Momentous Events

The last couple of days have been full of momentous events. First off, little Eliza visited Zion National Park over the weekend and became a park ranger!! She looks great in her ranger gear. Her auntie Ranger Tiff is so proud! I am quite jealous though because baby ranger uniforms include shorts--Mississippi ranger uniforms include polyester pants. She's so cute! I especially love the little deer attached to her belt.


The next momentous event occurred yesterday evening during Sunday dinner. Camden lost her first tooth!!! She is the first Taylor grandchild to lose a tooth, and everyone (especially Camden) was very excited. She requested that we all refer to her as "Without-Tooth Girl." Word on the street is that the Tooth Fairy visited her last night and left some presents but forgot to take the tooth. Maybe she'll come back tonight for the tooth (and leave more presents?). What an exciting Sunday dinner!

Then, today Camp Floyd received notification that we have been named by Reserve America Top 100 Family Destinations as one of America's top 25 Educational and Historical Facilities! We also made it in the top 50 best picnic areas, but that's not quite as cool as the top 25. That's a pretty big award. We are very excited, and we will proudly be displaying said award in the museum.

Even though Mark Twain never did stay at Camp Floyd, I still think it is one of Utah's best kept secrets (although it would be better if it wasn't such a secret). I can't believe how many important Civil War generals were stationed there right before the war began. I was doing some research on Camp Floyd's famous inhabitants today, and pictured here is one of the most famous (or infamous?) soldiers that was stationed in Utah. His name was Henry Heth, and he is considered to be the man who inadvertently started the Battle of Gettysburg. The crazy part is that Heth, who was a Confederate commander, accidentally ran into Union cavalryman John Buford at Gettysburg, and even though Heth had not been ordered to engage, he started firing at Buford and his men. The weird part is that John Buford was at Camp Floyd too!!!! Then, the next Union man to roll into town was General John Reynolds--ANOTHER Camp Floyd alum! It was like a Camp Floyd reunion at Gettysburg, only they were trying to kill each other. Unfortunately John Reynolds got shot in the neck shortly after he arrived in Gettysburg, but I think it's pretty crazy that three of the first to engage at G-burg had all been stationed out in the Utah Territory before the war.

Another famous Camp Floyd soldier was Bernard Bee from South Carolina. He is the one who gave "Stonewall" Jackson his nickname! In fact, Sarah and Joel have visited his grave in South Carolina before--and we didn't even know that he had been out in Utah for a few years! Who needs Mark Twain stopping by when you have Generals Johnston, Buford, Heth, and Bee?