• Representational Building 1850's

• Replicated in 2005

This simple structure is representative of many small businesses in pioneer-era Utah. B.F. (Benjamin Franklin) Johnson had several trades, but was primarily a harness maker. With no reliable source of good leather available, he traded with area Native Americans for deer and elk hides, and bought cattle hides. He did his own tanning and cutting to get the leather stock he needed. The Gold Rush in 1849, brought a huge demand for pack saddles, which B.F. made in his shop. One of the original Mormon pioneers to cross the plains by wagon in 1848, B.F. lived to see the 20th century.

Did you know? It’s thought that the 1849 California Gold Rush brought close to $250,000 or 1/4 of a million dollars to the Salt Lake City Valley