, Utah, April 21, 2023 | Photo by Haven Scott, St. George News
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