Talmage was required to write a report about something pertaining to Utah Pioneers. I thought I'd post it because it may be of interest to a lot of the family.
Pioneer Gunmaker
By Talmage Cresap
One of my great-great-great grandfathers, on my Dad’s side, was Jonathon Browning, who was a gunsmith. He was a gunsmith in Nauvoo for six years. Jonathan Browning was once friends with Abraham Lincoln, who stayed at Browning’s house when he traveled through that part of Illinois.
One of his most famous guns was the slide gun. It was one of the first repeating rifles in America. The slide gun allowed you to shoot multiple times. Instead of working so hard to reload it between each shot, all you had to do was slide the magazine, and then you could pull the trigger again.
In 1846 he left Nauvoo and went with all the Mormons to Council Bluffs, Iowa. Then the Mormon Battalion was going to California to fight the Mexicans and Jonathan wanted to join them, but Brigham Young told him, “Brother Jonathan, we need you here.” Mr. Young needed him to make guns for the pioneers going west.
He stayed in Council Bluffs for six years, making as many as 400 guns, while the rest of the Mormons went west. The Slide Repeating Rifle and the Cylinder Repeating Rifle were the products he made. Indians used to attack people when they were reloading their guns, but this strategy didn’t work against Browning’s repeating rifles, so his guns saved lots of lives. The Indians were surprised when the pioneers fired multiple times: bang, bang, bang! Jon Browning’s guns were hero guns.
Sources:
Black, Susan Easton, “Jonathan Browning, Mormon Gunsmith.” Muzzle Blasts Online, August/September 1997, volume 2, Number 4.
Browning, John; Gentry Curt, John M. Browning: American Gunmaker.
This was the day my old camera died and this was the last picture it took. That is why our blog is so far behind. I thought this 3-D rubber puzzle was really cool. The boys figured it out before I did. This was probably September 2010.
We always start our Christmas with our traditional birthday cake for Jesus. We sing happy birthday and start our day of sweetness.
We told our boys Christmas would be a bit leaner this year as we were giving them half their presents in ski equipment and we gave it to them in late November. The boys were very gracious about that. We also took them shopping for the Toys for Tots as the Marines who collect the toys were right in Dad's building.
The boys really enjoyed the vintage tinker toy set from
Christmas always means more Legos! Are we maxed out yet?!!? 
We took the boys to Clint’s building Christmas afternoon for a first outing on their wiggle cars.
After we got back from Huntsville, we had a quick opening of our Christmas Eve PJs and books.
My Dad has a magical gift for creating traditions. I remember the beef-jerky, and Tang Christmas breakfast followed by a parade around the house singing Christmas carols. This, to a young kid, seemed to go on FOREVER as he'd veer just past the living room door and head another direction, all the while singing Christmas carols. Finally, he'd open the door and it was an explosion of kids upon presents and stockings. Our Christmas Eves were always unique as well with the performance of my Dad's original, humorous, but still touching, Christmas skits. Favorites were Elizabeth and Zachariah and the Zarahemla Christmas, which you can see being read here by the grand kids. We always sing Christmas Carols and Grandpa Hale reads Luke 2. A new tradition, perhaps brought on by my parent's mission to Mexico, is a pinata breaking. It's so fun that my kids get to experience the Hale Christmas Eve. (I haven't mastered my new camera and some images are blurry, but be sure to click on the panoramic images to see the detail.)
How lucky am I to live in the same state as these two women? These are two of my best friends from highschool, Marisa and Gina. We are three of the five "Voices." Jenny, in California, and Michelle in Oregon complete the group. Gina directed us in a one-act play of the same name and we took 1st place in region and we're all given best actress. How nice is that? We've been soul sisters ever since even though our lives have been kind of far-flung. It's wonderful to be with people who love you flat out, even though we're all very different. I got to meet Marisa for ice skating with her cute kids. I see Gina frequently because her son is a member of the professional Tanner Dance Company based at the U of U. It would take a long time to describe how good these ladies are.
Nothing like a hot breeze from a heater vent and a shopping bag to warm you up after a winter bath.
Our neighborhood is full of doers. If they are going to do anything, they do it all the way and they do it with class. An example is the yearly tradition of a live nativity in the Miller Park--a small canyon park along City Creek. It was amazing. Let's just say that when we were walking there the boys were complaining and griping that they didn't want to go. And why does mom always drag them to religious stuff? But when we left I remarked that is was beautiful and Talmage said, "Mom, the whole world looks beautiful when you know that HE was born!" They definitely got the point. Here is how it was made.
How to get a little boys attention: post Roman soldiers with authentic costumes at the entrance way. Costumes were donated by Hale Center Theater. Here is Tal holding a head-sized snowball in his hat. Just inside the entrance they accepted canned food for the food bank and I hear they filled up the truck.
The mayor of Bethlehem (our Bishop Smith) welcomed us to a market like you would have seen in old Bethlehem--only 15 Shekels for this goose! And they served hot cocoa and bagels for the walk.
There was a wonderful choir singing christmas carols. And the white rock wall along the canyon looked so much like the rock city wall between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, it's amazing that it just happened to be there and wasn't built for the event.
Shepards on the side of the hill with a flock of real sheep.
Wise men arrived with real live camels to visit the Christ child, Mary and Joseph. A beautiful recording of Luke 2 was broadcast over speakers as the events unfolded. 
We decided before we came to Utah that we would get season passes. We started the whole process in September, buying pre-season discount passes at Brighton. The military rate was $500 for Clint and $500 for me and the kids were free. Quite the steal. Then we started the process of acquiring gear! We knew we could rent the boys skis/boots/bindings for about $120, but we managed to buy them gear for less than that. Notable deals--Jack's $5 skis and $10 boots from garage sales, and Cole's $100 boots that adjust up 4 sizes! We got their bibs at Target for $10 and they are really good quality. We got their coats at the Columbia outlet in Park City for $40 each. Clint and I got our Solomon jackets used and Clint uses his Navy pilot winter goretex gear for his base layers and pants. We still spent quite a bundle as we were starting without a hat or glove among us. Clint made up a spreadsheet to check off all our gear as we acquired it. Shopping can be its own kind of fun.
The ski trips do not come without whining. I think their favorite part is still the snack bar and hot chocolate.
I tell Talmage we have to have at least one "Yippee!" moment before we go home.
Woo! Clint!
Clint and I have enjoyed a couple of afternoons skiing just the two of us. Once when they were all in ski school, and once after we dropped Jack off for Kindergarten. We drove up, skied for a glorious 1 hour and 20 minutes and drove back down the mountain just in time to pick the boys up from school. Sitting on the ski lift in in all that beauty and perfect stillness is to be far away from stress and full of awe of the beauty of the earth and the pleasures that are in life!
